sarahthurlbeck

Beaucoup de Beavers

Last October we tried to spot the Knapdale beavers near the Crinan canal but had no luck. They’ve been introduced back into the wild in Scotland, including at Loch Lomond. Recently in Pitlochry I saw lots of evidence of beavers, mainly sharp angular toothmarked gouges on riverside tree trunks and pointed stumps of trees. AContinue reading “Beaucoup de Beavers”

Barn Owl Bairns

All is well in the barn owl box, although due to a technical hitch its only this last week or so that I’ve been able to check in on it. At the start of May Marny left the nest for a few minutes to reveal six white eggs. Also a lovely juicy mouse for breakfast!Continue reading “Barn Owl Bairns”

Great Crested Grebe Chicks!

Today we returned to Hogganfield Loch and were delighted to see that the great crested grebe chicks had hatched and were riding along on their Mums’ backs. Two lots of chicks were on their parents’ backs far off in the middle of the loch but we saw that one lot were being kept close toContinue reading “Great Crested Grebe Chicks!”

The Waiting Game

May is a month of waiting. Nests have been constructed, eggs laid and now the parent birds sit it out and wait. Let’s hope this moorhen’s nest on a branch over the river Tyne at Haddington survives any deluges of water. The swan has her nest on an island in the middle of the river.Continue reading “The Waiting Game”

The Long and the Short of it

Always expect the unexpected. A few weeks ago we took some friends to see if we could catch sight of a barn owl at dusk. When we arrived by the barns we were excited to see an owl on top of a post. At first I thought it was our male barn owl, but thenContinue reading “The Long and the Short of it”

Back Garden Balancing Acts

There’s still a lot of interest in the garden peanut feeder. not least from our cheeky resident grey squirrel. These photos were taken indoors through windows. This crow couldn’t get anywhere near the peanuts while the squirrel was around. This is a jackdaw, doing a tightrope walk along a washing line. Here a striking maleContinue reading “Back Garden Balancing Acts”

Joys of Spring part 2

You know Spring is well and truly here when you see the first ducklings taking to the water. On the first day of May a friend and I went looking for them along the canal. At first there was no sign of any female mallards or ducklings, but then a family of 9 ducklings appearedContinue reading “Joys of Spring part 2”

The Joys of Spring Part 1

Spring has arrived at last! I’ve been out and about enjoying the sunshine and listening to the birds. I mostly hear them before seeing them. (A wonderful app to help you identify birdsong is the Merlin bird app.) The wren is our second smallest bird but its song is a real belter! Rather more sweetlyContinue reading “The Joys of Spring Part 1”

Barn Owl Pair

Meet this year’s barn owl box pair whom we have named Barny and Marny. I know it’s not the same pairing as last year as this year I can tell the female apart from the male. The female Marny has much darker tail stripes and darker freckly spots on her back. It is possible thatContinue reading “Barn Owl Pair”

I Love Hares

It was another grey Spring afternoon but finding a field with at least four or five hares in it brightened my day today. I had great fun watching their antics. Here’s one that came bounding past me. Uh oh, is that a camera shutter I hear? I’m hiding … Ah, a possible mate? Not todayContinue reading “I Love Hares”