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March, Ballachurry Reserve.
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It was raining hard when I arrived at the Reserve on Thursday so I made straight for the bird hide. A little light rain had been forecast but this was the real thing! Fortunately the birds are more resilient than I am and I had an enjoyable half hour recording what was there. At about 10 a.m. the rain stopped and I continued round the Reserve. Here is what I recorded:Birds:
SC209694 ( hide) male, female and juvenile Blackbirds; 2 x Moorhen together; Mallard Drake; 2 x Woodpigeon; Robin.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Greenfinch; male and female Chaffinch ; Heron flying over; 2 x Woodpigeon flying over; male Blackbird; Great Tit; female Reed Bunting; Robin; Long Tailed Tit.
SC208694 2 Woodpigeon doing wing clap displays; Robin seen in 2 different areas; Dunnock; male Blackbird; 3 x Great Tit; Chiffchaff heard not seen; 2 x Blue tit together; Pheasant heard not seen; female Chaffinch; 2 skeins of Greylag geese - 8 birds in each skein, a couple of minutes apart. Both appeared from the direction of Fleshwick gap, first skein flew towards Port St. Mary, the second skein flew towards Colby,
SC208695 3 x Chaffinch; 4 x Goldfinch in tree; 12 Goldfinch flying over together.
SC209695 2 x Greenfinch; Robin; Wren; 2 x Goldfinch; Blue Tit.
SC210694 male and female Blackbird; 2 x Goldfinch.
SC209693 2 x male Blackbird; male Chaffinch; Wren; Greenfinch.
Other:
Too cold today for insects ( only 5 degrees on arrival) but noticed bracket fungus on Willow at SC208694 and a different sort on a rotten plank, also SC208694.
Primroses in flower at SC208695 just through boundary netting.
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Raindrops on the pond
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churchyard trees still looking bare and wintry
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there are two Moorhens in this picture!
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one came down to the water and the other vanished into the vegetation
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the Drake "sailed" out to greet the Moorhen
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no sign of the females this time
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it had flown in while I was watching the raindrops on the water
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next to arrive was a female Blackbird
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followed by a male
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then a juvenile from last year
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part of the Goldfinch flock
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a closer look at one of the Goldfinches
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Great Tit
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| Greenfinch |
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Jackdaw on the roof of Old School House next door
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female Reed Bunting
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one of the Reserve's many Robins
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this one was surveying the new pond
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Woodpigeon on the church boundary
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| Wren |
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Blackbird taking the ivy berries, as last week.
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out of focus, but berry in beak
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another Blackbird elsewhere
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male Chaffinch singing from song post in the garden of Old School House
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and another in the old beehive loop
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Greylag Geese flying over, honking
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heading for Port St. Mary
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and Colby
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taken near the new pond
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not the usual view of the boardwalk
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view from the boardwalk to the hills
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flowering Blackthorn at the path junction
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a bracket fungus near the composts heap
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the underside
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bracket fungus growing on damaged willow stem
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photo of new pond to monitor progress
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looking the other way
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one of many new log piles for invertebrates
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looking across the meadow from the boardwalk
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bird hide in distance across meadow
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meadow from near the bird hide
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not a great deal of water in the stream this week
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dry silty areas give places for the birds to drink and bathe
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view through the side shutter for a change
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not a bird to be seen!
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a little more progress at the boardwalk
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grass had been cut for first time this year
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usual view from the ramp, records the season and the weather
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likewise the view of the hide
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this gives an impression of the weather!
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daffs and catkins - must be March!
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and first primroses of the year
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weather improving as I left!
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The Reserve seemed to be awash with Blackbirds this week! My thanks to Allen Moore for confirming the geese identification.
There is a work party scheduled for Saturday, weather permitting, so my next post will be about that.
please click on photos to enlarge them
