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Morning glory

The dawn chorus at the moment is so loud it could blow the duvet off the bed!  It is quite wonderful.  I am feeling very fortunate today because thanks to Tweet of the Day yesterday (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sby1j) this morning I was able to pick out the blackcap, singing its little head off.  I had never seen a blackcap before until a few weeks ago when this very beautiful little bird joined the throng of siskins, gold finches, chaffinches and various kinds of tits, on the bird feeders.  It has a glorious grey plumage and its identity is a giveaway because on top of its head is a lozenge of black feathers.  Mrs Blackcap has a soft rust coloured topnot, i t'svery subtle.  We now have three male blackcaps and so far I have only seen one, maybe two, ladies.  Apparently we have global warming to thank for their presence in our garden.  If you listen to Tweet of the Day from the link above, David Attenborough will explain, and you can hear the glorious song too, second only to the nightingale apparently.
I found this half of a blackbird's egg on the track this morning.  Blackbirds are my favourite bird. There was a male bird sitting high up in the white cherry tree singing its heart out in the late evening sunshine on Tuesday.  I rushed off to take get my camera because the image was so breathtaking, even without sound, but by the time I got back he had flown away.  Hopefully the little fledgling who left this egg behind will be joining the throng of the dawn chorus before long.  It must be one of the most uplifting ways to start the day, albeit around 4 o'clock in the morning!  

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