Alfred Newton partridge. Birds became an abiding interest. Those included the great bustard ("Otis tarda"), Montagu's harrier ("Circus pygargus"), ravens, buzzards ("Buteo" sp.), redpolls, wrynecks ("Jynx"), which are small woodpeckers that specialise in feeding on ants. "The vast warrens of the 'Breck', the woods and water-meadows of the valley of the Little Ouse, and the neighbouring Fenland made an ideal training-ground for a naturalist". This enthusiasm Newton shared with his younger brother Edward: the two carried out bird observation when they were together and corresponded when they were apart. In 1846 Newton went to a tutor in Biggleswade for a few months,
Strange Little Birds years after forming, each band member is still fired up to mine new sounds and approaches for inspiration. That willingness to be uncomfortable and look beneath the surface makes "Strange Little Birds" a rousing success." Rhian Daly of the "NME" noted that ""Strange Little Birds" is a record that's human to its very core, revelling in flaws and failures, but never losing hope. And in that way, it's the perfect mirror for its creators' 22-year career." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "the impressive thing about "Strange Little Birds" is how it feels simultaneously familiar and fresh, a record that