Author Archives: sarahthurlbeck

We’ve recently had a trip to the west coast of Scotland where we were so lucky to spot otters four days in a row. Each time was better than before and I got the best photos on the fourth day. You can see otters anywhere around the west coast, however one of my favourite placesContinue reading “Cavorting Otters”

At the start of this month I had the pleasure of visiting Colorado. I had my medium lens with me and was keen to see some new wildlife. It was a thrill to see this exquisite hummingbird perched on a nearby twig. These tiny birds can dart about at more than 20mph. I was luckyContinue reading “Winged Wonders, Colorado”

Colorado boasts some mighty mammals such as bears and elk, however it was the wee critters which thankfully crossed my path and posed for photos. Chipmunks are only 10cm high when standing up and are incredibly cute. Then high up the mountainsides, scurrying over loose rock fields were picas. They are the size and shapeContinue reading “Wee Critters, Colorado”

The other day we went for a picnic at Antermony Loch. My other half asked me if the ospreys were still about. I wasn’t sure but his question was answered by the sighting of one! It was a distance away from us and we saw some unsuccessful dives before it finally caught and flew offContinue reading “Osprey Plunge”

This month has been great for seeing butterflies, including a first for me, this comma butterfly, so named because of the shape of its wing edges. This was at Amisfield walled garden in Haddington, where dozens of butterflies were feasting on the nectar of the aptly named “gooseneck loosestrife”. I have never seen so manyContinue reading “Butterfly Beauties”

Here are a few photos from a visit to Aberfoyle today. It is a bit of a cheat going to the bird hide at David Marshall Lodge, however it does almost guarantee a red squirrel sighting. We only saw the one today although it was a very short visit. There were “hunners” of small birds,Continue reading “Brief Encounters, Aberfoyle”

Last Friday I went on a boat trip around the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. I joined 11 others on the rib named “Osprey” from Anstruther. I nearly missed seeing puffins altogether but thankfully there were still a few stragglers around. Apparently there were 10,000 on and around the island on Wednesday!Continue reading “Late to the Puffin Party”

Last week I was house sitting at our friends’ renovated farm house near the barn owl box. I was on site to watch the barn owl fledglings Ace and Duey stretch their wings and begin to explore the barn. But there were more than just the barn owls to observe, and I got a bigContinue reading “Amazing Nature”

Remember these teeny scraps that hatched out of their eggs on May 5th and 7th? Well here they are now, able to fly out of the confines of their box. I’ve been observing them closely but so far have only seen them stretching their wings and doing short hops around the top of the box.Continue reading “Out the Box”

Highlights of the last week or so include a range of both birds and mammals. I’ve been privileged to see two kinds of owls, some colourful smaller birds, hares, deer and a rare one for me, a beautiful red fox! Then a walk around the ponds revealed that the swans nesting there so far haveContinue reading “All Sorts”