As the leaves come off the trees, one can see the birds in them more clearly. A robin sits singing in the branches of a wild cherry tree, its red breast much brighter than the last watery pink leaves around it. A great tit flies into a small tree, and looks sharply to left and right before flitting on swiftly into cover. For the moment, while it is pausing there, the rich black line down its yellow breast is very conspicuous. A blue tit is bolder, ignoring the human watcher. It hangs upside down on a twig, searching it on both sides, and with its tiny beak picks up invisible objects that are probably insect eggs.
Magpies are always flaunting themselves on roofs and tall lamp-posts, but their close relatives the jays are cautious birds, and not so often seen when the leaves are on the trees. Now one has a much better chance of observing how beautiful they are, with their pink head and body, their little black and white crest, and their black moustache. When they fly out of a tree they also show a white rump and a flash of bright blue on their wing. Every day now these views will get better.