sarahthurlbeck

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”

Hoping for a Hoopoe

Whilst in Mallorca I was always on the lookout for an exotic looking bird called a hoopoe. It is nothing like any bird we get in the UK. I’d seen one in France years ago but never photographed one. I’d read that they could be found almost anywhere in Mallorca. Whilst hunting them I gotContinue reading “Hoping for a Hoopoe”

Wetland Wonders, Mallorca

As well as the flamingos in Mallorca there were many other wetland waders which were new to me. I loved seeing the black winged stilts, named because of their stilt like legs. When they flew their legs trailed out behind them. The heron was as common as back home, always so photogenic, especially when reflectedContinue reading “Wetland Wonders, Mallorca”

Flamingos!!

I’m just back from a week in Mallorca where the highlight was seeing flamingos in the wild. I’d read that they could be found in the southern part of the island, an hour and a half from where we were staying. But it turned out we didn’t need to drive so far to see them.Continue reading “Flamingos!!”

Are ye dancin’?

This Spring is the first time I’ve seen the elaborate courtship dance of Great Crested Grebes. It’s quite a remarkable sight involving puffed up crests, bodies drawn up together out of the water, head shaking from side to side and beaks offering pondweed. When not courting a Great Crested Grebe looks like this: When tryingContinue reading “Are ye dancin’?”