The Dunnock Family

By Leslie Rocker

Dunnock is the proper name of the birds known as hedge (or tree) sparrows. They are smaller than house sparrows and live together in shrubs and bushes instead of on houses. Although they are fiction these stories are based on a real family. The author was able to watch them in a shrub that fortunately had no leaves. They seemed to speak very good English. The only thing they were unable to explain to one another was why the sky fell in the last story. They had never heard of a “tarpaulin”!

• Language: English
• Publisher: NewGenerationPublishing
• Release date: Jan 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781803691350

Book preview

Unwelcome visitor

One morning the youngest of the Dunnock family woke up, opened her eyes and screamed as loud as she could.

This woke her brother, who was very annoyed and said What’s all the fuss?

Look, said his sister. He looked and then he started screaming. A huge horrible face was gazing at them.

It was not a bird. It did not have a beak and when it opened its mouth it showed rows of sharp teeth. It seemed to smile, which was even more horrible. Then it talked in a funny coughing way, which was not very nice:

What a tasty breakfast, it said.

They could not fly away. Behind the face was a monstrous body, blocking their only exit. Also attached to its back was a large tail like a brush, which it waved to and fro in a very threatening way.

When they heard all the commotion, their parents came up beside them and their father told them not to move.

We must all keep together, he said. We are going to chitter it, as loudly as we can.

How do we chitter? asked his daughter.

Just listen and follow us.

He started a kind of sharp sing-song and after a while they all joined in. They chittered and chittered until they thought they would burst.

This did not drive the creature off, but it backed away a little, puzzled at the noise. They paused for breath and the chicks asked: "What kind of bird is