This unexpected encounter of bullfinches was was not a usual sighting. This bashful pair flew close in front of me, mid-chase, as I drove down a country lane one evening. Their colours were muted mauves, and in shadow, as they made for the unkept hawthorne hedgerow. These shy birds probably weren’t expecting to see me either. Upon returning home I noted the fast-fading memory of muted palette, their ‘turn in flight’ and how this encounter made me feel. What a joy.