They're Prunella modularis 
Latin's little singing plums  
dwellers of the dense hedgerow
more musical than sparrow though
warbling lusty harmonies
ascending into vernal skies
shy as any Jenny wren
wicked wantons like Don Juan
Dunnock's feathered duds are dun
 songbird with a nut-brown crown

30 thoughts on “The only British Accentor”

1. Laura, I love your “little singing plums” ❤

   1. Latin has it thus though a derivative too of German Brun for brown

      1. ❤

2. I, too, am struck (and spellbound) by “singing plums.”
   Beautiful, Laura.

   1. thank you De- and for hosting the bird

3. Delightful rhyming quadrille

   much love

   1. many thanks Gillena – makes a change for me to find some rhymes!

4. Our sparrows do gather in hedges, but they are not shy, nor musical. Thanks for introducing me to this lovely bird. (K)

   1. same here – our house sparrows just chirrup but the Dunnock is misnamed as it shares the same hedgerows with them – hence it sings delightfully to differentiate itself from them 😉

5. I love your poem, Laura.

   1. thank you Dwight

      1. You are welcome!

6. You completely captured me with ‘little singing plums’ – such a sweet and earthy (albeit no doubt exact) translation of the Latin. Altogether a delightful evocation of a bird which, in my country, I’ll never encounter. I’m glad to make its acquaintance here.

   1. thank you Rosemary – an exact translation though the Latin ‘prun’ is corrupted from German ‘brun’ – brown

7. What a wonderful poem about this little singing plum.

   1. many thanks

8. I LOVE the “little singing plums” and “the songbird with the nut brown crown.” Wonderful.

   1. thank you Sherry – this little bird is very evident in my garden at the moment so a natural topic for the prompt

9. I liked the ‘wicked wantons’ though I pronounced it ‘wontons’ and got a little hungry.

   1. ahh a different kind of appetite, Shaun

10. Laura such a charming character study of a bird that is often overlooked because of its ‘dun’ feathers – giving a plain bird a very colourful personality🙌

    1. what a lovely observation – many thanks

11. That’s just gorgeous, Laura, ‘Latin’s little singing plums’! I have a soft spot for the dunnock.

    1. thank you Kim – we share that soft spot!

       1. My pleasure, Laura.,

12. A beautiful poem for these “little singing plums,” Laura!

    They seem to be beloved in the UK, and I can see why from your poem.

    1. thank you Merril – yes especially valued as a once very common bird and now on the amber list

       1. You’re welcome, Laura!

13. I love “little singing plums”.

    Wonderful poem, Laura!

    1. thank you for your appreciation of this little bird!

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