I saw only glimpse of this bird as it was gone in a moment, but its markings were so clear. Back at the house, I flicked through our bird books, page by page. As soon as I turned to the Stonechat page, I knew I had it right.

Black cap on the head, white flash on the shoulder, pretty pink blush breast, and dark/black back. Resident here, it likes to perch on the tops of bushes [which is how I noticed it] or on overhead wires. On the ground it eats insects, spiders, worms and seeds. It does catch some insects in flight, but returns to its perch to eat. Very polite table manners!

For more about the Stonechat, click here for the RSPB website.

5 to remember
el pecho – the breast
posarse – to perch
las manchas – the markings
una mancha – a flash
el hombre – shoulder