Chiffchaff brings its mate.

I had a Chiffchaff visiting, on the 9th of this month. It was incredibly confused and nervous about it all; not helped by the House Sparrows and Jackdaws, which were in the Hawthorn behind the gardenwall, and about to gather overhead.
At first I had assumed it to be the Willow Warbler which housed in said Hawthorn.

Yesterday, it (or at least, a) Chiffchaff called into the Fennel, very assured, and it sat in the Fennel at first, hopping from the different stalks to another, picking off an Insect here and there. Then it flew back onto the wall. Yet it wasn't ready to leave my Fennel yet. Somehow its body language made this very clear. Kind of lingering, avian style. A little later I understood: a second Chiffchaff arrived.
This could have been a youngster. It was my first instinct anyway, the way it hesitated between wall and Fennel, a couple of times, then again, it could also have been its mate.
To make things more difficult for me and my camera, number two was either on the wall/fence behind the Fennel or at the back of the Fennel itself. This was creating too many obstacles in-between my camera and subject, so this is the best I could do, regarding Chiffchaff number2.

Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita
The Bird at the top is the later arrival.






Some of you, those from the N. American continent, were amazed at the life of the Willow warbler; that such a little Bird can fly all the way to Africa.
The Chiffchaff, which is famous for being the look-alike of the Willow Warbler, is similar in size also. Apart from the length of its wings. Unlike the willow Warbler, the Chiffchaff 'only' flies to the Mediterranean where it is warm enough for this little Bird to overwinter. Some of them will stay in Southern parts of the UK as well as Southern parts of Ireland, and in France.
With climate change there will be less reason to migrate very much further.

I love these summer visitors. These Chiffchaff, and my lovely Swallows, make my spring and summer. Giving me enough energy again to face that long winter again.

Today I made some beautiful shots of my House Sparrows and of J|unior. (juvenile)Jackdaw. Then, as soon as the male 100m sprint final had finished in Berlin at the Athletics World Championships in Berlin, I started sorting my pictures, by deleting the worst of the lot before uploading.
And so, yep, I got rid of them all. One of those stupid things we do, at some times in our lives. And there were really some nice ones on my camera. Ah well, c'es la vie. hope that Junior can repeat that silly look he managed this evening. ?