I must have been distracted by some of my recent travels to have forgotten to post about this little one, given how excited I was to get a photo of it. Quite some time ago, I had seen one in the bushes in the gardens around our flat, but it had been so brief, I couldn't be sure. It looked like a sparrow, but I'm now used to seeing so many different kinds of sparrows at home that I have more of an eye for them and don't just dismiss every sparrow as a house sparrow anymore. The Merlin ID app identified it as a dunnock when I described it, but of course, without a photo, I couldn't be sure. Several months later, I was given a gift, right on my balcony. I saw something fly in and possibly land. I wasn't entirely sure if I had really seen it because it was just in the corner of my eye, and stuff does blow around a lot, so for all I know, it was leaf that had blown in. Fortunately, the patio door was already ajar, so I was able to creep up slowly and silently to the door, only to discover that it was indeed my dunnock. Okay, maybe it wasn't the dunnock I'd seen earlier, but the bird I'd really been hoping to capture on film. The reason for my excitement was that the RSPB describes them as shy birds that tend to stick to the ground and under bushes, so I had no way of knowing if one would ever become visible enough for me to see it, and for some reason, it felt that my balcony, with just a couple of really small succulents on it, was somehow a decent place to land. I managed to snap just a few shots before it flew off, but that was enough to satisfy my joy at being able to catch one on film. I just love photographing things so that I can zoom in and study them! Birds are easier because there are so many, but I've enjoyed this with insects and flowers, too. Anyway, here is this sweet little dunnock that I can enjoy in my photos for the rest of my life!
Update July 29, 2022
On a recent trip to Chester, Cheshire, we were walking past a beautiful garden that seemed to attract quite a few birds. I noticed some on the ground, which isn't unusual as there definitely are a number of ground-feeding backyard birds, but this one looked a little different. I zoomed in on my camera to discover it was a fledgling dunnock, meaning it had pretty much just left the nest and was still relying on mama and papa for food. It was so fluffy and cute. I just wish I could have got a closer photo of it!
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