A Little Bit of Bread and NO Cheese

When I was very young the song of the yellowhammer was the first I learned to recognise. I loved to recite “a little bit of bread and no cheese” in response to its slightly mournful call. These days the sound provides me with a connection to the child I was so long ago. I see again a shingled road, the long summer grass, birds singing on fenceposts, and the flash of bright yellow as they flew away.

Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella. First introduced to New Zealand in 1862.

Another cold night, with a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains, covering the bare patches where the previous night’s snow had melted. (Photos here) There was no frost this morning, but as you can see from the yellowhammer’s fluffed plumage, it was rather chilly.