Tree Sparrow

This lovely little bird visited the garden earlier today (only the second time I've seen a Tree Sparrow in the garden) and, even though it's not as sharp as I'd like it to be, I'm glad I managed to get even this shot (from through the living room window) as I was that surprised I almost didn't click the shutter in time as he (or she) moved straight after this photo was taken. I could have got an even better shot of it standing next to a male House Sparrow for comparison but wasn't quite quick enough!

I also saw my 'third' special bird this morning. The Tree Sparrow has to be the fourth ;) Remember I saw the Great Spotted Woodpecker last Wednesday and the Magpie on Friday and then said that these things come in threes? What's going to be next? Well the answer came today - a dashing Merlin! It didn't actually land in the garden just flew by but it was an amazing bird to see. All the garden birds had scattered so I knew there must be a predator about, didn't think anything of it for a couple of minutes and returned to my laptop screen, when I happened to look out the window and saw a small (thrush-sized), chunky bird flying in a straight line with fast wingbeats and I instinctively knew it was a Merlin. Going by the size I'd say possibly a male.

Can garden birdwatching get any better? xxx