Iberian Chiffchaff accepted - first for the county!

In April 2004 I found an Iberian Chiffchaff at Dibbinsdale lnr, Bromborough, Wirral - about 10 minutes from my house. Most people who saw the bird agreed on its identification and sound recordings were made. It's had a rough ride being accepted due to:

• The orignal submissions and recordings being lost!
• Some dispute over the presence of colybitta like elements in its call / song.

Luckily further research and analysis of Iberian Chiffchaff calls in a paper by J,. Martin Collinson & Tim Melling (Identification of vagrant Iberian Chiffchaffs - pointers, pitfalls and problem birds' BB 101. April 2008 174 - 188) has meant its finally been accepted. As the current secretary of the BBRC (Nigel Hudson) says ' its famous enough to have its own name 'The Dibbinsdale Chiffchaff'.

This is a county first and potentially only the 9th or 10th record for the UK.