Wrens dig deep to survive cruel winters

ATROGLODYTE is a cave dweller.

The term is not normally used in a flattering way because it has associations with the primitive and the unintelligent but I had one in my conservatory the other morning and found it to be full of charm and interest.

It was a wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, that had crawled into a crack between the lean-to conservatory and the house to shelter from the night frost and then become disorientated and exited into the conservatory rather than the garden. I caught it in my hand and looked at it for a second or two before releasing it outdoors.