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low December sunshine at Ballachurry Reserve.
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I have been off-island this week so Friday afternoon was my only chance to visit the Reserve. I had been told about the storm on Saturday and the torrential downpours, so was half expecting the Reserve to be under water. The streams were certainly flowing well and there was standing water in places too, but I could see that water levels had been much higher at some point. There was little about, unlike my previous visit, but I enjoyed a couple of hours in the late afternoon sunshine. Here is what I recorded:Birds:
SC209694 ( from hide) male and female Mallard; Moorhen; male Blackbird;
3 x Goldfinch; Blue Tit; Water Rail chip-chipping for half an hour but didn't emerge.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) 2 x Long-tailed Tit; Chaffinch; Goldfinch; male and female Blackbirds. Many Herring Gulls flying over and about 70 in the adjacent field.
SC209693 Wren.
SC208694 Blackbird.
SC208695 2 x Redwing; 5 x Woodpigeon.
Other:
SC209694 several small pond snails on rocks in new pond.
SC209694 5 x unidentified flies on Hogweed flower.
SC208695 Daffodil bulbs starting to show shoots
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the Mallards were in the reeds when I opened the hide shutters
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but they soon came swimming out
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Drake Mallard
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the Moorhen joined them
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| Moorhen |
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distant view of Long Tailed Tit.
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a lot of Herring Gull activity overhead and in adjacent field
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the new pond
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and a few of the many pond snails that call it home
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there were 5 of these flies on the Hogweed flowers
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bird hide in wintry sunshine
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ramp view
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some willows near the hide have been coppiced
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and a new dead hedge started
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meadow in shade, trees in sun
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looking back to hide across meadow
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the Alder near the boardwalk is standing in water
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water pouring over top of dam
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looking across a rather flattened reed bed
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puddles under the willows
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the ash walk in winter
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the reed bed taken from near the compost heaps
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daffodils starting to shoot already
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the gorse boundary from near the new pond
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and looking the other way
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just a hint of a rainbow
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a wintry looking pond
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sun starting to set, temperature falling - time to go home!
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There was a work party planned for the next day and that will be the subject of my next Blog post.
please click on photos to enlarge them
