Chiffchaff

I was hoping to get a picture of a chiffchaff amongst a patch of ivy and hawthorn berries but he was too quick and flighty for me. This was the best I could manage - I've had to crop it quite a bit because he was just too far away.

Trying to photograph wild birds always makes me realise just how much time and effort the serious wildlife photographers have to put in to get those wonderful shots you see on tele or in magazines.

The chiffchaff phylloscopus collybita is a common summer visitor to the UK, where its repetitive yet cheerful song (chiff chaff chiff chiff chaff chaff chiff chiff chaff etc) is heard from mid-March. There are lots moving through southern England at the moment on their way to southern Europe, where most of them winter. They zip around the bushes catching flies, often on the wing. Great little birds, full of character.