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| a lovely winter's day at Ballachurry Reserve |
Two short visits to the Reserve on Thursday. In the morning I arrived just after ten o'clock and only had time for a quick walk round. Despite the sunshine the reserve seemed very quiet. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC208694 Robin; 2 x Long Tailed Tit.
SC209695 Great Tit + another heard at the same time; Blue tit;
SC209694 Goldcrest; Wren; Robin; female Blackbird
SC209694 ( from hide) Chaffinch; juvenile Blackbird.
SC209695 2 x Chough flew over the reserve calling and landed in the adjoining field.
Other:
SC208694 3 or possibly 4 Gorse Shieldbugs together + 1 singleton
SC209693 Lawn daisies in flower
SC209694 Alder catkins
SC209694 Cultivated daffodils in bud peeping through the dead bracken
After lunch I was able to pay a slightly longer visit to the Reserve and recorded the following:
Birds:
SC209693 male Blackbird;
SC208694 4 x Great tit together; Blackbird
SC208695 Dunnock; 4 x Chaffinch (2 pairs seen together); male Blackbird;
SC209694 ( near Ginnie's Bench) Robin; female Blackbird;
SC209694 ( path junction) Robin;
SC209694 ( from hide) 2 x Wrens together; Wood Pigeon flying over; Water Rail; male Pheasant;
SC210694 Wren
Other:
SC210694 very small flies ( about 1 mm long) on wall near entrance
I was lucky to see the Water Rail. I was about to leave the Hide when I realised that there were ripples spreading out over the water in quick succession. These seemed to be emanating from a particular clump of rushes to the left of the hide. I guessed that there must be a bird disturbing the water at this point and watched for a long time. I had a fleeting glance of a small dark bird going away from me from this clump of rushes to another. The ripples resumed but gradually seemed to move back along the bank towards me. I kept watching and after what seemed like a very long time the Water Rail emerged and swam a short distance into another clump of rushes on the bank. No time for a photo but unmistakably the Water Rail. It seemed to be quite a small one but whether this has any significance ( e.g. female? young one?) I do not know. I rarely see Water Rails swim. Usually they do short sprints across the weed or fly off with their legs trailing. I waited for a further interval but the ripples stopped and it did not emerge again.
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| Alder catkins |
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| Lawn Daisy |
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| Cultivated daffs in bud |
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| at least 3 if not 4 Gorse Shieldbugs here |
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| Robin near compost heap |
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| fly only about 1mm long |
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| Great Tit |
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| same bird |
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| another elsewhere |
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| one of 2 Wrens near the pond |
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| both were singing |
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| red throat visible when singing |
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| peace shattered as this chopper flew low over the reserve |
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| last view of the reed bed before heading home for hot tea. |
