Chiffchaffs arrive in the Churnet Valley

Warblers in the Churnet Valley.

On March 9^th a contributor to the Staffordshire Bird News website here http://staffordshirebirding.blogspot.co.uk/ was the first person to report the presence of Chiffchaffs in the Churnet Valley. The first day I heard one was March the 12^th, though at Ford Green Hall Nature Reserve which is in Stoke on Trent rather than the Churnet Valley.

Chiffchaffs are usually the first of the warbler summer migrants to arrive in Britain and should be heard chiffchaffing pretty well all over the Churnet Valley where there is suitable habitat Over the next few weeks we can look forward to eight other warbler species arriving in the Churnet Valley see the list below.

SPECIES	TYPICAL BREEDING HABITAT	WHERE REPORTED IN CV IN 2013
Chiffchaff	Shrubby places with thick undergrowth and trees)	Everywhere where habitat is suitable.
Blackcap	Mixed or deciduous woodlands, large gardens with plenty of trees and shrubs	Everywhere where habitat is suitable.
Willow Warbler	Woodland edges and sparse woods plus former industrial land where scrub occurs.	Everywhere where habitat is suitable.
Sedge Warbler	In thick vegetation (e.g. reed beds and scrub)– usually in wet places though not exclusively so.	Caldon Canal, Hales Hales Pool(Cheadle), Tittesworth
Grasshopper Warbler	In a variety of habitats with dense ground cover, suitable perches and an abundance of food.	Oakamoor
Wood Warbler	Mature upland oakwoods with high canopy and sparse ground cover.	Coombes Valley and Oakamoor area.
Garden Warbler	Mixed or deciduous woodlands or copses with plenty of scrub and dense ground.	Kingsley area, Brough Park Fields NR, Cheddleton area, Ladderedge CP area, Oakamoor
Whitethroat	Scrubby areas, woodland edge.	Cheddleton, Ladderedge CP, Hazelhurst Junct. Areas.
Lesser Whitethroat	Scrubby areas including on brownfield sites	Not yet reported but may occur in CV
Reed Warbler	Reed Beds.	Not yet reported. (A breeding species in Staffordshire though there may not be sufficient reed bed habitat for it to breed in the CV.)

A Chiffchaff (photo courtesy of Terry Eyre).