Friday, 4 April 2025

Ballachurry Reserve: Tuesday morning, April 1st. 2025.

route to hide on an April morning
 
April at last!  A beautiful sunny day with some strange cloud formations and a strong south-easterly wind. Once more I could hear  Chiffchaffs as I entered the reserve at about 09.20  and I had several sightings of them  during the morning. Here is what else I saw:

 Birds:

 SC209693 female Chaffinch carrying a feather in its beak;  Woodpigeon flying over; Robin.

SC209694 Blue Tit investigating nest box; 4 x Magpie in tree; Chiffchaffs in willows near the dragonfly pond & willow near the path junction; Blue Tit preening in tree; male  Chaffinch ; 2 x Goldfinch flying over; Woodpigeon;  Buzzard; Robin.

SC209695 3 x Mallards flying over.

SC208695 (on or near feeders) 2 male and 1 female Chaffinch; female Pheasant;  Great Tit; Goldfinch x 2;  Dunnock.

SC208695 ( elsewhere) 5 x Goldfinch in tree together;  2 x Buzzard circling above.

SC208694 male and female Chaffinch together; Chiffchaff heard not seen; Great Tit; Blue Tit; Long Tailed Tit; 3 x Jackdaw flying over; House Martin flying over.

Butterflies:

Peacock seen at SC208694,  SC208695 and SC209695  ( possibly the same one)

Other:

SC209694 2 x 7-spot Ladybirds 

the black dot is a Buzzard - but what strange clouds!

composite picture of the Buzzard

Buzzard seen later elsewhere over the Reserve

Chiffchaff near the dragonfly pond

Chiffchaff near the path junction

a decapitated Blue Tit? !

it was just preening!

Dunnock

female Chaffinch

Blue Tit enjoying peanuts

Goldfinch

it was part of a small flock in a tree

Robin singing from  near Ginnie's Bench

Woodpigeon

Peacock butterfly on Marsh Marigolds near the Boardwalk

possibly the same one near the Bowman bench

Pond Skater at the dragonfly pond

tadpoles were swimming about there

Ballachurry's frogs of the future!

7-spot Ladybird

there were 2 of them

Blackthorn still in blossom

Marsh Marigolds now in flower in the middle of the meadow

cultivated daffodils

Looking towards the bridge

Hawthorns near the bridge

Looking towards the compost heaps
looking through the willows

new reeds should be emerging soon

usual view towards the boardwalk

and looking back along it

usual view from the boardwalk 

usual view of the hide
and from the ramp

 through the shutters

 very low water level now

the dragonfly pond

taken from near the bench at the dragonfly pond
looking along the gorse boundary

just look at that blue sky!

near Ginnie's bench
near the path junction

the damp meadow

another view of the meadow

strange cloud formations


a final glance before heading home for lunch


A lovely spring visit to the reserve
 
please click on photos to enlarge them

Thursday, 3 April 2025

Ballachurry Reserve: a last look at March 2025

 

please click to enlarge

 

Not many sightings recorded during March as both the pens mysteriously vanished and had to be replaced! 

Thursday, 27 March 2025

Ballachurry Reserve: Wednesday morning, 26th March, 2025.

 

 

view from near the path junction

Arriving at the Reserve shortly before 9 o'clock on Wednesday morning, I immediately noticed the birdsong! Although Robins, Wrens, and Chaffinches were all singing heartily, it was the Chiffchaffs making themselves heard above all the others. Despite a weather forecast for cloudy skies, the sun did break through for a time which brought out a couple of butterflies. Here is my report:

Birds

SC209694 Magpie x 2 in tree; Chiffchaff by dragonfly pond; Goldfinch x 2 ; Chaffinch x 2; Pheasant heard not seen; Robin; Heron x 2 flying over calling;  Mallard x 3 flying over; 2 x Buzzard overhead.

SC209694 ( hide)  2 x Mallard drake including 1 hybrid.

SC209693  Blue Tit; Robin; Mallard x 2 flying over; Woodpigeon x 2 on wires;  Chiffchaff flew in from  boundary near Church.

SC208694 Wren; male Chaffinch; Chiffchaff singing from firs; Woodpigeon; Great Tit;  Blue Tit investigating nest box; 3 x Buzzard over adjacent field;  Mallard x 2 flying over; Sparrowhawk flying over.

SC208695 ( feeders) Great Tit x 2; Blue Tit x 2; Robin; Goldfinch x 3;  Chaffinch x 3.

SC208695 ( elsewhere)  female Chaffinch; Goldfinches heard not seen; Woodpigeon.

SC209695 Goldfinch x 2; Blue Tit; Great Tit heard not seen; Woodpigeon; 

Butterflies:

SC208694 Red Admiral flying.

SC209694 Peacock on wood chip path.

Other:

SC208694 Marsh marigolds in flower by boardwalk and stream.

 

57 varieties?

Drake and Hybrid Mallards

ringed female Chaffinch

awaiting her turn on the feeders

male Chaffinch in the willows

Chiffchaff - hard to photograph against the sun

one of three Buzzards circling overhead

Wren joining in the birdsong chorus


Robin surveying the scene from on high

Robin with Blackthorn blossom in background

Blue Tit inspecting a "des res"

Great Tit observing the feeders

Goldfinch near the feeders

Goldfinch elsewhere

Peacock butterfly - it refused to turn round!

Muscari near the gate - garden escape

Marsh Marigolds near the new dam

and by the boardwalk

Bird Cherry in full leaf - will it get caterpillars this year?

usual view of path near the reed bed

usual view of hide - Hawthorns give clue to season

view from the hide ramp

through the shutters -  Blackthorn in flower

even the reed bed is drying out

the mud flat increases week on week

the damp meadow from near the bridge

heading for the boardwalk

view from the boardwalk - sun breaking through

grass has received first cut of the year

dragonfly pond

new "beaches" in the shallows

long & short grassy areas near Ginnie's Bench

the reed bed near the willows

can we expect different plants now there is more light under the willows?

not all the daffodils were removed last year

No Water Rail or Snipe this week but an enjoyable few hours nonetheless.

please click on photos to enlarge them