I always look forward to hearing the first chiffchaff of the year. It is always one of the first summer migrants to arrive - a month or so ahead of its close relative the willow warbler. Chiffchaffs do not travel as far on their migration as some of our summer visitors, with many of "our" birds wintering in the Mediterranean area. A small but increasing number of chiffchaffs overwinter in the UK in fact, in southern counties - these I think are mostly Scandinavian and other continental birds, though some may have spent summer here. Its cheery repetition of its own name gives me quite a lift when I first hear it, and goes on doing so through the summer.
This morning our male brambling was back in the garden, looking resplendent with his black head and rose pink flanks. He'll be on his way north soon, but I heard chiffchaffs today for the first time this year, not in our little bit of woodland as yet, but in two other wooded areas not a great distance away. Spring is with us, summer is on the way (though caution is advised, as tonight will be one of the coldest for some time).
The other bit of good news is the reappearance of the male bullfinch at our feeders. I hadn't seen him since our sparrow hawk visit the other day, and had wondered whether his boldness and bright colour had made him an obvious target.
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