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| morning sunshine at Ballachurry Reserve |
I should have been doing other things but Christmas Eve dawned a beautiful blue-sky day so I grabbed the binoculars and camera and was at the reserve by 9.30. My plan was to put back the trail camera, complete with new batteries, and then do a full recording visit but alas I discovered that the camera still would not work, even with a full set of 8 new batteries. Recent weather conditions have perhaps proved just too much for it.
Despite the sunshine it was very chilly and there did not seem to be very much about. My friend the Robin quickly appeared as I reached the compost heap and the star of today's visit was without doubt the Redwing but otherwise there is not a great deal to report.
Birds:
SC209694 ( path junction)Blackbird; Robin
SC 209694 ( gorse boundary) Magpie; Redwing; Blue tit; female Chaffinch; 2 x Hooded Crow flying over.
SC208694 (compost area/ boardwalk) Great tit;
SC208695 ( beehive loop) Wren
SC209695 ( near Private entrance) Blue tit
SC209694 ( hide) Robin; Wren;
Other:
SC208695 Jelly ear fungus on overhanging branch.
SC208694 plenty of Alder catkins here and throughout the Reserve
I could only stay an hour and perhaps there would have been more to see as the day became warmer but my quick walk round put the roses back in my cheeks and gave me the energy to tackle the Christmas Eve chores!
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| not a cloud in the sky for once |
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| No it's not my Christmas card again! Same tree, same branch, same Robin? |
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| Jelly Ear fungus |
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| Numerous Alder catkins |
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| a closer view |
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| sun picking out the reeds |
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| compare this shot with the same one in the previous post |
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| taken from near the Hide |
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| Redwing |
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| on the gorse boundary |
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| fluffed up because of the cold? |
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| the oak trees have retained their leaves through all the recent gales |
Folklore follow-up: Earlier in the year I commented that "If the Oak is out before the Ash, then we'll only have a splash". This was the case this spring at Ballachurry and we did indeed experience a very dry summer. Unfortunately more recently we have certainly been making up our average annual rainfall!
