Middleton Lakes NR and "Fairy Door" Part 2

I made a fleeting visit to the new RSPB Reserve at Middleton Lakes near Tamworth yesterday. Actually to say it was fleeting is a slight understatement! Emily had an appointment at the nearby Lea Marston Spa (she's still spending birthday vouchers) and after I'd dropped her off I decided I'd spend half an hour or so at the reserve until it was time to pick her up.

There were lots of pheasants in the fields and I saw plenty of wood pigeons, carrion crows and a grey heron as I drove past Middleton Hall and lake to the reserve itself.



I'm not sure how much detail of the reserve can be made out even enlarging the above photo but the lakes are a heck of a way from the car park so I just concentrated on the heronry area and woodland.

The feeders near the herony were attracting plenty of blue, great and coal tits and, although a lesser spotted woodpecker has been seen feeding recently, I had to make do with a great spotted.

There were more great tits as I walked through the woodland, a flock of long-tailed tits, and a grey squirrel. Nice to see a red admiral nectaring on ivy flowers in the autumn sunshine.

I really must make the effort and pay a proper visit in the near future.



"Fairy Door" - Part 2

Regular visitors to my blog (if I have any! :D) may remember I did a quirky blog posting in April on a "fairy door" that had suddenly appeared in an oak tree along a local lane.




I travel past the tree a lot(its very close to Millennium Wood) and over the months a door number and runes (possibly??) have also appeared.



Earlier this week Emily spotted that a letter box has now also been added





What next - a door knocker?

Any way its great fun for children of all ages!