I’m sure you all know I love birds. My passion for them is not just because they’re beautiful creatures – I also find them endlessly fascinating. Take these two Moorhens, for example.

They were poking around the grassy slope in front of one of the bird hides at Forest Farm Nature Reserve, hoping to discover a morsel or two of the seeds, nuts and assorted bird food that people had thrown through the hide’s windows to help bring in the birds. As I watched the second bird began to mimic exactly the movements of the leading bird. It resembled a kind of land-based synchronised swimming, or perhaps a dance. Was this some kind of pre-mating behaviour, a way of reinforcing their pair bond? I’d never seen this type of behaviour before, and it only lasted a few minutes but it’s experiences like this that keep me watching, and listening, and learning.

And, let’s face it, Moorhens are also very handsome birds.