A Medway man returned from holiday to find a winged couple a woo-ing in his garden.

The pair of Mistle thrushes pictured have found the open plan des-res at David Stiff’s St Mary’s Island home the ideal place to set up home.

"After our holiday, my wife, Janet and I returned to find a strange cluster of twigs and grass sitting on our bird table,” David said.

“As I approached the bird flew off making a screeching sound like a rattle which told me it was not a Song thrush but the much rarer Mistle thrush. There is also a cluster of four eggs in the nest.

“It’s a really nice surprise, but it is now difficult for Janet to get to the washing line without scaring the female off - It’s become a bit of a challenge.

There are an estimated 990,000 breeding pairs of Song thrush in the UK, but only 230,000 pairs of Mistle thrush.