Winter Blackcap

I noted a male Blackcap in the garden at the start of the week and it is still present today. It is feeding off the fat feeder and has been making fairly regular visits but it has taken until today to get a photo. This is the first time I've seen Blackcap in the garden in the winter and is no doubt a reflection of the very mild weather we have been experiencing.
The number of Blackcap wintering in Derbyshire, according to The Birds of Derbyshire, has risen steadily from around a dozen in the 1970's to more than 70 in recent years, most are recorded in gardens and generally in the lower lying south and east of the county.
Nationally and regionally the Blackcap population is doing well and may be benefiting from a reduced migration with many now wintering in Europe. There is some evidence that our wintering birds are not of British origin but migrate here from northern and eastern Europe.

Blackcap - male