Ballachurry Reserve: Tuesday, 12th November, 2024.

November sunshine, November colours.

  A morning full of appointments meant an afternoon visit to the Reserve on Tuesday. I arrived about 13.45 and now the clocks have changed that also meant a shorter visit than usual.  Unfortunately someone has taken to dumping their garden rubbish just inside the gate  -  scourge of the countryside, Montbretia this time (minus corms fortunately but with seed heads intact).  I had to collect it up to take home yet again. Some of the seeds may have fallen though and are likely to germinate. Sigh! On a happier note here is what I recorded:

Birds: 

SC209694 ( hide) Moorhen; Blue Tit; Goldfinches heard not seen; male Blackbird; Water Rail heard not seen twice during the afternoon; Wren; Goldcrest x 2.

SC209694 ( elsewhere) Robin x 2 heard having a conversation but not seen;  another Robin heard  near the dragonfly pond; Robin seen at the path junction; male & female Blackbirds seen separately; Wren;  Blue Tit; Magpie.

SC208694 Magpie; Goldcrest; Wren.

SC208695  ( feeders) Great Tit; Chaffinch x 2: Blue Tit x 2; Robin; Great Spotted Woodpecker higher up the tree.

SC209695 Blackbird x 3; male Chaffinch; Blue Tit; female Chaffinch; Woodpigeon flying over; Long-tailed Tit x 2.

SC210694 Blackbird x 2; Robin ; Great Tit.

Other:

SC210694 still a  large patch of fungi near the gate.

SC208694 large light-coloured toadstool by the path.

SC208694 Yellow Brain Fungus on gorse.

SC209695  Honey Bee in the gorse.

SC209693 Millipedes x 6 on rotten wood of old bird box.

SC208694 Hogweed still in flower.

 

Blackbird seen from the hide

Blackbird surveying Reserve

Blackbird near Private Entrance to Reserve

 

Great Tit

male Chaffinch

Blue Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Robin near the  entrance gate

Moorhen

Magpie

Long-tailed Tit

Goldcrest

female Chaffinch

Millipedes

Unidentified Fungus

Yellow Brain Fungus on gorse

still some Hogweed in flower

birches catching the sun

usual view of the boardwalk

usual view from the boardwalk

a mossy dam

one of the willows seems to have split down the middle

dragonfly pond

lovely reflections

usual view of the hide

and usual view from the ramp

the reeds are turning golden brown now

colours along the gorse boundary

the damp meadow

next door's trees seen from the old beehive loop

through the shutters

the sun starting to go down - time to head for home

please click on photos to enlarge them

Ballachurry Reserve: Tuesday, 5th November, 2024.

early November at Ballachurry Reserve

 Other commitments  meant I couldn't visit the reserve until 10.30 on Tuesday morning but as I walked through the gate I saw a Buzzard flying low but being chased off by corvids. It didn't return. A grey, unusually still day but reasonably mild for the time of year.  Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209694 ( hide)  female Mallard; Moorhen; Blue Tit.

SC209694 ( elsewhere) male  & female Blackbirds seen separately; Buzzard; Robin; Great Tit; Song Thrush; Wren x 2 together; female Chaffinch.

SC210694 male and female Blackbirds together.

SC208695 ( on or near feeders) male and female Chaffinch; 6 x Goldfinch; Dunnock; Great Tit x 2; Blue Tit; Robin; Coal Tit; Great Spotted Woodpecker on side of feeder tree.

SC208694 Coal Tit; Siskin; 5 x Long-tailed Tits; Robin x 2; Goldcrest.

Other:

SC208694 Red Campion in flower near boardwalk.

SC210694 Groundsel

SC208694 Milk Cap Fungus near compost heaps.

SC210394 large area of fungi near gate.

SC209693 Fungi under birch.

SC208694 Hare's Foot Ink cap.

SC208695 Brown Rat

Blackbird near the gate

Great Tit by the dragonfly pond

female Mallard among the reeds

Moorhen

Robin among the willows

Song Thrush

 

The winter feeders were very busy with birds. No photo of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, I'm afraid. It was towards the top of the same tree.

Coal Tit on the left, Blue Tit on the right

Goldfinch

it was soon joined by others

and a lot of squabbles ensued

Great Tit

another on the peanuts

Coal Tit again

male Chaffinch awaiting its turn

female Chaffinch nearby

It's not often I get to photograph mammals on the Reserve

inevitably long-tails will be attracted to scavenge below the feeders

it can't help being a long-tail and was actually quite cute!

fungi continue to appear

although there was considerably less than a fortnight ago

these Milkcaps were near the compost heap

something different elsewhere

the largest patch  were on remaining wood chip near the gate

use of wood chip has greatly increased the fungi on the Reserve

again on wood chip - Hare's Foot Inkcap

Campion still in flower

Grounsel near the gate also still flowering

Oh dear!  but it had been used upside down!

a lot of synthetic material in the nest

three of the four eggs appeared to have hatched

wintry looking bird hide

grey skies from the ramp today

 What a surprise when I opened the shutters today! There had been a work party during my recent absence and a lot of work done on the pond. Will the mudflat attract some different birds, I wonder?

 recent work by volunteers

a new dam also installed recently

and renovations done on the old one

a good flow of water coming into the reserve

taken from the boardwalk

stream from a different angle

the Boardwalk through the wet area

usual view from the boardwalk - no blue sky today

The dragonfly pond

and from the other direction

the recently cut meadow is greening up already

some autumn leaves still on the trees

looking along the gorse boundary path

No apples left for the birds this year!

Unfortunately I think the apples were "scrumped" this year. They seemed to vanish overnight and there was no trace of them on the ground. Last year I photographed Blackbirds, Thrushes and Blackcaps enjoying them. Birds can't go to the supermarket to get their vital supplies! ( At least three houses in my road had their apples stolen last year!)

a very new view through the shutters

good to see encroaching vegetation removed

Bye bye Blackbird! Time for me to go home!

 

I hadn't been to the Reserve for two weeks so this was a particularly interesting visit. The work party I missed had been preceded by a bird ringing session and I believe over 30 birds were ringed, including some Redwings. I'll post the full details once they are available.

 

please click on the photos to enlarge them