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| View from hide Sunday afternoon |
Sunday afternoon saw me back at the Reserve with the sun still shining. I was pleased to see the streams flowing strongly again and the water levels falling in the "dry" ditches. Here is the report from the afternoon visit:
Birds:
SC210694 ( near gate) Male blackbird flying across at low level. Female blackbird pecking about in the wet soil of the ditch. Dunnock doing likewise.
SC208694 ( willows) Great Tit x 3; Blue Tit; Chaffinch. They appeared to be stripping buds on willows.
SC209695 ( near orchard entrance) Robin, heard not seen.
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Robin
SC209694 ( from hide) Wren, heard not seen;Wood Pigeon; 3 x Robin together in one bush; Magpie; Heron flying over; Water Rail heard not seen.
SC208694 ( reed bed) Wren, heard not seen; small bird flying up from within reeds to take insect then returning to reeds. Seen twice but didn't manage to see through binoculars.
SC208694 ( near board walk) male Pheasant. Female Sparrowhawk flying over.
SC209694 ( path junction) Great Tit
SC209694 ( Ginnie's bench area) Song Thrush.
SC209694 Usual corvids flying over. Photo is of Jackdaws I think.
Other:
SC209694 Wet conditions have encouraged more Scurfy Twiglet Fungi to appear in the wood chip
SC209694 Blackthorn in blossom
SC210694 Snowflake in flower close to boundary wall; cultivated crocus close by (haven't noticed these before , so new record)
SC209694 and elsewhere - oak leaves still clinging on despite recent storms
SC209694 Cultivated daffs ( part of an earlier Ballachurry incarnation?) in bud
SC210694 and elsewhere - Hemlock Water Dropwort growing strongly now
Incidentally, I checked for frogspawn but found none yet. ( We have some in our garden pond)
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| Sunshine picking out the wintry branches |
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| A bit out of focus - Blackthorn flowers |
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| Blue Tit |
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| "Corvids flying over" |
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| and a closer view of that beautiful Ballachurry moon |
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| Cultivated daffs coming into bud |
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| Scurfy Twiglets again |
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| Hemlock Water Dropwort getting quite large now |
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| One of three robins in the thorn bush |
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| Sunny view from the willows looking towards the Orchard trees |
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| and looking back the other way |
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| oak leaves hanging on |
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| heard the Water Rail from in here somewhere |
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| Stream flowing strongly again |
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| this one too - was almost dry this morning |
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| Heron flying homewards |
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| High water levels in the pond have submerged some of the weed |
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| We discourage people from walking round the pond ( causes disturbance) but I had a valid reason to be there and so took the opportunity to take a photo of a view not often seen. |
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| View as I left reserve, about 4.45p.m. |
