Flirtatious dunnocks buck trend

AT THIS time of year the feeders in my garden are covered in a squabbling mass of finches, tits, and sparrows from dawn to dusk.

The competition is fierce and a lot of energy is expended in dive-bombing rivals to try and get a good position. One result of this is that a lot of seeds and crumbs get dropped on the ground.

There is another cohort of birds that dislike the competition but concentrates on hoovering up the spilled morsels from the grass. It includes a female blackbird, two pairs of chaffinches and a sleek grey-brown bird with an odd stance, leaning forward with its head close to the ground, that scurries out of the bottom of the hedge in a timid, mouse-like manner. A dunnock.