Category: Wildlife

14 October and the two late chicks have made it, and can still be seen flying around the meadow….

From the Bushnell camera at the bottom of my garden – the otters have been very active…..

Now, this is a first at Old Beans Cottage. On 31 October a little owl called out. So, a nest box will have to be sorted as there are now two little owls out there. Watch this space…..

As the Swallows fly south, it’s all change with Pink Feet Geese flying down from the north, a great sound and sight to see.

I am amazed to see that we are already booked for over four months at Old Beans for 2018; great to see so many of you
returning…

On the 26 September, it was brought to my attention by a guest at Old Beans, that a young Barn Owl chick had been struggling all day to get back home. So, with a little help before sundown, it was back in its nest.
It’s been some time since we have had a second brood; the voles must be doing well.

The wild flower garden has been cut and put to bed for another year.

The Barn Owl chicks are out and about, including a very pale one, and most evenings after dark you can still hear them screeching out along with the hooting Tawny Owls.

We had a surprise email from Sculthorpe Nature Reserve – one of the Kestrel chicks from Old Beans nest box turned up on an old Sparrow Hawk nest for a photo shoot…

Lots of early spring cleaning. As the cottage was full for 37 weeks in 2016, the decorator Claire is in painting the whole place out for 2017.

We are already bookd for 18 weeks for next year, its good to see so many of you all returning, and get what Old Beans Cottage is all about…..

I have had time to cut back also some of the willow in front of one of the many Barn Owl nest boxes. Both Owls are very content perching in the old horse shelter.

I have planted out a few more hundred Queen of the Night Tulip bulbs, and also for next year some Giganteum Alliums, all good for the Bees.

Merry Christmas to all

Martin

Well what a scorcher August was, no complaints there then.

The two Barn Owl chicks where successful.

Good to see the sheep now on the meadow to eat down the grass, which will make hunting for the owls a lot better.

Two young Barn Owl chicks were ringed on the 2 August. Looking forward to seeing them flying around the meadow.

Once again, many thanks to my old mate Phil Littler for the ringing. Long time visitors to this website will know that Phil is a member of the North West Norfolk Ringing Group and holds a license for this kind of work.

Not only a good showing with the camassia’s in full flower, but also a good showing of both Barn Owls out hunting to feed their small chicks in the nest box in the horse shelter.

And at the far end of the meadow the Kestrels have three chicks; so not a bad year for nest boxes at Old Beans Cottage.

 

Well this makes a change for me, as all the photographs in the mini-gallery below were taken by Chris, who was staying in Old Beans from 16 – 23 of April 2016.

What great images of whats happening at the back of the cottage, and so many of you will be able to relate to the Stoats.

So if you take any photographs of the wildlife at Old Beans, and want to ping them over for the news letter, we will try and get them on the page.

This just in….

Well spring is here at long last, and all the signs are out there.

In March the pair of Barn Owls were seen out on the meadow all the time, with the female stocking up on food. Since around the 30 March things have gone very quiet, so lets hope she’s
sitting on eggs for the next 33 days.

We also got to do some very quick spring cleaning, with reroofing part of the cottage on Saturdays when you left at ten, and stopped before you arrived at four. As the cottage is booked at the moment for 33 weeks of this year, it’s very hard to squeeze these jobs in, so a big thanks to Graham the builder.

For many of you have been to Old Beans before, you will know about the Stoats; one has been seen running around the garden on the 2 April and again 3 days later, which is great news, and the Swallows returned back here on the 3 April; so spring is here….