The King of the Birds
The Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is the most common bird in the UK with around 11 million breeding pairs (RSPB census 2021).
This tiny songbird, all but a brown ball of feathers, was referred to as the ‘King of the Birds‘ not only by the Druids of Britain in our mysterious past, but also the Greek storyteller Aesop, who relayed a tale about a Wren and an Eagle having a contest to see who could fly the highest: the Wren sat on the Eagle’s back as it soared skyward, unnoticed due to its lack of weight and when the Eagle finally tired at its apex, the Wren just hopped off and flew upwards to win by using its intelligence and cunning over strength.
In addition, the Wren has one of the loudest songs you can hear when out walking in the UK and the wonderfully complex and melodious tune is ten times louder than a Cockerel’s morning crow, if both birds were of a same size.
*Shot on a Panasonic Lumix G9 M4/3 mirrorless camera using a Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f/4-6.3 DG Vario-Elmar Lens with settings at ISO-200, aperture at f/6.3, spot metering mode and an exposure time of 1/1000 seconds*
Stretch the Horizon 