I really knew Spring was here when, earlier in the week, I heard my chiffchaffs return… the air punctuated by that wonderful familiar call along with the Blackcaps who have also been in full song. My hall and bedroom window over look the lane and opposite is a bank of ivy and bramble and it was in here that I first spotted a chiffchaff with her beak full of leaves! She was foraging in the bank and then disappearing into the undergrowth. I have watched her for the last few days and tried to work out where she was going in… difficult as there was very little landmarks to use and once over there, it was almost impossible to see where she had disappeared.
It took me three trips over there, hiding behind trees, before I finally spotted the beautiful domed nest, hide deep within the foliage. It was almost impossible to see, as it was so well hidden.
Returning to the house, I mounted a camera onto a pole and estimated the focal distance and waited for her to return to the nest. I knew, once she had left, she would be gone for a while… time enough for me to pop the pole into place and quickly adjust the camera. By the time I had returned to the house, the female was back with another beak load of feathers. Apparently, the nest is thickly lined with feathers, so she must be close to finishing this masterpiece!
All afternoon, my iCatcher console has monitored the nest and I took a selection of clips and created the video below…. I really hope she remains safe and we can watch this pretty little warbler raise her family.
Follow the story of this nest on my website HERE