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| a somewhat bleak November day at the Reserve |
On Friday 26th November the Island was treated to Storm Arwen. Saturday wasn't much better in terms of gales and wind chill so we cancelled our work party. This morning I was keen to visit the reserve to see if it had suffered any storm damage. It was rather a bleak day with a hint of drizzle as I arrived. I'm pleased to say there were no trees down, although the gales had blown away two out of the three sacks left to protect the freshly laid slabs on Saturday. Even the planks used to weigh down the sacks had blown away! The sacks were in the stream making quite an effective dam. When I removed them a mini tsunami surged downstream! I also had to renew the warning tape on the bridge and collect up other windblown litter. By this time the hint of drizzle had become a steady downpour and I was pleased to seek refuge in the hide. Unfortunately my valiant efforts to tidy up the reserve were not rewarded by amazing sights of water fowl! The pond remained stubbornly empty! Shower over, the sky began to clear and there was even a hint of sun by the time I left. There was very little wildlife about during this 90 minute visit but I enjoyed having the cobwebs blown away after two days spent largely indoors. Here is what I recorded:
SC209693 Blackbird; Hooded Crow;
SC208694 male Pheasant; Wren; Blackbird; Robin; Magpie.
SC209694 from a distance I saw 4 ducks fly in and land on the pond but they left again almost immediately. I was unable to identify them from that distance, even through binoculars.
I'm sorry there are no wildlife photos this time, only views of the reserve.
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| meadow waiting to be raked off when weather improves |
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| sacks blown away by the storm |
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| awaiting the next stage of boardwalk construction |
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| a hint of sunshine on the water |
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| clouds starting to break up |
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At midday I headed home for a hot drink!
please click on photos to enlarge them
