Well, if I was a bit emotional on Wednesday night that was nothing compared to the past two evenings.....
The two fledglings made a brief appearance last night but afraid that they had been deserted I contacted Alan our area ringer for advice and he put my mind at rest - not seeing parents for a while was nothing unusual given the weather we have been experiencing.
The fledglings returned to my back garden this evening and seemed to be having a grand time playing on the lawn but wait, not two, THREE!!!
I watched with my bins for around an hour as they struggled with various roosts (weather beaten rape is not the best stuff to try to land on!) then hey-presto, across my field of view thundered an owl carrying a kill and as I swiftly directed my focus to the nest site I was greeted with yet another owl face peering out of the darkness just as the parent deposited the vole and flew off again!
Sorry for image quality, it was a long telephoto lens, handheld, in the dark, through double-glazing - not the best way to get a photograph...