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| perfect weather for a January visit |
A beautiful morning for my last visit of the month to Ballachurry Wetlands. Sunshine, blue skies and only light winds. There seemed to be lots of small birds flitting around throughout the reserve - some were singing,- and I even saw a honey bee visiting the gorse flowers. Spring in the air and a spring in my step! Here is what I recorded:
SC210694 Blackbirds x 4 (1 male, 3 female) taking ivy berries near the gate; Robin.
SC209694 (hide) 2 x Magpie; Moorhen; male and female Mallard; 2 x Water Rail heard at the same time, one from the left and one from the right of the pond; Woodpigeon flying over; male Blackbird flying over; Robin; Great Tit x 2; 2 x Rook in churchyard trees; Pheasant heard not seen; Woodpigeon in Churchyard trees; Goldcrest; Wren; Blue Tit; male Chaffinch.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Great Tit; Redwing flying over; Blue Tit; Blackbird; Woodpigeon flying over; Robin heard not seen; Redwing in field; Robin; Wren; male Chaffinch; 2 Buzzard's directly over my head near path junction just as I was leaving reserve; Redwing on the grass just over the boundary.
SC208694 2 x Buzzard mobbed by corvids soon after I entered the reserve, one landed in tree then both seen again later, also being mobbed ; 3 x Magpie; Blackbird; Greenfinch x 2; Great Tit x 3 together; Goldcrest; Robin; Siskin x 2; Blue Tit x 2 together; Wren; 5 x Chaffinch; 5 Goldfinch; 3 x Long-Tailed Tit;
SC209693 Magpie flying into reserve from road; male Blackbird; Robin.
SC209695 2 x Greenfinch; Goldfinch in tree and 13 flying over later; Jackdaw flying over; female Chaffinch; Blue Tit investigating nest hole in tree, another close by; male Blackbird; 4 Blue Tits flying together; Magpie.
SC208695 6 x Jackdaws flying over; Dunnock; 3 x Goldfinch; male and female Chaffinch;
On new feeders: 2 x Great Tit; 6 Long-tailed Tits; 2 x Blue Tit; Coal Tit.
Other:
SC209695 Honey bee in gorse.
SC209695 Small green bottle fly in gorse.
SC208694 some Hogweed in flower.
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| The Buzzards paid 3 visits to the reserve during the morning |
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| provoking unwanted attention from local Corvids |
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| one landed in a tree to avoid their nuisance |
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| ripe ivy berries are attracting the Blackbirds |
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| one male and three females were tucking in |
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| this female has a berry in her beak |
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| male Chaffinch |
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| female Chaffinch |
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| Mallards snoozing in the sunshine |
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| after an earlier swim |
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| Moorhen |
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| Goldfinch |
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| it was interested in the feeders but didn't venture down |
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| Great Tits seemed to be everywhere - in the willows |
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| in the Alders |
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| in the reeds |
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| and in the queue for the new feeders |
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| one of two Greenfinch |
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| a Wren directly in front of the hide |
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| No, not a Canary! A male Siskin! |
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| there were two in the Alder tree |
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| the tiny cones are full of seeds |
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| much appreciated in winter |
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| Siskins are ........... |
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| very gymnastic little birds! |
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| fleeting glance of a Redwing |
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| Robin trying out the new dead hedge |
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| this one was foraging among the reeds |
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| and this one was singing directly in front of the hide door |
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| distant Rook with food in its beak |
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| Blue Tit investigating nesting hole |
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| it went in and out several times |
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| made to measure? |
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| watch this space! |
Since my last visit some peanut feeders have been provided ( by MWT Southern Group Committee?) in a Sycamore tree on the old Beehive Loop. While finches watched warily from nearby, the Tit family was enjoying the feast.
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| Blue Tit and Great Tit |
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| A Coal Tit watches with interest from a branch |
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| then takes its share |
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| two Great Tits together |
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| a flock of Long-tailed Tits arrived |
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| this one chose the other feeder |
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| Hogweed in flower |
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| a large puddle by the barrows |
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| reflections in the "unofficial pond" |
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| view from the Bowman bench |
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| the Siskins were in the tree on the left |
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| view from the Boardwalk |
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| a woodland scene |
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| No water snails today |
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| but we may have frogspawn shortly |
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| the second reed bed from the bridge |
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| looking along the gorse boundary |
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| and in the opposite direction |
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| usual view of the hide |
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| shutters open for business |
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| what's out there today? |
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| looking towards the road through the shutters |
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| and towards the churchyard trees |
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| usual view from the ramp |
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| and the meadow |
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| sunlight filtering through the willows |
Time flies on a sunny day ! An excellent Tuesday morning at Ballachurry Reserve and a wet and windy day forecast for Wednesday in order to put the photos on the Blog!
please click on the photos to enlarge them
