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January 2016 Updates

Happy New Year to all…..

Well I honestly don’t know where the last few months have gone, maybe it was spending quite some time filming in Australia. Look out for the series on ITV in late March, Wild Australia With Ray Mears.

Back at Old Beans Cottage I have planted hundreds more tulip bulbs. And with a friend, Phil Littler, we have done up and restained the Barn Owl nest boxes, and cleared out all the old crap and fleas, and put fresh sawdust in the cleaned out boxes; early Spring cleaning.

I’m hoping to put up one more Barn Owl box nearer to the cottage in February.

Giving the barn owl nest box an early Spring clean
Giving on of the barn owl nest box an early Spring clean
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August 2015 Updates

Great weather at Old Beans, especially for the butterflies on the buddleia just out side the French doors.

It has been another busy year with 32 weeks booked up at the cottage; the paint brush will be out in November for some TLC.

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July 2015 Updates

Hi All

Just home myself for a few days in warm sunny North Norfolk, compared to where I have been filming in wet Scotland, thought I would take a few pics of the new kitchen tiled Travertine floor and new fridge freezer.

Out side the wild flower meadow garden has just been cut, there has been good sightings of the Hummingbird hawk-moth now on the Buddleia, which is just coming into flower.

Three young Kestrels from the nest box are now screaming out, as they fly over head, and if you have £3,950,000 the neighbours at Barsham Manor have put the place on the market with Sotheby’s…

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New Travantine floor in the kitchen
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New fridge freezer
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Barsham Manor, a snip at £3.95m…..
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June 2015 Updates

Hello folks

I’ve barely had time to take a couple of photos this time around before work intervened. I hope you enjoy them…

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April 2015 Updates

Spring Is Here

Spring has sprung, so have the Stoats, they have all been released back to the wild, Wriggles had great fun climbing oak trees much to our amazement, it was great to see them run free.

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Wriggles enjoying himself in the trees

The Kestrels have not decided on a nest box yet, but this week they have been sitting out side the one in front of Old Beans Cottage.

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House hunting – kestrel style

In the cottage, the solid oak flooring has been taken up in the hall way and kitchen, and in its place premium Travertine tiles have been laid.

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March 2015 Updates

Its all happening with Wood Peckers drumming, Dunnocks singing and the pair of Barn Owls are quartering over the meadow and giving fantastic flybys in front of the cottage, and at the moment using two nest boxes.

Kestrels are landing in their box, the Red Kites that nested two miles away are soaring over head and Great Tits are inspecting the hollow log at the end of the garden.

In the cottage the wooden floor in the entrance hall and kitchen has been taken up, and has been replaced with floor tiles.

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More images have been added to the Outside Gallery: Click Here

More images have been added to the Inside Gallery: Click Here

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August 2014 Updates

General & Nature Round Up

I hope you have enjoyed your holiday at Old Beans’. I am now back at Ticketyboo, after  three months of filming in the outer Hebrides (at least there are no midges in Norfolk ). And would like to say a big thank you to Jackie, for looking after the cottage while I was away and continue’s to do so.

On the 29th of August, Mr Phil Littler Esq ringed three young Barn Owl chicks, which where in the nest box in the horse shelter, out in the meadow. So in the next few coming months, there should be a lot more fly pasts of owls in front of Old Beans Cottage.

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Phil Littler ringing the owl chicks
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July 2014 Updates

Nature Round Up

In the Barn Owl nest box in the field shelter, on the 14th July there were three very small young Barn Owl chicks, and three eggs, which at this stage we do not think will hatch out, the chicks will be ringed around the 18th August.

The female Stoat has raised four young out of the five, which is good news, and better news that all young and mum will all be released mid August. The end of a chapter.

The young Kestrels from the nest box are still flying round the meadow.

Hares have been spotted in the field next door.

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June 2014 Updates

June news at Old Beans Cottage

On the first of June, bird ringer Mr Phil Littler Esq, ringed four young kestrel from the A frame nest box at the bottom of the meadow, also in box, one dud egg.

In the horse shelter out on the meadow, with the tea chest inside, the Barn Owl is still sitting on three eggs, with a good food supply of voles in the box with her.

Baby Stoats can be heard, but not seen at the moment, time will tell.

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May 2014 Updates

Wildlife & Fauna Roundup

The Stoat gave birth to five kits a round the 6th of April, so they will now all be released together in a few months time, we have left well alone this year with no filming at all, just this one photograph on inspection of the chamber.

Blue Tits have used the box for the first time at Old Beans.

The Camassia flowers put on a good show this month, as the oxeye daisies start to take over.

And the Barn Owls have been showing very well out on the meadow. All the nest boxes will be checked next month.