Author Archives: sarahthurlbeck

I was wildlife watching from my dad’s back garden today. There a pair of cheeky blue tits have set up home in an old vent on the side of the house. It used to be the vent for the larder, which helped keep food cool on a stone slab before a fridge did the job.Continue reading “Rent-a-Vent”

I am so happy to report that all six cygnets are surviving and thriving on our local pond! If you look at this photo you would think this one is growing up just a bit too fast!! As well as the cygnets on our local pond there are also six on “Osprey Loch”. The lochContinue reading “Cygnet Update”

During this Coronavirus lockdown I’ve been meeting and speaking to a lot more people on my daily walks. One day I met John and his dog and he was curious to know what I’d been photographing. He told me there was an osprey returned from South Africa fishing at a nearby loch. He said he’dContinue reading “Awesome Osprey”

Now’s the time of year when birds can be seen with their beaks full of grubs to feed their young. Here are some photos of some favourite birds busy collecting beasties to take back to chicks and fledglings. I have now discovered where a woodpecker pair have their nest hole and have been observing themContinue reading “Grub’s Up!”

Finally after six or more weeks the swan has moved off her nest and six creamy fluffy cygnets have had their first outing on the pond. How long they will survive remains to be seen, already the heron was sitting close to them watching for the chance of a tasty meal. He may look likeContinue reading “Six Cygnets”

This baby grey squirrel froze on the log as I passed it today, allowing me a sharp photograph of it. Normally they move fast, especially those not used to humans in the wood. Sometimes they lie low, hoping not to be seen, like this one below. Grey squirrels found in city parks are much tamerContinue reading “Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed Part 1”

In the “Where’s Wally?” books you have to scan very carefully to find Wally hidden on the page. When I go to Owl Wood now I have to search just as hard amongst the trees to find the tawny owl. It is so expertly camouflaged that I can be staring right at it and stillContinue reading “Where’s Owly?”

What a chattering and chirping on today’s walk around a loch. Scores of starlings flying around from trees to fence to ground and vice versa. We soon realised it was young starling fledglings clamouring for food from their busy parents. The youngsters seemed to be shouting, “FEED ME!” And when some youngsters had been fedContinue reading “Feeding the Weans”

I hope no one caught sight of me in a local meadow chasing the Orange Tip butterfly. It was leading me a merry dance fluttering backwards and forwards all over the place. Then it was very hard to photograph as it refused to stay still. When it did settle on a flower two other whiteContinue reading “All of a Flutter”

The eggs in the nest in the feature picture are little grebe ( commonly known as dab chick) eggs. It’s that time of year when birds are busy either gathering nest materials or sitting incubating eggs on the nest. Some nests are very obvious and in plain site, others are extremely well hidden. Our localContinue reading “Nesting Time”