I finally found again the only Heckenbraunelle in Stuttgart. It's been a long way for both of us. Look at him now: a grown-up, handsome, singing trouper.
(I've been waiting for almost 4 years to follow up on this joke). 🥲
Heckenbraunelle (dunnock) auf der Karlshöhe, Stuttgart-Süd.
One of the most inconspicuous birds, the dunnock. They are a quite common garden bird, but quite shy and therefore rarely seen, but I would guess that most people have heard them as they sing a tune that is quite similar to that of a wren.
Hedgerow Wildlife - Dunnock @ Rspb Titchwell Norfolk by Adam Swaine
Via Flickr:
This is a land of wild saltmarsh, fed by natural springs and fronting a vast, sandy beach. Take a seat among wildflowers, and watch the comings and goings of thousands of wild birds.Tucked on the north coast of Norfolk, between the villages of Titchwell and Thornham, Titchwell Marsh is blessed with diverse habitats. Explore reedbeds, saltmarsh and freshwater lagoons where Avocets, Bearded Tits and Marsh Harriers nest. There's also a wide sandy beach here.
22nd April 2024: Dunnock, Green Woodpecker, views, broad-leaved clover, Blackbird, bluebells, daisies and dandelions and Great Crested Grebes including a chick and the fish in the adult's mouth at Lakeside Country Park and home today.
Great views of Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Moorhen, Tufted Ducks, Grey Squirrel and hawthorn, vetch, cuckooflower and loads of buttercups were other highlights today.
Just a quick note to say that I'll be taking a bit of a break from daily posts as I'm off work from Friday with us heading off on an exciting wild trip away next week and with preparation for that and some other great things I've got a busy three evenings to come between now and Friday. I may do a bit a brief round up post of lunch time etc. photos and sightings from the next three days if I get time on Thursday and possibly once or twice in the time off, but if not I shall certainly do a few posts about the next couple of weeks as I get back into daily posting afterwards. Have a good couple of weeks all.
Here's this year's Christmas cards- sent to family and close friends. I decided to make some this year, since I wanted to do something nice. the theme obviously being British birds.
Here we have: Dunnock, (Eurasian) Robin, Barn Owl, (Eurasian) Goldcrest, Tawny Owl, (Eurasian) Bullfinch and a Capercaillie.
I'm getting better with watercolours. I just need to practice fine details. Each card took 2-3 hours to paint; they're not very big.
The Dunnock is also sometimes known as the Hedge Sparrow, but they are not members of the sparrow family. Female Dunnocks are often polyandrous, mating with two or more males at once, a relatively rare behaviour among birds. Dunnocks take just one-tenth of a second to mate, and can mate more than 100 times a day.