Simon Barnes
Take a trip to New York and see the city from the air

The wren is one of the smallest birds in Britain and possibly the loudest. If it fails to be quite the loudest it is not for a lack of effort. Like a pugnacious dwarf the wren positively shouts at you. It is the shortest bird in Europe if you take into account its traditional cocked tail posture it is astonishingly small, 9cm long, 13cm wingspan.
They are great skulkers and lurkers and yet everything about their character as we perceive it is strong, feisty, bold and in your face.
They are extraordinarily abundant little birds; you can find them on the coast, in the mountain, in woods, in farmland, parks and gardens. All they insist on is a decent amount of low vegetation.
The CD of A Bad Birdwatcher's Companion by Simon Barnes is available at a special Times Online discounted rate from Naxos AudioBooks. The slideshows to accompany extracts from the audiobook's first five chapters have been created by Times Online with pictures supplied by the RSPB.
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