Dunnock Portraits

​I love taking portrait photos of birds that are often overlooked, because you begin to notice things that you do not see from a distance. Dunnocks can be seen as the epitome of a ‘little brown job’ (along with the House Sparrow), but when taking a close-up photo you can begin to appreciate the plumage a little more. With the exception of the oval shaped ring of brown, speckled with subtle cream flecks surrounding the eye, the entire head is almost a blue-grey colour that extends all the way down the breast to the belly. Its nape is much darker, with dark brown streaks that blend into the grey onto its crown and almost black spots on the chestnut back. The variety of different colours and shapes on the bird can only be truly appreciated when inspecting it closer, and along with its seemingly endless song that can be heard ringing in the early evening, it is far from a ‘little brown job’ and should be in no way overlooked.