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Puddles along the Blackthorn path
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My exercise lately has been restricted to strenuous, aerobic digging in my own garden, so it was with some relief that I again ventured out for a gentle walk on Friday, choosing the Reserve for my permitted exercise. It was very wet and muddy underfoot after several days' rain and there were mini lakes under some of the trees. I did not stop to bird watch from the hide but I put my head round the door to check all was in order within. It was, although someone had felt the need to observe on both the whiteboard and Police notice that "legal is not the same as lawful" . (Smoking pot in the hide is neither, of course!) Again I managed 2 circuits without meeting anyone else, so here is what I noted on the way.
Birds:
SC209693 7 x Long Tailed Tit; Blackbird.
SC209694 2 x Blackbird together; 2 x Robin together; Wren; Great Tit; Blue Tit. 2 x Jackdaw together.
SC208694 7 x Long Tailed Tit; Robin; Chaffinch; 2 x Blackbird;
SC208695 Blackbird; 2 x Chaffinch; Great Tit.
SC209695 Chaffinch.
From the gorse boundary I noticed that in the far distance the Churchyard trees appeared to have leaves again! Through binoculars I could tell they were not leaves but a flock of birds but I was too far away to tell what species. I hurried round to where I could have a closer view . Miraculously they were still there and I could now see they were Redwings. I counted 30 altogether. Approximate Grid reference SC207694
Other:
SC210694 Jelly Ear fungus on Elderberry Tree; Stinking Iris seeds still in the pod.
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Blue Tit
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male Chaffinch
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very distant shot of Jackdaw
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Gorse in flower
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Great Tit
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Stinking Iris berries near the gate
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I wonder what invertebrates are over wintering in our log pile?
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Jelly Ear fungus on a dead Elderberry branch
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no sunshine today!
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compare this with the same shot on my last visit
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tell tale scars of ash die back, I'm afraid
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distant view of the bird hide
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due to be spruced up this year with a coat of green wood preservative
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a memorial plaque to Anne herself will be added in due course
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legal adj : lawful ( Chambers Dictionary)
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not sure whether the litter by the hide is new....
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or whether it can only be seen now that the vegetation has died down
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it was from this point that I saw the Long Tailed Tits land in the tree
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beautiful little birds
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| some blue sky behind would have been nice |
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see what I mean? But that's cheating!
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taking seeds from the Alders, I think
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it's not often they stop long enough to be photographed
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they actually then flew a little closer to where I was standing
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two out of seven
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stream very full and scum accumulating near bridge
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a wintry scene altogether
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wear your wellies if you are planning a walk
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a distant view of the Redwings
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camera on maximum zoom
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lovely birds
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| a Red Robin too |
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This Blog post is dedicated, with love, to the memory of Anne Kaye with whose camera all the above photos were taken.
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Please click on photos to enlarge them
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