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| 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.
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| juvenile Blackbird |
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| Blue Tit near the hide |
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| Goldfinches still in the same bush as last time |
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| Hair Curtain Crust |
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| it's recycling the boardwalk timber! |
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| usual view of the hide on a cold, windy day in December |
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| a fleeting ray of sunshine |
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| stormy skies |
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| winter colours |
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| 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
