We are living in challenging and unusual times, and in the space of a few weeks life has changed in so many ways. For over 6 weeks we have been in lockdown, only leaving the house for essential reasons, daily exercise or food shopping. We are now homeschooling a 4 and half year old, looking … More Lockdown
It was not just around the Lodge at Taricaya Ecological Reserve that we encountered wildlife. Each day whether we were walking to and from observation platforms, flower cutting, weeding, maintenance or even clearing trails, we were immersed in jungle wildlife. Of course we also went out on specific walks looking for wildlife. The first of … More Wild Barley Rewind: Jungle Trails
After arriving at Taricaya Ecological Reservein the Peruvian jungle back in 2006 we quickly settled into a routine. Each morning breakfast was at 7:30am. 8am and we would head off in teams to undertake one of the projects, planting and weeding flowers, maintenance, building or looking after the animals in the rehabilitation programme. Three days … More Wild Barley Rewind: Jungle Lodge
It has been a while since I last posted, what with life, school, Christmas, New Year and the arrival of my little boy Toby. 19 days early but healthy and happy. Today, 3 weeks on, and I have returned to my routine and daily river walk. The tail end of Storm Ciara was still making … More River Walk
The nights are drawing in. With the clocks going back darkness is catching up with the end of the working day and is hot on the heels of the end of the school day. It leaves little time between the school run and nightfall. Little time, but still time. Time to be out in the … More Reedlings in the roost
A break in the stormy weather, a gap between deluges brings a Saturday morning cloudy and calm. Good ringing conditions. The garden at the farm was still vibrant with green and deep red leaves, late blooming flowers and vibrant green grass. Still there is the hint of autumn in the air. Some of the trees … More A welcome return
The lake was a mirror image of the sky above. A patchwork of blue and white, with a margin of deep green. It had been a hot and sunny morning at Cranwich, working through the latest Constant Effort session for birds. All the usual suspects were in attendance. Young Blue Tits, fluffy and yellow, accompanied by … More A Wild Goose Chase
The old oak tree towered above the meadow, its trunk and branches gnarled and aged, its green leaves whispering in the breeze. The surrounding meadow has been recently mown and was closely cropped, from there a hare dashed away heading for the long waving grass of the opposite field. The sky above was bright blue … More A new home in the old oak
Early morning mist still clings to the depressions in the gently undulating landscape of the Brecks. Trees on the slight ridges rise above a sea of opaque white, that is tinged pink and orange by the morning sun, like island mirages. Driving through this foggy landscape, one moment the scenery stretches out on either side, … More Night Songstress
Good Friday. Just. Only a few hours into the Easter weekend and we were rising from our bed before the sun and heading to our reed bed site to undertake another ringing session. The clear sky overhead was already getting lighter, no longer the deep black midnight sky, hinting at the sunny day to come. … More An Epic Easter Adventure
Wild Barley 