Ballachurry Reserve: Wednesday, 18th December, 2024.

a rare sunny moment on Wednesday

 A late start to my recording on Wednesday morning. I didn't arrive at Ballachurry Reserve until 10.30 but I still managed a two hour visit on a chilly day with intermittent sunshine.  Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209693 a Blackbird flew across the path at the beginning of my visit and there was one turning over the woodchip there as I left. Wren heard not seen.

SC209694 ( hide) 3 x Blue Tit together; Great Tit; Moorhen; Grey Wagtail; Jackdaw and Goldfinch heard not seen.

SC209694 (elsewhere) 2 x Goldfinch; 2 x Blue Tit; male Chaffinch; Wren heard not seen;  male Blackbird scavenging on ground near the dragonfly pond; female Blackbird near the path junction; 2 x Blackbirds seen together in Alder tree. Magpie on ground near noticeboard.

SC208694 10 Goldfinch flying over; male Pheasant; Blue Tit;  Robin heard in willows but not seen.

SC208695 ( feeders) 3 x Blue Tit; 3 x Great Tit; Robin; Coal Tit; male and female Chaffinch; Dunnock scavenging on the ground beneath feeders.

SC209695 9 Woodpigeon flew up and away.

SC210694 5 x Jackdaws on roof of Old School House.

Other:

Tipped off by a note about Celandines on the white board in the hide, I went in search of them and found some at SC209695

Moorhen feeding among the reeds

just as I was closing down the shutters, this Grey Wagtail flew in

I had  lovely views of it

usually I hear Pheasants at Ballachurry more often than I see them

Great Tit near the bird feeders

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

I counted three altogether

Celandine

view across the fallen reeds

usual views of the Dragonfly pond

looking towards the compost area

view from the boardwalk

gorse in flower near the Bowman Bench

usual view of the hide

and from the other direction

view from the hide ramp

through the shutters - wintry trees in the Churchyard

and the new "mudflat"

three leafless Birch trees

in contrast, this Oak has kept its leaves despite Storm Darragh

( and Darragh is Manx Gaelic for Oak!)

 

stream from the bridge - a good flow today

the meadow

a final glance over my shoulder

 

 

As I left the reserve a Magpie flew down by the Noticeboard but I failed to get a good photo.

And finally...........

 

 please click on photos to enlarge them

Ballachurry Reserve: 10th December, 2024.

 

first defrost the windscreen!

Before setting off for the Reserve this morning I first had to scrape ice from the windscreen - Jack Frost had been up to his beautiful, artistic tricks in the night. The temperature was just 3 degrees and the grass was white over near the noticeboard when I arrived. I was anxious to see if the Reserve had sustained any damage at the week-end during Storm Darragh. A willow on the left hand side caught my eye and sure enough it had split and lost a branch. It was the same story throughout the reserve with the willows - many had lost branches and one by the stream had been half uprooted and keeled over. A tree surrounded by a compost heap had suffered a similar fate but compared to a site only about half a mile away as the crow flies, the Reserve had got away lightly. The wind seems to have funneled through the  Fleshwick Gap causing havoc in Ballafesson, next stop Ballachurry and on to Moorhouse Farm just a few fields away. But how had the birds fared? Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC210694 Kestrel flying over; 3 Jackdaws on roof of Old School House.

SC209693 female Pheasant flew up;  2 x Blackbird on path; Great Tit; Robin in lower branches of trees.

SC209694 Chough flying over calling;  Blackbird scavenging on ground; Robin x 2; female  and male Chaffinch seen separately; Woodpigeon flying over; 2 x Great Tit; Dunnock.

SC209694 ( from hide)  female Chaffinch; Blue Tit; Blackbird flew across path as I approached.

SC208694 Robin x 2; Water Rail heard; Magpie.

SC208695  Greenfinch in tree; Blackbird foraging in leaf litter. Pheasant heard not seen; male Chaffinch.

SC208695 ( on or near feeders)  2 x Dunnock; Coal Tit; 3 x Blue Tit ( one ringed)  Robin; Goldfinch; Wren; 3 Chaffinch ( 2 females, 1 male).

SC209695 male  Chaffinch + 2 females.

Not strictly in the reserve but seen from it:

SC210695   Buzzard perched on post in field.

SC209694  5 x Redwings and 3 Blackbirds feeding on the ground among sheep in adjacent field. 

 

female/juvenile Blackbird

male Blackbird foraging amongst leaf litter

Dunnock

Greenfinch

Several Robins hold territory at Ballachurry

 

this one was heading towards the bird feeders

where it waited patiently for a Blue Tit to finish

2 Blue Tits and a Coal Tit

Redwings feeding on  the adjacent pasture

from time to time they flew into trees but returned minutes later

notice how small they are compared to a Blackbird

a Buzzard on the fence post caught my eye

the sheep were unperturbed

I had a good view of it

damage by Storm Darragh

many willows had split

and this mature tree had keeled over

willow split and path obstructed by fallen branch

fortunately this one fell away from stream

this tree had multiple splits

only the nest box seemed to be holding it together

there was ice on the dragonfly pond

usual view of it

quite a frosty corner in fact

reeds flattened too

 sunshine catching the boardwalk

but it was white with frost

usual view from the boardwalk

 

looking back, note damage to tree

meadow area

winter sunshine

usual view of the hide

view through the shutters - no water fowl today

usual view from the hide ramp

sunshine catching the adjoining trees

 frosty conditions though

even at midday the frost had not melted

time to go home and warm up!

 

an interesting winter visit!

 

please click on photos to enlarge them