Author Archives: sarahthurlbeck

“Birds of a feather flock together” so the saying goes. I’ve noticed that in winter some wooded areas seem to be totally devoid of birds but then you find a patch where there is a whole flock of birds hanging out together. Recently I observed this with a flock of about 16 Goldfinches and nearbyContinue reading “Birds of a Feather”

Swans have been in the news lately after one was rescued by the Fire Brigade on Hogganfield Loch. Apparently after that the RSPCA received loads of calls from the public about swans stuck on the ice but they say that most are perfectly strong enough to break thin ice and fend for themselves. This morningContinue reading “Skating on Thin Ice”

There are a lot of roe deer about where I live but they blend in so well sometimes you only see them when they move across your path or take off when they sense you coming. See if you can spot some in the photos below. Sometimes if you’re lucky they appear on the pathContinue reading “Happy New Deer”

Even on a dull winter’s day there’s a lot of interest to be seen on my local pond. It often has an amazing the variety of ducks on it. There are the usual mallard ducks but at the moment they are outnumbered by other types such as tufted ducks. There is another black and whiteContinue reading “Christmas Quackers”

Today hubby and I went a cycle ride along the Forth and Clyde canal. There were plenty of swans to be seen. Some were in pairs, some in small family groups and some were on their own trying to establish new territories or hold onto existing ones. At Auchinstarry basin I watched a man withContinue reading “Swan Patrol”

It seemed on a recent walk that all the wee birds were hiding but then I came upon some acrobatic birds busy finding grubs to eat on tree branches. Not only were there busy tree creepers but nuthatches were working the same patch of woodland. It’s not often I see a nuthatch the right wayContinue reading “Woodland Acrobats”

Today I literally went on a wild goose chase. I’d been told that a type of goose called a “Richardson’s Cackling Goose” had been spotted in amongst a flock of larger Canada Geese at a spot near a local river. I did not see any Canada Geese but saw skeins of Pink Footed Geese flyingContinue reading “Wild Goose Chase”

Things have quietened down a lot since the busyness of spring, The birds have got quieter, the foliage thicker and better for hiding creatures, so I’m going to make this my last wildlife watch for a while. I thought it’d be fun to show some of the photos where I missed my target, or gotContinue reading “Ones that got away!”

I went up to the wildlife hide at David Marshall Lodge today to see if I could photograph some red squirrels for a “Bright Eyed and Bushy Tales Part 2” blog. However all the feeders were empty and there were no red squirrels to be seen. The only wildlife to be seen were some birdsContinue reading “Hide and Seek”