Most of the small birds who scour the grass for seed and flit amongst the feeders blend into a soft tweed of feathers; threads of browns and blacks, blocks of red and blue from the male chaffinches and flashes of yellow from the yellowhammers. One or two individuals stand out – our robin, hovering at the edge of the group, shows off his red tummy as he dips in and out of the crowd and the male blackbirds, larger, solidly coloured, stalk the green, led by their bright yellow beaks.
This morning a single interloper was at the centre of the action. A little bird, slightly smaller than the sparrows but so distinctive that the eye was drawn to it at every turn. With a black cap, white collar and bib, buff tummy and a brown and black striped back, this single reed warbler had found its way up from the river. As it fed, every bob of the head, made a flash of white so that it was possible to see the regular rhythm of its feeding. It stood out, with a swirl of soft colours rotating around it.
thekitchensinkbirdwatcher 