Are Bearded Reedlings addictive?

It’s beautiful weather so it’s time to head to Dorset and RSPB Radipole in Weymouth. I’m hoping to see Bearded Reedlings. There’s nothing else like a Bearded Reedling. No, really, there isn’t. There really is no other bird like the Bearded Reedling because their DNA tells us that they are unique. They are most closely related to the larks, but no other group of birds comes close to them. They are the only ones.

Here’s the male showing some impressive acrobatics:

What a magnificent creature.

Here’s the female:

The blue head with black moustache is very distinctive, but they’re almost invisible in the thickness of the red-bed:

Luckily I waited for hours until they made an appearance on just the right reeds in just the right light. They’re flitting about, making pinging calls to each other and feeding on seeds.

Lovely, aren’t they? Unique, even.