"You alright there mate?"

Here I am, about five months back into actively observing (although only the second time observing out in "public") and, finally, I've been mistaken for someone up to no good.

I was out on the western end of the village I live in trying to catch Venus and Jupiter (totally failed I'm afraid — they were far too low by the time I got there and there was some cloud low on the horizon). Just hanging around with notepad and 10x50 binocular and had a chap who lives just outside the village drive past me three times before finally stopping for a friendly chat.

"You alright there mate?" he asks all casual. "We've had a break-in or two and just wondered if you were okay". Etc. All very friendly (helps that the chap who I purchased the house off is well known in the village so it was easy to tell him where I live so he knew I was local and had nothing to hide).

Once the initial suspicion was over he asked what I was doing. "Looking for Venus and Jupiter" I say. "Oh, looking for the Owls?" he enquires. Turns out there are a couple of Owls in the trees near where I was stood and he got the impression I was looking for them and had given them pet names.

First time I've been mistaken for a twitcher.