Ballachurry Reserve, 29th December, 2022.

stormy light at Ballachurry

   "Almost certainly my last visit of the year to the Reserve unless the weather forecast for the rest of the week improves" I wrote on Monday, but today's visit to Ballachurry  was more of a short, incidental visit to give me some exercise and a quick blow of fresh air rather than to seriously record everything I saw. Consequently there are less photos and just a short list of wildlife seen:

BIRDS: 

SC209693 male Blackbird; Blue Tit.

SC209694 ( bird hide)  6 x Goldfinch; Blue Tit.

SC208694 Blue Tit; Goldfinch; male Blackbird; Dunnock;

SC209694 Magpie flying over ( sideways! carried by very strong wind) ; 2 x Woodpigeon; juvenile Blackbird.

OTHER:

SC208694  The Hairy Curtain Crust  fungus still spreading on Boardwalk.

SC209695 No sign of the hibernating Ladybird today.

juvenile Blackbird

Blue Tit near the hide

Goldfinches still in the same bush as last time

Hair Curtain Crust

it's recycling the boardwalk timber!

usual view of the hide on a cold, windy day in December

 a fleeting ray of sunshine

stormy skies

winter colours

closing the gate on 2022.

Today's visit certainly blew the cobwebs away! I was expecting the hide to take off with me inside it during a couple of gusts! My last December visit of 2021 recorded 12 species of bird against only 6 today in 2022.  That probably has more to do with the weather conditions rather than anything more sinister. Let's see what next week brings!

Wishing you all Happy Wildlife Watching during 2023!

please click on photos to enlarge them

 

Ballachurry Reserve, 26th December, 2022.

 

Boxing Day, 2022, at Ballachurry Reserve.

  The weather forecast  between Christmas and New Year is for unsettled  weather  so Boxing Day, although cold and windy, seemed the best option for a visit to Ballachurry Reserve. Well wrapped up, I arrived about 10.45 and immediately noticed how wet the reserve was following recent heavy rain. All the streams were rushing and the new pond was pretty much brimful. Large pools of standing water were visible under the trees and many of the paths had standing water. The wildlife seemed to be hunkered down out of the wind low in the vegetation or even on the ground - I put up 2 Redwings from under the Blackthorn thicket when I paused to take a photograph nearby. Here is what I recorded:

 Birds:

 SC209693 2 x Redwing on ground under Blackthorn; Great Tit.

SC208694  female Chaffinch 

SC208695 male and female Chaffinch

SC209694 ( from hide)  9 x Goldfinch; Greenfinch; Water Rail heard; Blue Tit; male Chaffinch

SC209694 (near path junction) Blackbird alarm call heard; Wren heard not seen.

Other:

SC209695 Hibernating 7-spot Ladybird in Oak sapling.

SC209694 Gorse in full flower

Goldfinch seen from the bird hide

they were taking  seeds from the Alder cones

Alder cones and catkins side by side

 I counted 9 birds

acrobatic skills needed!

female Chaffinch

Greenfinch

seen from the bird hide

hibernating 7-spot Ladybird

much of the reserve is under water

barrow storage area is flooded

as is the meadow

the stream is brimful

as is the new pond

seen from the opposite direction

usual view from the boardwalk

looking along the stream towards the bridge

and back towards the pond

view from the bridge

low sun = long shadows - the meadow area

view from near the path junction

usual view from the hide ramp

and usual view of the hide

gorse provides a bright splash of colour

The Water Rail was heard from the reed bed

reeds blowing in the wind

 

 

 time to close down the shutters and go home for lunch.

Almost certainly my last visit of the year to the Reserve unless the weather forecast for the rest of the week improves.  It's been an interesting year at the wetlands.

 

please click on photos to enlarge them

 

Ballachurry Reserve, 21st December 2022.

December, Ballachurry Reserve.

 

 Circumstances prevented me from making my usual weekly visit to Ballachurry Reserve last week but I was back there again once more at 10.45 this Wednesday. At 9 degrees C. it seemed comparatively mild for the time of year, particularly after last week's icy blast. However, the strong, blustery, north westerly wind  gave the reserve a decided chill, despite the weak, winter sunshine. Here is this week's report:

Birds:

SC209694 Redwing flying over; Hooded Crow flying over; 20+ Goldfinches flying over.

SC209694 ( hide)   Heron flew up from water;  Blue Tit; 7 x Goldfinch; 2 x Woodpigeon  on Church boundary; Redwing; Wren; Blackbird; Water Rail heard.

SC208694 2 x Redwing; male Blackbird; Robin; male and female Chaffinch.

SC208695 3 x Redwing; male and female Chaffinch together; male Blackbird; Buzzard flying over low; female Pheasant.

SC210694 Carrion Crow on chimney pot Old School House.

Other: 

SC209694 Hoverfly in gorse  - female Meliscaeva auricollis  ( with thanks to Steve Crellin for ID)

SC208694 Blewit fungi now going over. 

a small charm of Goldfinches were active at the back of the pond

Close up of one of them

Blue Tit seen from Hide

busy looking for insects, I think

Crow on chimney pot next door to Reserve

one of 2 Woodpigeons on Church boundary

a very handsome Redwing

the first I have seen this year

Stinking iris still making bright splash

Blewits now going over

 female Meliscaeva auricollis Hoverfly

a bag trapped in the stream - it will be removed

this year's rakings already have 3 burrows - cosy for small mammals!

reflections in new pond

view from the opposite end

taken from the bridge

the strimmed meadow

looking back to the pond along the stream

another view of the meadow

this Oak has lost a lot of leaves since my last visit

a nice sunny glade

pond from the hide

view from the ramp

and view from the boardwalk

looking back along the gorse boundary

lovely reed seed heads against a wintry blue sky

and finally.........