Ballachurry Reserve, 15th February, 2022.

a hint of sunshine today at Ballachurry Reserve

 Given all the dire weather warnings for the rest of the week, I thought I had better make the most of today's occasional sunshine to visit Ballachurry. It was already quite breezy but not unpleasantly so and I enjoyed my couple of circuits of the reserve. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC210694 Male & female Blackbirds taking ivy berries together.; Goldfinch x 2. 

SC209694 Male Blackbird; Magpie; Goldfinch;  female & male Chaffinch; pair of Mallard flying over;  2 x Great Tit together; Robin;  Wren; Blue Tit;

SC208693 Magpie flying over

SC208694  2 x Wren together picking over compost heap; 2 x Goldcrest together  picking over compost heap at the same time as Wrens; female Chaffinch; Great Tit;  Goldfinch;

SC208695 Long Tailed Tit;   2 x female Chaffinch; Great Tit; Blue Tit.

SC209695 Blue Tit;

Other:

SC208694 Red campion  and Gorse in flower; Hawthorn in full leaf.

SC209694 Hogweed, Celandines, Gorse and Lawn Daisies in flower

SC210694 Garden Escape Snowflakes and Snowdrops in flower

SC209694/ SC208694  fungi appearing along wood chip paths - Redlead Roundheads again I think

 

Goldfinch eating Alder catkins

stand at this point and train your binoculars on the compost heap

you will almost certainly see a Wren

and a Goldcrest

they seem to have settled last week's argument and are happy to share the territory

female Chaffinch

Blue tit

in the Alders

one of two Blackbirds feasting on ivy berries

quite a mouthful

2 Great Tits together near the hide

the streams are brimful

we have had a lot of rain this week

the wet weather is holding back progress

but some was made last week

the reserve will not look like a builders yard forever!

the new pond is filling up fast

but we still have work to do before the water is supposed to go in!

the damp meadow is currently the wet meadow

the barrow storage area has puddles

"The Wetlands" is certainly living up to its name

this fungus

and this fungus don't look the same

but one is just the older version of the  other - here together

gorse in flower

a rather stunted hogweed in flower already

very satisfying to see something you planted yourself thriving - Marsh Marigold

Red Campion in flower in a sheltered spot

Celandines on a sunny bank

Lawn daisies seem to flower all year round

garden escape - Snowflakes

Snowdrops, nettles and brambles!

view towards the private entrance

same old, same old shot, but it records the time of year and the weather

odd to see Hawthorn in full leaf in mid February

no wildfowl on the water today

nor even much activity along the hedgerow behind

and no sight nor sound of the elusive Water Rail heard at the weekend

A last look at the pond, then close the shutters and head for home to batten down the hatches for Wednesday! 

Please click on photos to enlarge them