Author Archives: sarahthurlbeck

A few weeks ago there was an explosion of common blue damselflies around the ponds and meadows. They will have come from eggs laid in the water the year before which hatch into larvae which live underwater until fully grown. Once adults the larvae climb out of the water onto stems and shed their skinsContinue reading “Damsels and Dragons”

Blackbirds and starlings just love the birdbath in my neighbour’s garden. They don’t like mine as it used to have a model bird in the middle and even though that’s been sawn off it still leaves an uncomfortable stump. So I pointed my FBL (flippin’ big lens) out the top window and aimed it downContinue reading “Bath Time”

The last time I posted pictures of Buddy and Holly, the buzzard chicks, was two weeks ago. Look how much they’ve grown! They have changed from fuzzy white alien looking creatures to larger winged raptor chicks. Here are the before and after pictures; My friend Alison and I went up to see how they wereContinue reading “Buzz Babies”

I’ll start with the happy surprises. Today I was walking along a tree lined field boundary and I noticed lots of white bird droppings at the base of a tree, I followed the white splatters up the trunk to a hole and saw some wee dark eyes peering down at me! At first I wonderedContinue reading “Surprises and a Shock”

Here is a selection of photos of swans and cygnets from a variety of locations and times. Both pairs of local swans are doing well with their six cygnets each, and they have been going about exploring, feeding and preening. I was recently concerned when I couldn’t see any signs of the swan family anywhereContinue reading “Swanning Around”

On Monday I discovered a dipper’s nest, not where I might have expected to see one. It is built into the arch of an old railway bridge over the river, not in the river bank itself. I read that dippers build nests out of moss onto rocky outcrops. There was a lot of activity fromContinue reading “Peek-a-Boo”

I spotted the tiniest of birds in a fir tree yesterday, about the length of my thumb! This was a goldcrest fledgling waiting to be fed by its parent. I heard its high pitched whistle and that’s what made me look up into the branches the tree. The goldcrest is Britain’s smallest bird, even smallerContinue reading “Teeny Weeny”

I’ll start with the good news, a pair of buzzard chicks to watch over the coming few weeks. I’ve named them Buddy and Holly though I’ve no idea of their sexes. (Last year I photographed and observed the progress of one chick in the same nest which I named Buzz.) I have to apologise forContinue reading “Disappointment and Delight”

Woodpecker watching has become the highlight of my mornings. About a month ago hubby and I heard tapping coming from an old tree stump up in the wood. We circled it but could not see what was making the noise – it was coming from inside the trunk. On later walks nothing more was heardContinue reading “Wonderful Woodpeckers”

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”