Hi Colin,
Nice Chiffchaff. Unlike Willow Warblers that seem to sing as soon as
they touch ground, then any time after that that they feel happy,
Chiffchaffs do not sing at all until late January and all February.
Probably they say nothing until they have completed their moult. From
this period they can be heard at Ngangao Forest - Taitas, above Timau,
Met Station, Mutubio Gate and high Aberdares and Timboroa. Whilst not
a common bird, I think there are more Chiffchaffs visitng us than we
think. I tend to think of them leaving early, but one was in full
voice at the petrol station above the Isiolo Junction once in early
April. At Taita I once had five singing in a morning along the top
ridge above Ngangao.
Best for now
Brian

On 2/7/14, Colin Jackson <colin.jackson@arocha.org> wrote:
> This morning about 10:30am, I'd just got back to our friends home in the
> middle of school from doing some ringing in the tiny stand of indigenous
> forest that St Andrew's School, Turi, has along a riverine valley on one
> of its boundaries and was unpacking the car when I heard what sounded
> very like a Chiffchaff singing from a tall cypress tree across the next
> garden. As I had my recording gear on me, I dug it out and waited.. and
> managed to get the attached. No doubt about it - a Common Chiffchaff,
> /Phylloscopus collybita/! The recording is a little faint as it was not
> very close, but it's still clearly a Chiffchaff.
>
> Also near Njoro a couple of days ago mid-morning there were a lot of
> raptors and storks in the air including a small Accipiter soaring high,
> quite pale underneath - unfortunately I didn't have a scope on me and
> wouldn't like to claim anything, but I did wonder if it wasn't a
> Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
>
> The habitat up here around Molo has been hammered - like seriously
> flattened in terms of forest. Looking at the Google Earth image is quite
> frightening to see how 'naked' it now is. Only in the steep riverine
> valleys are there any remnants of indigenous trees (can't really call it
> 'forest') but amazingly there are a few forest birds still hanging on
> there - White-browed Crombec, Mountain Yellow Warbler etc. Turi school
> is getting rid of quite a large area of its eucalyptus plantations and
> putting in indigenous forest since they have replaced kuni water heaters
> with solar and reduced the kuni useage from 7 tonnes of wood per day to
> just under 2! It's very exciting the potential to reforest some of the
> school grounds and they are also planning an area of wet grassland for
> the Crowned Cranes to breed in.
>
> Colin
>
> --
> -------------------------
> Colin Jackson
> A Rocha Kenya
> Christians in Conservation
>
> Cell: +254 (0)722-842366
>        +254 (0)771-893636
>
> www.arocha.org
> www.assets-kenya.org
> Blog: www.arochakenya.wildlifedirect.org
>
>
>