Little brown job ............

For many of us the Dunnock is the solitary little brown job that skulks nervously like a mouse around our gardens disappearing into the vegetation at the first sign of our presence.

With over two million territories in the UK it is far from uncommon and is known to have a somewhat complex social life during the breeding season.

It is however only when you get a really good close-up view of a Dunnock you can see that, whilst its upper parts are indeed predominantly a rich brown with streaky back, wings and flanks, its head, breast and under parts comprise of a large area of subtlly mottled greys.

It also has a striking eye hue that is almost amber in colour and legs of the palest pink.

So next time you see one please take some time to take a closer look, it really is a most attractive bird.