Blackcap

I wasn't going to blip a bird tonight, I had something else lined up, but that can wait until tomorrow now!
Another new visitor to the garden! My first Blackcap!
This little thug has shook the dynamics of the garden up today. A pair of them turned up at breakfast time.
I have sat and watched the comings and goings in the garden this afternoon, and he has taken over the fat stick feeding station. He has been fighting off seven Blue Tits all afternoon. He even pinioned one down at one point, but the blue tit got away.
He took on the robin, which surprised me, but the robin gave as good as he got. He didn't take his chances at the starlings though!
I am waiting for the Great Spotted Woodpecker to turn up, and then he will see who is actually boss of that feeder!
Blackcaps used to be migrant birds, that disappeared in the winter, but due to climate change a number of Northern Blackcaps now reside in the UK during our winter. In much the same way blackbirds and starlings do, they fly down from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia to take advantage of our (usually) mild winters! Only a small number breed in this country, and they are confined to the north and Scotland.
So if you are lucky enough to see a Blackcap in your garden now, it is unlikely to be the same Blackcap you will see this summer.