hawkgenes' photostream  

This bird landed in my garden yesterday just as it started to snow. It stayed for 2 hours feeding on bird seed before flying off. Taken with a Sony cybershot hx9v compact camera. I took another shot with my Nikon D300 which I judged to be of a poorer quality. Clearly you do not have to spend a fortune on a camera to get acceptable wild life pictures.

Very dark when I took this photo. ISO 1000 has resulted in some loss of detail, but generally the Nikon D300 has performed very well. Unfortunately, the birds do not wait for perfect light to be available.

Latin name

Prunella modularis
Family

Accentors (Prunellidae)
Overview

A small brown and grey bird. Quiet and unobtrusive, it is often seen on its own, creeping along the edge of a flower bed or near to a bush, moving with a rather nervous, shuffling gait, often flicking its wings as it goes. When two rival males come together they become animated with lots of wing-flicking and loud calling.
Where to see them

Inhabits any well vegetated areas with scrub, brambles and hedges. Look in deciduous woodland, farmland edges, parks and gardens. Keeps largely on the ground and often close to cover.
When to see them

All year round.
What they eat

Insects, spiders, worms and seeds.
Estimated numbers
EuropeUK breeding*UK wintering*UK passage*
-2,163,000 territories--

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.