Walking down the garden path, a spot of colour caught my eye. It was a feather - a very small feather - but there is only one bird in this country that could have shed a feather with this incredible colour and hint of iridescence. There were no others around, so this is not the scene of a Sparrowhawk crime: it must have simply fallen out as it flew past, since it is the moulting time of year for birds.
Yes they are around in this area - I have seen one perched on a post, eyeing the prospcts of the goldfish in next door's pond.
So yesterday a Kingfisher flew over the garden and left me a tiny treasure.
