The friendly brown garden bird

Before preparing supper early this evening I connected the garden hose and began to water the pot plants on the patio.  As I stood near the fence close to the bird feeders this little bird appeared on it.  I'd noticed it a couple of days ago looking at all the other birds feeding but standing away from them.  As I looked at it it flew up into the safety of some leaves close by but virtually immediately jumped back on to the top of the six foot high panelled wooden fence.

As I usually do, I spoke to it in my friendly way and it looked carefully at me, and then edged slightly closer along the fence.  I carried on spraying water on the plants but decided to get my camera from the house to try for a close up picture, although I half thought it would fly away. 

On my return, having switched off the water, I saw it had gone but within a minute it returned to the fence from the safety of a nearby bush.  Then it flew past me, only a few inches away from my face.  I looked around to see where it had gone and saw it had landed on the wooden patio chair beside me.  I edged backwards as it was too close for me to focus with the zoom lens and had time to lean even further backwards to get this nearly sharp shot.

I don't know what it is and presume it maybe a dunnock, even though I had always thought they were very shy.  I am rather worried that its behaviour, which was similar to how robin responds to human company in a garden, will put it in danger from all the cats.  As I was standing taking the picture Bomble came down the patio steps and began to take an interest.  When the bird flew off again on to the feeders, I didn't try to follow it again.  But I hope it come back sometimes as Ilike to be able to get close to wild animals.