Last Sunday 22 March was my last day in Weymouth and Portland, and I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter end to a brilliant week.

During that morning’s circuit of RSPB Lodmoor, I heard an unusual ticking call – a kind of tchoo, tchoo, issuing from the reed beds. (Many people describe this call as a ping, but that’s not what I was hearing. You can make your own mind up by listening to the call on the RSPB website.)

I had an idea about, a hope for what might be producing that sound so I waited and watched.

Then, suddenly, this stunning little male Bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) popped up right in front of me.

I’d purposely not zoomed in too far with my camera lens because I didn’t know where the bird would appear, if at all.

When the tit did emerge, I was able to zoom in and get what are undoubtedly my best images of a stunning bird I rarely see.

It was simply magical!