Rare sighting of the Iberian chiffchaff

A male Iberian chiffchaff as still present this week in trees at St Catherine's Field at the southern edge of the Potteric Carr reserve, near Doncaster and has been singing and showing well to a steady stream of visitors.

It is only the second Yorkshire record of the Iberian chiffchaff since it, along with Canary Island and Caucasian chiffchaffs, were given the status of separate full species rather than races of common (collybita) chiffchaff, the familiar visitor to our woodlands.

The first British record of Iberian chiffchaff, when it was still regarded as only a separate race rather than

full species, was at Brent reservoir, London, in 1972 while the first in Yorkshire was at Easington in 2004.

The decision to create these three chiffchaff species was based on significant genetic differences and also their different songs which make it unlikely that there will be interbreeding.

Certainly the Iberian chiffchaff's song is significantly different, three short runs of descending notes and it also has a different call, a soft note rather resembling that made by a bullfinch.

The song and call are the best means of identification – there are only a few very slight differences in appearance such as a slightly yellower breast and vent, greener upperparts and whiter underparts. But these are often impossible to pick out in the field with any certainty.

Several Cetti's warblers are still calling at Potteric Carr – they have been heard every month since October last year – and there is evidence of successful breeding, with an adult seen carrying food.

This is the first successful breeding of Cetti's warblersin South Yorkshire following the first in Yorkshire at the Tophill Low reserve in 2006and it is the 100th bird species to have bred at Potteric Carr since the reserve was established in 1968. Cetti's warblers, which remain in this country throughout the year, are obviously able to cope with even severe winters such as the one just experiencedacross the region and more breeding records can be expected from elsewhere in the county.

Two purple herons were seen at Welwick, East Yorkshire over the weekend where one remained in a ditch this week. One was seen at Tophill Low.

A honey buzzard and osprey were both seen over Filey while a female woodchat shrike was near South Landing, Flamborough and stayed there into this week.

Wood warblers, pied flycatchers and redstarts were all reported to be back in Strid Woods at Bolton Abbey while a black redstart was at the Nosterfield Nature reserve, North Yorkshire.

A Temminck's stint was at Wombwell Ings, South Yorkshire while a turnstone and wood sandpiper were nearby on the Old Moor reserve. Another Temminck's stint was at the Watton reserve in East Yorkshire.

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CW 22/5/10