Ballachurry Reserve, 11th December 2017

low sun and a near cloudless sky

A lovely sunny afternoon to visit the Reserve last Monday, but I have been too busy with Christmas preparations to post the information on the Blog until now, almost a week later. I was a little taken aback to see the hide door left wide open, especially as we have had so much bad weather lately. The white board & pens inside had also proved irresistible to three children who had signed their names! Future ornithologists perhaps!

Birds:
SC209694  ( from Hide) Wren ; Juvenile Moorhen; 3 x Mallard ( 1 male, 2 female)
SC209694 ( near Hide) Snipe flew up from deep in brambles
SC209694 ( gorse boundary ) Wren; Song Thrush; Dunnock
SC208694 Blue Tit; Snipe; Dunnock; 2 x Robin;  Blackbird.
SC208695 Robin; Goldcrests heard but not seen;
SC210694 Song Thrush

Other:

SC209693 unidentified fungus on the path

fungi still popping up along the path

ice on the puddles

sun catching the reed bed

the 3 Mallards flew in while I was watching the Moorhen

the juvenile Moorhen seems to have claimed the territory
as its own

feeding amongst the Iris

Mallards and Moorhen together

those magnificent yellow legs remind me I need
to book my ticket for Twelfth Night at Erin Arts Centre
on 5th January! (" yellow stockinged and cross gaitered")
What on earth is she on about now, I hear you ask!

I seem to see Song Thrushes regularly at the Reserve recently

another view of the same bird

the nice thing about Dunnocks is that they don't
fly away when you try to photograph them!

this one was both preening and singing

beautifully preened, fluffed up and ready to go

afternoons are so short now, light fading at the Reserve,
time to go.

Not forgetting......

Thank you Ballachurry volunteer, Peter, for  going down in your own time and painting the new bird boxes with water based preservative to extend their life. Also for some necessary hide maintenance at the same time.

the bird box now matches the hide

all the other boxes painted with brown water based preservative. 

I made a brief return visit to the Reserve on Friday so will write that up when time permits.