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a blue sky December day
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On Tuesday we were treated to Storm Barra. Wednesday wasn't much better. Thursday, however, was a bright sunny morning with lighter winds so I set off for Ballachurry to assess what damage, if any, had been caused to the Reserve. Ginnie's bench had blown over and there were small branches down here or there, but nowhere close to paths. Unless a hazard to the public, we leave wood where it falls to decay down and let nature take its course. The water table was high once again and the hardcore Ian put in last week was under water! Having established that all was in order I began a more leisurely tour of the reserve to see how our wildlife had fared after the storm. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 Robin
SC209694 I flushed a Snipe near the path junction; Great Tit; Blackbird x 3 ( 2 male, 1 female) on gorse boundary. Female Blackbird near path junction; Water Rail heard not seen from reeds near hide; Robin x 2; Great Tit; Wren x 2. Wood Pigeon; Goldcrest; Magpie flying over. Flock of about 20 Golfinches seen from hide.
SC209693 Blackbird; Blue Tit; Great Tit.
SC208694 Blackbird; Dunnock; Robin; Wren; Chaffinch x 2 ( both males, together) Song Thrush; Water Rail heard from Reed Bed.
SC209695 Blackbird; Blue Tit (ringed); Great Tit; Wren.
SC208695 I flushed a Woodcock on the old beehive loop - only the second time I have ever seen one; it flew a short distance then dropped down near the apple trees but I couldn't spot it again; male Blackbird; Great Tit; Robin.
Other:
There was little else to record - no insects about, at least not to my eyes! A Robin was clearly finding things to eat in the meadow and as I turned one bend in the path there was a Robin and a Blackbird together on the path ahead of me pecking around, watched from the nearby Hawthorn bush by a Wren which also dropped down to the path from time to time.
SC210694 Stinking Iris berries
SC209694 2 types of Lichen in Hawthorn tree.
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Blue Tit
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male Chaffinch among the Alder cones
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Goldfinch on the Church boundary
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Great Tit
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Woodpigeon
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Robin, eyeing the ground for insects
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Song Thrush
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| Wren |
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it spent some time preening near the hide
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the old boardwalk used to sit directly in the water!
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last week's hardcore now under water
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weather deteriorating - "the lichen tree"
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the Hawthorn tree is still alive but provides a home for the Lichen
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2 different sorts sharing a twig
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usual view from the ramp early in my visit
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water table high in the meadow
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no activity on the pond
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silvery reed flowers
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Stinking Iris berries
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After two hours at the reserve, and with the sky fast clouding over, I headed for home arriving back just before the onset of the rain. I had hoped to be back at the Reserve on Saturday with a volunteer work party but unfortunately the forecast is for yet more rain, so it has had to be postponed.
please click on photos to enlarge them
