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Blackcap - Eneida (12th Feb 2013 - 11:57:16) We spotted an unusual little bird on one of our bird feeders and looked it up...apparently it's a Blackcap. The males have a black head and grey body and the females a russet head. According to the RSB they're usually go the Spain at this time of year, but because our weather is getting warmer ??? some are now coming to the UK instead...they must be MAD lol See www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/....

Re: Blackcap - Sarah (12th Feb 2013 - 23:14:17) Hi Eneida, It might be a resident, or, some blackcaps have been changing their migratory habits in recent years, with more now overwintering in the UK. rd.springer.com/article/... "The recent formation of a migratory divide in the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) involves sympatrically breeding birds migrating to different overwintering quarters. Within the last 50 years, a novel migratory strategy has evolved resulting in an increasing proportion of birds now wintering in Britain instead of migrating to the traditional sites in the Mediterranean area." "Blackcaps wintering in Britain may experience fitness advantages owing to improved local wintering conditions." www.sciencemag.org/content/... "Birds wintering further north also produce larger clutches and fledge more young. These findings describe an important process in the evolution of migratory divides, new migration routes, and wintering quarters" It's quite exciting because the assortative mating caused by the change in migratory habits might lead to new species evolving! I've never seen one in Liphook but that could also be because they don't visit bird tables / gardens as often as some other species... However here is an interesting article that suggests our bird tables may even have influenced their change in migratory habits in the first place! www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/... (it also has info on the BTO's blackcap survey, maybe you could get in touch with them). I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for them now! Thanks for posting about it :-)

Re: Blackcap - Eneida (13th Feb 2013 - 09:40:53) Hi Sarah, Thank you for your very interesting reply :) We saw it again this morning on one of our feeders...we don't have a bird table, it would be much too tempting for our two cats...and I logged onto the BTO website to report the sighting, but that survey has now finished. I did learn something interesting though...in portuguese the name for a blackcap is 'toutinegra-de-barrette-preto' such a long name for a little bird :D

Re: Blackcap - Debbie (13th Feb 2013 - 10:06:26) Hi there, My parents live in Farnham and feed the birds and my fathers been really exited because they've had black caps coming into their garden.

Re: Blackcap - Editor (13th Feb 2013 - 10:16:06) The survey is closed - but this is the result A BTO Garden BirdWatch factsheet - Wintering Blackcaps Alan

Re: Blackcap - Eneida (16th Feb 2013 - 09:30:28) Yesterday, for the first time, we saw a female Blackcap on our feeder...so if they stay around, by the Spring we may hear the patter of tiny claws :D

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