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| Ballachurry on a December afternoon |
It had not been my intention to visit Ballachurry Reserve on Monday. I had a commitment in the morning and had planned to visit a different Manx Wildlife Trust Reserve nearby on the way home. I'd eaten my sandwiches in the car, and then spent a pleasant hour seeing which birds were about. Usually I would have spent longer than that but, following a terrific amount of rain at the weekend, much of the reserve was flooded and inaccessible so I had finished in record time. Also, a glance at the weather forecast for the rest of the week suggested that I should seize the opportunity and make the most of the afternoon sunshine by going to Ballachurry. I arrived at 2 p.m. and headed straight for the bird hide. I was a little surprised not to see or hear a single bird between the gate and the hide! So opening the shutters, I was very pleased to see a pair of Mallards enjoying a shaft of sunshine at the back of the pond. Here is what else I saw:
Birds:
SC209694 ( from hide) male & female Mallard; Wren; 3 x Long-tailed Tit.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) 3 x Greenfinch; female & male Blackbirds; Kestrel flying over.
SC208694 Goldcrest; Goldfinches heard not seen.
SC208695 ( feeders) 2 x Blue Tit, one ringed; 4 x Goldfinch; 2 x Great Tit; Robin; Coal Tit; male & female Chaffinch; 3 x Long-tailed Tit, one ringed.
SC209695 Robin.
Other:
SC209694 1 solitary Pond Skater on the dragonfly pond.
SC208695 King Alfred Cakes fungi on dead Ash tree.
SC209694 unidentified lichen forming blanket on Rowan tree near dragonfly pond.
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| Robin queuing for the feeders |
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| another Robin on the Bowman memorial bench |
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| female Chaffinch |
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| I had some lovely views of Greenfinches |
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| they were directly outside the hide door |
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| two out of the three |
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| feeding |
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| hopefully now making a comeback after being devastated by Trichomonosis |
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| Mallard Drake snoozing away the afternoon |
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| Mallard duck nearby |
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| Kestrel flying over |
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| Long-tailed tit by the bridge |
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| they turned up at the feeders shortly afterwards |
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| this one was ringed |
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| some gymnastics required on this feeder |
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| but worth the effort - a Great Tit |
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| Blue Tit and Long-tailed Tit |
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| Blue Tit |
A short video clip of one feeder. I'm afraid it goes out of focus as it swings.
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| Pond Skater on the dragonfly pond |
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| King Alfred Cakes Fungi |
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| they can often be found on dead Ash trees |
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| some colourful Lichen on the bark too |
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| Lichen on Rowan tree, fruiting bodies visible |
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| setting off round the reedy bend...... |
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| you soon come to the pond and usual view of the hide |
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| currently there is a lot of mud and water to be negotiated |
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| the new dead hedge to screen the water and minimize disturbance |
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| the new glade |
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| hide in sight along the direct path |
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| view from the hide ramp |
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| through the shutters the high water level can be seen |
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| photos are against the sun in the afternoon |
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| through the shutters looking the other way |
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| the new dead hedge screen from the other side |
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| from the hide I headed for the meadow |
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| water racing over the new dam |
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| water level under the bridge remains high |
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| crossing the bridge..... |
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| I paused to look at the old dam |
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| water racing over it |
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| view from the bridge |
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| the reed bed in afternoon shadow |
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| the reed bed channel |
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| over in the Willow Copse looking towards the compost area |
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| the path through the Willow Copse |
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| the "unofficial pond" under the willows |
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| usual view of the Boardwalk from the bridge |
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| looking back from the boardwalk |
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| usual view of the stream from the boardwalk |
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| the stream flowing under the boardwalk towards the reed bed |
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| distant view of the Bowman memorial bench |
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| I headed off round the old Beehive loop |
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| part of the old beehive loop |
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| low sun lighting up the mature trees |
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| beehives once stood where the brambles now grow |
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| the Ash Walk looking bare |
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| the old Beehive Loop emerges near the Bowman Memorial bench |
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| a pleasant place to sit in warmer weather! |
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| the little bridge on the gorse boundary |
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| it crosses where the stream enters the reserve |
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| looking along the stream as it flows towards the boardwalk |
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| I carried on along the gorse boundary |
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| stopping off at the dragonfly pond |
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| another bench for warmer weather |
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| lovely reflections in the dragonfly pond |
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| water flowing along the boundary ditch |
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| heading back to the hide down the direct path |
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| Light fast fading, time to head home. |
As I type this, Storm Bram is raging. I am so glad I made the most of yesterday to visit two lovely Wildlife Reserves.
please click on photos to enlarge them
