Ballachurry Reserve, 12th January 2020.

Cold ( 8 degrees) but sunny morning at the reserve.
Just one berry remaining on the Hawthorn bush!

Circumstances and the weather have prevented me from visiting the Reserve this new year, 2020, until today but this morning I struck gold: Golden sunshine, Goldfinches and Goldcrests! The sun was warm on my back at times and I stayed a full two hours. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC208694  Goldcrest on the compost heap  and later in the firs behind.
SC208694  5 x Goldfinch in firs adjoining reserve and  1 later in tree on reserve; Wood Pigeon flying over; Herring Gulls and Corvids flying over.
SC208694  Water Rail heard calling intermittently from reed bed but not seen.
SC208694 Robin heard but not seen;Wren heard but not seen.
SC208695   10 x Long Tailed Tits; female Chaffinch; Blue Tit
SC209694  (gorse boundary) Magpie; Wren; Chaffinch; Robin
SC209694 ( direct path to hide) female Reed Bunting which flew off in tandem with another unidentified bird, possibly the male; Robin. Blue Tit.
SC209694 ( hide) Blue Tit
SC209695 5 x Goldfinch; Blue Tit.

Other, including plants in flower etc:

SC209695 Gorse Shieldbug
SC208694 and SC209694 Red Campion
SC209694 Celandines in ditch
SC208694 Hogweed
SC209693 Ragwort
SC209694 Gorse
SC208694 fresh leaves on Hawthorn
SC210694 Stinking Iris dropping seeds

Red Campion

Lesser Celandine

Hogweed

Ragwort ( Cushag) 

Spring leaves on Hawthorn!

Stinking Iris near the gate

Bradda Tower is just visible at this time of year

Bench blown over in yesterday's storm. I left it as more
severe gales are forecast for Monday

I don't often photograph this corner of the reserve

view through to the reed bed from the compost heap,
the Water Rail was calling

a plastic bag has blown into the pond during the gales -
unfortunately I can't reach it

Gorse Shieldbug

looking back as I left

Two hours well spent and a better bird tally than my last visit, which leaves me feeling optimistic for 2020! It was a shame we had to cancel the work party on Saturday but lighter volunteers might have suffered the same fate as Ginnie's bench!

Click on photos to enlarge