Two visits in two days - what's going on?

The Safari noticed there's a new sold sign on this nearby house this morning. It's been on the market and empty for ages but someone has been round keeping an eye on it and tending the mature garden. There's loads of House Sparrows in that shrubbery. Will the new owners keep it or how long will it be before it's ripped out and turned into a car parking area?

This afternoon we had a bit of time to get out to the nature reserve again. On the way we passed the pond near the 'new' hotel and just had to stop!

OK it's a little bit childish but we've always wanted to get this pic, preferably with a Kingfisher but a Heron will do very nicely thank you - isn't wildlife fun!

Once on the path the bright sun catching the red berries made the Hawthorns look like they were on fire - where are the Fieldfares to eat them all, notable by their absence at the moment.

Our  mission was to go and find the Long Eared Owl again to suss out its favourite perches before next weekend, sadly it wasn't were it was yesterday and a thorough search failed to relocate it. Today was a lot quieter birdwise than yesterday, no Greenfinches and only one Redwing. We walked round to the 'other' side meeting PL on the way, he hadn't seen it either today. And now with two us us scanning every visible perch we still had no joy, there's still a lot of greenery on this side. Hopefully the strong winds over the next couple of days will knock most of them off.

We gave up and made our birdless way to the Feeding Station passing yesterday's Shaggy Inkcaps on the way. They hadn't survived, some numpty had stomped on them no doubt thinking cos they're a  'toadstool' they're obviously poisonous and must be destroyed - prats!

There was food at the Feeding Station which had attracted a few of all the usual 'garden' suspects, Great Tits, a Blue Tit, Chaffinches, a Robin and a Dunnock or two. A Goldfinch sang loudy from the top of a nearby tree. 

An old birdtable post now has a small Rowan tree growing out of the top.

All of a sudden the birds did one, the culprit was on the ground not in the air.

Who me? I never scared no boidies...

There wasn't just this one there were two! And one of them has discovered it can fit through the anti-Pheasant defences and get to the seeds

Once again we were time constrained and all too soon it was time to make tracks, a very pleasant hour or so in the sunshine even if we didn't find the Long Eared Owl.

Where to next? Back again tomorrow unless something twitchable has turned up locally, even then we'll probably put in an appearance at some time during the day.

In the meantime let us know who's got where they shouldn't have in your outback.