I saw an odd looking bird up in a tree today, just sat there for quite a long time. On closer inspection it had an interesting dark triangular mask through its eye and some grey around the back of the head. Perhaps a female of some exotic species? Actually no – just a Dunnock – which I see all the time, but I think this one fooled me by not being down on or near the ground. I'm used to seeing them rooting around in the flower beds or flitting nervously through low bushes, so it was a unusual to find this example sitting proudly up in a tree. Also I suppose I never noticed the subtle but interesting patterns on the head.

All that said, it does look rather different to my existing stock of Dunnock pictures, so perhaps I'm not going mad. It is a Dunnock, right? Compare to that below.