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We love the old and familiar, and so we should, but the new is always more exciting.

We fool ourselves into thinking that the old will always be around, and happily allow ourselves to be distracted by the new, running to the window as they arrive.

So while I still dearly love the Greater Spotted Woodpecker, the Song Thrush, and even my antisocial Robin, the new bird in my life is the Grey Wagtail.

I didn't even know such a bird existed but my trusty bird book solved the mystery of the yellow and grey birds that arrived on Saturday. There are two - either a breeding pair, or just really good friends.

It pleases me that they travel as a pair. The only other bird in my garden to do so is the Collared Dove, bane of period drama film crews.

The other thing that pleases me is the way that their tails are constantly wagging, giving them a firm place in the list of bleeding obvious bird names.

And the third thing I like about them is that they keep returning. Other new visitors in the last month have been a posse of Long-tailed Tits and a female Black Cap (see that list again, except that the female has a brown cap. Sneaky.) But the former was a one-off and the latter doesn't visit often. My new best buddies, on the other hand, can barely keep away, although I guess it is only a matter of time before the Robin takes umbrage.

The other feathery excitement this week is two Barn Owl sightings while driving home.

An owl would be a neat pet.