First summer visitor.

A nice surprise in the garden just before I went away on a week long trip to Austria - a Chiffchaff. my first summer migrant of the year! A male was singing as I had breakfast but disappeared soon after.

With a few hours spare I set up a mist net to catch and ring a few more Siskins and was surprised to find the Chiffchaff in the bottom shelf a few hours later.

The bird had a small 'pollen horn' showing it had been searching for insects deep inside flowers and the pollen had collected and stuck the feathers together.

As soon as it was released the bird started singing again proving it to be a male.