The Book of St Albans[1] – a 15th century document on hawking, hunting and heraldry – ranks hawks and falcons into their suitability for particular social ranks. At the top, it states that an Eagle is fit only for an Emperor. At the bottom of the list, we find that the Kestrel is fit for […]

Not the most exciting name for a bird is it: ‘Dunnock’?  Today, birds like this are called LBJs; ‘little brown jobs’. The Dunnock been considered as such for many centuries, for its name derives from the Od English for ‘little brown’. The Dunnock’s scientific name is Prunella modularis. Again, ‘Prunella’ refers to its brown plumage. Like […]