Ballachury Reserve, 10th January, 2018.

a cloudless sky at Ballachurry Reserve

The sun did indeed break through as predicted on Wednesday and after a hasty, early lunch I arrived at the reserve at 1 p.m. As I got out of the car I could see a Robin perched on top of the noticeboard. That would have made a lovely photo but, of course, by the time I'd reached for my camera it had flown away.  Nevertheless, a good omen I thought and I set off round the path that runs parallel to the road. I enjoyed a full hour of sunshine and, with no wind, the sun felt warm on my back, almost like spring. Later it clouded over, the temperature dropped and I found my thoughts straying to a cup of hot tea. But then the sun emerged again so I did a quick second circuit enjoying the low light picking out the tops of the trees, Here is my report:

Birds:

SC210694 Robin
SC209693 Robin ( possibly the same one)
SC209694 ( near path junction)  2 x Reed Bunting ( male and female together)
SC209694 ( Gorse Boundary) Robin; 2 x Blue Tit together; 4 x Blackbird together taking ivy berries; Song Thrush; Wren
SC209694 ( from Hide) Wren; Male Blackbird; Juvenile Blackbird;  9 x Goldfinch; Robin; Wood Pigeon;Great Tit; Kestrel; Grey Heron; male and female Pheasant together. Corvids flying over.
SC208694 ( willows and compost areas) female  Blackbird; 2 x Great Tit; male Chaffinch; Great Tit went into new nest box ( children who made the boxes will be pleased)  Wren; 2 x Robin ( aggressive behaviour)
SC208695 ( beehive loop)  Blackbird; Wood Pigeon; Robin; 2 x Wren together; Dunnock; Chaffinch ( ringed but illegible from photo) ; 2 x Magpie together;
SC209695 ( grassy area close to Private entrance)  Great Tit; 2 x Long Tailed Tit;
SC208694 flying over, 3 x Herring Gull

That's 18 species ( if you count the unidentified corvids as just one) A lovely afternoon's bird watching!

Other:

SC210694 thick covering of moss under holly sapling turned out to be on carpet square.
SC210694 peeped beneath another carpet square  & noted 1 x  Common Flat-Backed Millipede (Polydesmus angustus)

Polydesmus angustus - a common flat backed millipede

a fleeting and distant view of a pair of Reed Buntings
seen shortly after my arrival at the Reserve

a closer look at the male which decided
to fly away just as I pressed the shutter

this Blackbird flew in from the garden next door,
it may be a Cotoneaster berry in its beak

one of 4 Blackbirds foraging in the reserve together

female or probably a juvenile?

rather against the light, but the top bird is a Long Tailed Tit
and the one below a Great Tit

one of two Long Tailed Tits which flew in together

tail is pretty much the same length as its body

you have heard of a "mossy carpet" - well this one really is
just that!

A rather handsome Song Thrush

I spy with my little eye....
was I watching the Wren from the Hide
or was the Wren watching me? 

at first the hills were bathed in sunshine

an hour later the hill fog came down

a young blackbird seen from the Hide

thanks to Neil Morris of Manx Birdlife for
explaining that the visible moult contrast on this bird's plumage
suggests it is a quite a young juvenile

Neil suspects that this is a first winter male.

low sun lighting up the trees on the Reserve boundary

it was a delightful visit to the Reserve today