Ballachurry Reserve, 27th and 28th December 2016.

It's that Robin again!

Hope you all had a very enjoyable Christmas!

Some sunny weather here in the south sent me off to Ballachurry Reserve on Tuesday morning about 11 o'clock. Sitting in the Hide just before leaving I was amazed to see a silhouette in one of the trees on the Church boundary which looked remarkably like a Waxwing. The binoculars proved this to be the case and I just had time for a quick, distant photo before it took off towards Port Erin. What a wonderful end to the year to finish with a new record for the Reserve! I walked through the Churchyard before heading for home just to check if there were any berries about that might be tempting in Waxwings, but sadly there were none.

There had been a lot of bird activity over towards the Church boundary that morning but the bright sun put everything in silhouette and was difficult to see. However, from the churchyard the sun was behind me and I had lovely views of the Reserve and the Alder thicket which adjoins it. There was a flock of Goldfinches busily extracting seeds from the alder cones. I watched one break off a cone ( possibly accidentally) and hold it steady with its foot while winkling out the seeds with its beak.

Here is my report for Tuesday 27th December:

SC210694  Blackbird ; Song Thrush x 2;
SC209693  Goldfinch x 20+; Wood Pigeon x 8
SC209694 ( seen from Hide) Waxwing ( new record, at SC207694 approx.); Goldcrest; Wren; Song Thrush; Robin; Blue Tit; Great Tit x 2; Blackbird.
SC208694 ( Willows path) Blackbird
SC208694 ( Reed bed area) Wren; Robin; Blackbird; Great Tit
SC208695 ( Old beehives loop) Wren; Blackbird; Robin; Blue Tit
SC209694 ( path junction) Wren; Robin; Blackbird. Great Tit x 3 together
SC209695 ( orchard entrance area) Blue Tit; Great Tit.
SC209692 ( viewed from Church yard) 20+ Goldfinches on Alder; Blackbird x 3; Wren; Robin; Blue Tit.

Could that possibly be.......?

A Waxwing!

Wood Pigeon

Blackbird

Goldfinch enjoying Alder seed

Song Thrush

View  from the stream

Although not in the Reserve, I was pleased to see a Grey Wagtail in the churchyard flying between the church roof, a gravestone , and back to the roof again.

Grey Wagtail

It's usually difficult for me to visit the Reserve much before 11 o'clock because of other commitments but today, an opportunity to visit for about an hour from 9 a.m. presented itself. What's more it was sunny! I was not the only early bird and was able to learn what was about from regulars Gill and Steve. Alas, I had just missed a Hen Harrier! Here is the tally for Wednesday, 28th December:

SC209694 Blue Tit x 2; Wren
SC209695 Blue Tit x 3; Great Tit; Goldcrest x 3; Robin; Wren heard but not seen.
SC208695 Robin; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Goldfinch x 3
SC209693 Wren; flock of Goldfinches on Church Boundary again.
SC209694 ( from Hide) Blue Tit; Wren; Goldfinches; Blackbird x 3.

That same view from the stream but in earlier morning light

Great Tit wearing antlers for Christmas?

Blue Tit

Blue tit  inspecting nest box

Only seconds later the Great Tit followed suit
I think they were looking for insects rather than a home.

Willowherb in morning sun

Morning sun turning the reeds to gold.

I was disappointed not to see the Long Tailed Tits for 2 days running but just after lunch  I called back to drop something off at the hide and three landed in the willows right beside me at the path junction. ( SC209694) Of course, by then I had neither binoculars nor camera with me!

The moral of the story is.....