Unassuming at first but after a further, closer look they are smashing little leaf warblers.
To my distress and tournament I was unable to go on the Sunday as I was booked in for a newborn baby photoshoot and then on the Monday I had to be around to drop off and pick up Autumn from the childminders.
So Tuesday it was, accompanied by the very talented young-ish artist Miles Cluff we arrived early on site and then proceeded to stand in the pouring rain for half an hour before the bird made an appearance.
First it was just a fleeting glimpse, then a prolonged, distant and obscured view followed by another long patient wait. I felt like the bird was giving us the runaround while feeding on the underside of the sycamore leaves. I was starting to be a little frustrated as it seemed I was the only person in the group of birders unable to get a decent shot of it.
Eventually towards the middle of the day the bird landed about one and a half meters away in a hawthorn bush and posed for a short while. Finally the pressure was off and I bagged a few decent shots, and thrilled to see it so close up. Brilliant.
So this becomes my 400th bird that I have seen in the UK (BOU - England, Scotland and Wales and associated waters)
It's been such a good adventure from day twitching Cornwall and Shetland to meeting new folk and getting to know a really good crowd of birders who I enjoy twitching with. And I'm lucky to have Dawn who supports this mad hobby. I'm sure it will be a long, hard slog to get to 500 but I look forward to each and every twitch.