Brrr! Perhaps it will be warmer inside the hide.
My request for a sunny, still day for this week's visit to the Reserve seemed to fall on deaf ears! The whole week looked either wet or windy or both, so Tuesday was my best available option. At least it was dry but the cold, south easterly wind did not encourage many insects to appear and the birds were mostly sheltering in the heart of the bushes, which made photography difficult. Nevertheless there were a few surprises so here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209693 Long-tailed Tit x 8; Swallow flying over;
SC210694 Jackdaw x 4
SC209694 Pheasant heard not seen; Blue Tit x 2; Robin; Goldfinch x 7 flying over; Redwing flying over; 3 x Chaffinch flying over; Woodpigeon flying over; male and female Blackbirds; Jackdaw x 3 flying over. Sparrowhawk flew in low over pond as last week; male Chaffinch x 2 in bushes; Buzzard landing in churchyard trees seen twice during the morning and hunting over reserve.
SC208694 Buzzard hovering briefly over meadow; Blackbird; Woodpigeon x 5 flying over; Robin.
Other:
SC209693 black & white cat.
SC208695 Deceiver fungi.
SC208694 unidentified fungi under willows.
SC208695 7-spot Ladybird keeping warm in oak leaf.
SC209694 Water Boatman, Diving beetle.
SC209694 very surprised to see Red Admiral butterfly managing to fly against the strong wind and later perched on vegetation.
SC209694 Common Wasp.
SC209694 Unidentified fly on late Hogweed flower.
SC209694 Berries on Holly.
Blackbird eating Hawthorn berries 
Blue Tit seen from the hide 
the Buzzard leaving the Churchyard trees 
it was coming and going most of the morning 
it stayed a few minutes..... 
then was off again
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| to hunt over the reserve |
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| Blackbird seen from hide |
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| 7-spot Ladybird keeping warm |
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| Red Admiral braving the elements |
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| pen to show size of these fungi |
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| the gills of same fungi |
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| I think these were Deceivers elsewhere |
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| late Hogweed providing some sustenance |
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| lichen visible on Rowan now leaves falling |
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| the Ash Walk.......... |
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| leads to the old beehive loop |
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| the usual two views of the new pond |
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| stream running well after recent rain |
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| usual view through the shutters |
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| and usual view from the ramp |
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| looking back from boardwalk towards the hide |
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| view across the meadow |
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| and looking towards the boardwalk |
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| Noticeboard almost obscured by growing Aspen grove |
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| Usual view of the boardwalk |
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| and the view from it when I first arrived |
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| same view an hour later but it soon clouded over again |
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| time to go home |
but a reminder that Christmas is not far away now!
Home for hot soup!
please click on photos to enlarge them
