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| a cold but sunny morning at Ballachurry Reserve |
I had to remove ice from my windscreen on Tuesday morning before I could drive down to the Reserve. Nevertheless it was mostly a sunny session which got off to a good start with a pair of Lesser Redpolls taking Willowherb seeds not far from the entrance gate. I was also keen to see what had been achieved during last Saturday's work party as I had not been able to attend myself. Here is what I recorded between 9.50 and 12.45:
Birds:
SC209693 2 x Lesser Redpoll taking Willowherb seeds; Magpie flying over.
SC209694 (path junction) 3 x Chaffinch ( 2 males and a female); Blackbird; Robin heard not seen.
SC209694 ( from hide) 3 x pairs of Mallard; Blackbird; Water Rail heard; 2 x Goldfinch; Blue tit feeding in the reed bed.
SC209694 ( near new pond) male Chaffinch; Wren heard not seen. Robin heard not seen.
SC208694 Blackbird x 2 male and female ; Heron flying over; Pheasant heard not seen; Great Tit; Blue tit; Goldfinch x 2; Chaffinch male in tree and female taking dock seed; Robin;
SC208695 Robin; Wren; Corvid x 2; 5 x Goldfinch; Blackbird heard not seen; Magpie heard not seen; Robin; male Chaffinch; Goldcrest.
SC209695 Great Tit; male Blackbird;
Fungi:
SC208694 Oak sleeper supporting boardwalk bridge has bracket fungi. Possibly Hairy Curtain Crust ( Stereum hirsutum)
SC208694 Wood Blewits on compost heap (Lepista nuda)
SC208694 Candlesnuff / Stag's Horn fungi ( Xylaria hypoxylon) in leaf litter under willows at path junction
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| this Blackbird did not fly away as I stood directly under its perch |
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| Blue tit busy feeding among the reeds |
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| "When I grow up I want to be a Reed Bunting" |
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| it was there a long while |
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| female Chaffinch in the Alder tree by the boardwalk |
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| Spot the Heron flying over |
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| a small flock ( Charm?) of Goldfinches landed in the Sycamore |
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| they were also enjoying the Alder seeds by the Boardwalk |
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| another in the same tree |
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| they seemed to be everywhere |
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| I thought this was a Carrion Crow, but looking again I think maybe a Jackdaw |
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| female Chaffinch eating Dock seeds |
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| it's good to see birds enjoying natural food on the reserve |
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| male Chaffinch elsewhere |
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| Lesser Redpoll taking Willowherb seeds |
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| not very good photos but record shots |
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| there were two of them |
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| lovely view of markings on the back |
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| Robin also near the boardwalk |
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| 6 mallards on the pond |
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| a closer shot of some of them |
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| they mostly stayed in pairs |
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| they flew away soon after I left the hide |
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| young Blackbird seen from the hide |
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| view of the meadow seen from the uncut area |
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| Wood Blewits pushing up through the compost |
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| a delicate lilac colour |
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| please don't be tempted to forage! |
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| the boardwalk has graceful curves |
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| seen from another angle |
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| usual shot with the stream |
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| more concrete piers being constructed |
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| but bad news despite being a new record |
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| fungi do a good job recycling old wood |
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| but this is our new boardwalk! |
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| a crust fungus on old timber |
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| You can see why one common name of this fungus is Stag's Horn |
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| usual view from the boardwalk - the heavy clouds in the opening photo have vanished |
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| view of the boardwalk bridge from the meadow |
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| a few weeks earlier this Hogweed flower would have been covered in flies |
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| fresh compost from raking off the meadow |
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| the meadow after raking |
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| hide showing coppiced willows - compare with earlier posts this year |
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| the row of coppiced willows |
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| new pond, usual view |
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| stones waiting to be added to pond for wildlife cover |
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| near the noticeboard |
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| usual fixed point view of the hide |
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| view from the ramp on the way into the hide |
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| the sun had come out when I left it |
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| oak leaves clinging on into December |
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| meadow from bridge |
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| bye bye Ballachurry! |
with thanks to Karen Rodger, IOM Fungus Group, for boardwalk fungus ID suggestion
please click on photos to enlarge them
