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| the pond has not been this full for months |
Today was pretty wet! ( understatement) Having seen the amount of water rushing downhill past our house this morning I thought it might be prudent to check out the Reserve this afternoon to see if the inlet stream was coping or was blocked, as once before. A quick look at the boundary "dry" ditches and the roar of water under the concrete bridge as I entered the Reserve soon told me that the stream had reverted to it's original route and that the inlet pipe to the reserve must be blocked by vegetation. I collected a rake from the Hide tool shed, slithered down the bank and prodded around under the muddy waters trying to locate the pipe. I was about to give up when suddenly there was a roar like thunder from over my shoulder and I turned to see a raging torrent coming through the pipe and a veritable tsunami sweeping down the stream! The water level just outside the reserve dropped about 3 feet but the pipe was still not visible and even an hour later the boundary ditches were still brimful.
The reserve is possibly the wettest I have ever seen it and certainly living up to its name of Ballachurry Wetlands. The boundary stream that runs just behind the back of the pond and out under the road was overflowing and most of the reserve's paths were under water. Trees near the road and throughout the reserve were standing in pools and next door the thicket area between the reserve and the Church is flooded right up to the churchyard wall.
So here are a few photos to show you what I mean. Some a bit blurry because of the very low light levels.
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| the dry ditch! |
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| this is the path! |
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| a raging torrent once unblocked |
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| stream brimful once unblocked |
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| bridge over troubled waters |
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| the direct path to the Hide seen from the path junction |
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| trees near the road paddling |
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| stream going to the reed bed once unblocked |
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| thicket next door to reserve |
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| thicket as seen from the Churchyard, looking towards the road. |
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| some scary reflections! |
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| horse drinking area across the road |
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| water heading off down to the sea |
If you are planning a visit to Ballachurry in the near future make sure you wear your wellies!
