I must have been about eight, and on a school trip to Hampton Court Palace, near my suburban home. I sat down on a bench to eat my packed lunch, when a small, brightly coloured bird hopped out beside me, clearly hoping I would drop a few crumbs from my sandwich.
I had read enough bird books by then to realise this was a male chaffinch. But I wasn’t prepared for his subtle beauty: that dove-grey head, twin white stripes on each wing, and most of all his gorgeous, pinkish-buff cheeks and breast.
