Trying to get a photograph of these lively little birds is an exercise in frustration. They hate to stop in one place for more than three seconds and they flit from tree to tree with very little commotion. One hears only their calls, coming first from here, then from over there, and then from here again, like sounds in a funhouse. But I caught this one! Ha! He is a lesser whitethroat who arrived from Africa a few weeks ago and took up residence near the Spree. Living nearby is his relative, the blackcap, who flits around in the same way but sings a very beautiful song all the while. Here these birds are known as Grasmücke. The blackcap is the Monchsgrasmücke, because of his garb, and the white throat is the Klappergrasmücke, because of the chattery nature of his call.
