Short abstract from the book:
The chiffchaff colonised Denmark in the nineteenth century and is now a very common breeding bird throughout
the country. The population size increased fourfold from the
1970s to the 1990s. Birds arrive at the breeding grounds in
late March to mid April and depart from late September to
October. Large numbers of migrants pass through Denmark
in April-May and September-October.
In Denmark the first chiffchaff was ringed in 1926, with
the highest numbers ringed in 1995 (1,809) and 1998
(1,812). The majority of the recovered birds had been ringed
in April-June and August-October, with only a few ringed
or recovered in the breeding season. None of the recovered
birds were ringed as chicks. The recoveries indicate that
most of the chiffchaffs found in Denmark originate from
Denmark, Norway and Sweden. This is also indicated by the
mean position, which is in or near to Denmark from April to
October. From Denmark the birds migrate SW/SSW, most
along the west coast of northern Europe and via the Iberian
Peninsula. During winter most birds have been recovered
in northwest Africa (6) and eastern Spain. Recoveries from
the Mediterranean (Italy and Libya) in spring indicate that
the spring passage of the Mediterranean is further east than
the autumn passage. Two birds ringed in England in April
were recovered in Denmark in May later the same year. In
Denmark the first bird was recovered on 31 March; however,
the majority have been recovered in April (22) and May (28).
Three birds ringed in Jutland in April and May were recovered in England and Scotland later the same spring. Most of
the recovered birds were recorded by ringers (87 %). Of only
24 birds reported as dead, five had been hunted, three collided
with windows and three were killed by cats; for the remainder,
the cause of death was unknown.
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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