What is this little bird please?

I spend many happy hours watching this little bird bringing home tasty treats for its young but don't know what it is.  I'm not a very good twitcher but I have a garden full of birds. I assume there are two birds in which case they both look the same.

The nest is in a barn, which unfortunately is not ours but is next door and the bird(s) land on our fence while checking the coast is clear.

Quality of picture is poor as I was a fair distance away and have cropped the image a lot and it's a miserable day so I've had to tweak the colour a bit.

Hi Robot !

Looks a bit like a dunnock ?   I have them in my garden, usually just one zooming around, but saw about 3 jumping all over each other yesterday - tee hee, desperate to get the food I just put out on returning home from work, as have to keep taking it in during the day as the Starlings have found me and keep savaging everything in site, which is pretty annoying as there are a lot of different baby birds around at the moment, which are struggling for food.

Hi Kezza,

Thanks for the heads up.  I just looked up Dunnock though and can't see any images of them with that distinctive reddish brown tail.  I know my photo is a bit enhanced but the tail is quite reddy-brown and it's cream on the underside.  If the sun comes out I'll try to get a better photo just to be sure.  I'm not saying it's not a Dunnock though.  Thank you for replying so quickly. 

Funnily enough, the Dunnock images I found look just like what I call my LBJs (little brown jobs) which I thought were tree sparrows. doh!!

This is not my photo by the way.  Hope I'm not breaching any copyright

OK, next guess ..... female black redstart ??   

By George I think you've got it !!  Look at this.... (again not my photo) there's the tell tale red bit on the tail. 

 Wow - better than a LBJ any day of the week.  We once had a male sitting on our washing line.  I took a photo and asked around.  He was a very handsome chap but I haven't seen him around this year. 

Well, the weather has been kind and I was able to get closer to our little feathered friend this afternoon.  These photos really show off the red tail.  I like the last one, even though it is out of focus, just because.....  hope you like them too.

 Do you think mum is rearing the kids all by herself?

Great pictures, 3rd one is great!

lovely pictures

Robot wrote (see)

 Do you think mum is rearing the kids all by herself?

Well, if she is, she's doing a damn fine job of it. Congratulations on your garden that very obviously provides her with a bounty!

I've been watching with interest today and there are definitely two birds visiting the nest.  In fact both birds were on the fence together this morning but of course my camera was in the house.  They both look the same though.  I would expect the male to be bigger or fancier.  I'm amazed at how much stuff they are finding in my garden to catch.  I'll have nothing left soon.

I have spent a while looking at both the pictures I took yesterday and the top of the left leg is a bit less feathery on one of the birds.  Could it be that I have taken a photo of both birds or am I kidding myself?

I've had a Google and young Black Redstarts look similar and the males look like the females in winter apparently.  Is it winter still?

I've told my neighbour he has them nesting in his barn and he's not to disturb them and in no way eat them.  You know the french - they'll eat anything which flies, swims or crawls.  He thinks I'm a crazy english lady.  No change there then....

Robot, how lovely! Wonderful pictures. And lots of bugs being cleared up for you.

I remember huge excitement at school many years ago when we had a black redstart visiting. One of my students painted a lovely picture, which I still have.

it looks like a Dunnock,if it has a very sweet song thats what it is.

Wow lucky you having a Black Redstart in your garden, I'm extremely envious!! You don't see many about and they are certainly quite sort after down here in the West Country so I would be well chuffed with that visitor and those pictures!!....

Higgy

http://higgysgardenproject.blogspot.co.uk/

I read this thread twice before I noticed you are in France, Robot. Black Restarts are quite common there, and nesting in barns is typical. They are quite rare in England and, oddly, mostly urban.