A few bits and pieces

The year is rapidly coming to a close. There aren't any lifers around to go for, not even ones requiring long drives to tempt me. I should be hopping around the country topping up the year list but I can't seem to get the enthusiasm levels up for a 3 hour drive to see a bird on a stick I've seen many times before. I'm sure it will all get going again in the New Year when the list resets but for now I've been pottering more than dashing.
There have been both barn and short-eared owls at Woodoaks farm, only a mile away from me. I've been four times now but they only show either very early or very late when the light is, well, dark!

This is the best photo I managed to get. Horribly dark at the time. I saw them very early one morning and have dipped twice in the evening when they either didn't show or showed after I gave up and went home!
The farm is really good though for wildlife generally. They leave large areas of set-aside by the arable and sheep fields which in turn attract good numbers fo small birds. Whilst waiting for the owls to not turn up I got some good views of reed buntings

and stonechats. The latter were particularly showy sitting up in the sunflowers and cabbages left by the field edges.

The top two are of a female and the lower two are the more brightly marked male of the species.
I also managed to find a small flock of long-tailed tits in the woodland edge, balancing on the twigs to find food.

So, no rare or unusual birds or even any year-ticks but some nice birds all the same.