Nightime Visitors

We have at least one neighbour who visits us after dark and sometimes we have two neighbours visiting. My next door neighbour often provides these visitors with supper. The supper plate provided me with the perfect opportunity to introduce Billy to you. Billy was named by my neighbour, but I suspect that Billy is a girl.

Last night conditions felt just right and I had a feeling that I might get a photo of Billy, so I set my camera to night vision and hoped for the best. I know that Billy has been coming at a regular time for the last week or two, so at the appropriate hour I tiptoed out of the house and peered over the fence.

There he/she was about two yards away from me. I wish I had a better camera.

I willed him/her to look my way

Soon supper was finished and there was movement

What a thrill! Just one yard away from me.

I feel so privileged to have these animals visit.

What do you think, girl or boy?

Tracks

I know who left these footprints in the snow

 I feed them every day and here they are -

But, I don't know who left these?

 Badger?  Five toed cat?  I think they were two big for a cat.

They certainly were not left by this cheeky character  -

It's not only the birds that like sultanas. He/she comes out to join in the feast.

Possibly the best fed vole in england. 

:o)

Grass Snake

Well, it has been a long time, but I still haven't got a better picture of the vole or perhaps I ought to say voles. However, I did get a decent, for my standards that is, picture of this -

Shame that it was dead.

Poor thing had been squashed on the road. Oh, I do wish we didn't have to have cars.

It was only a youngster.

.

Niddy Noddy and a Mission

 Jane, here are a couple of pictures of the Niddy Noddy..

It is used for winding skeins of yarn.

 The Mission.

We have a little visitor or maybe two or three or - - - - who knows how many.
Our little visitor is leaving a stash of food in our garage. We can see him/her/ them coming and going under the garage door, but we don't think that they live in the garage.
Is it a mouse or a vole?

It's there,under the bird table.

I think it is a vole.

What ever it is, it's very bold and rather cheeky, almost walking over my feet when I was cleaning the bird table.

Now I'm on a mission to get a good photograph so that I can identify him/her. If only it would stay still long enough for me to focus my eyes on it, let alone time to focus the camera. This may take a while.

Who's That?

Who's that standing on the gate?

It's a pleasant pheasant.

Not very hungry, she didn't stay for long around the bird table even though there was seed on the floor.
I suspect she had been sharing breakfast with our neighbours' hens.

It was nice to see her. I hope she calls again soon.
.

Geese

I have been hearing the geese fly over for a few days now, mostly first thing in the morning or at dusk, coming from an easterly or north easterly direction. Last night I  heard them fly over in the dark and this afternoon they have been coming steadily wave after wave. Every year I get the same feelings of excitment when I hear the geese and I get very emotional. It's a wonderful feeling welcoming the geese back for the winter and I often have a tinge of saddness when they leave again in the spring. I've tried taking a photo of them, but the sky is so grey and I didn't have my camera handy for the ones which flew closer. Alright I'm not a photographer,but I tried. :-)

Does anyone else get so excited when they hear the geese coming that they do a dance around the kitchen shouting  "the geese are here, the geese are here" or am I just strange?