County diary: A room of one's own - then in flew a chiffchaff

Creedy Valley, Devon: For 10 minutes it was just the two of us: me at my desk, the bird exploring with purring wingsA ruffled vibration, like running a thumb across the pages of a book, comes from the open window. I register it, distantly, thinking of the goldfinches who like to peck cobwebs from the lintel. But I don't look up. The fanning becomes louder, but I'm busy writing and still don't look. Now, the quiver is inside the room. The air ripples and the stirring grows.I look up. A chiffchaff in my bedroom whirs its wings, taking no notice. Rapid olive feathers beat. A palette of green and brown, moss and pine, brings the woodland directly into the house. Its pale eye-stripe flashes like a thread of sun. One of the first migrants to arrive in spring, the chiffchaff's song is often what makes it memorable. The familiar, disyllabic "chiff-chaff" heralds warmer days and a swell of birdsong. Continue reading...