 |
| Spring sunshine, Ballachurry Reserve main pond |
I am not going to get the attendance prize for Ballachurry Work Parties, having had to miss the last two for one reason or another. Last Saturday's saw volunteers spreading a large heap of wood chippings along some of the muddy paths and this has made a huge difference to the Reserve. It is now possible to walk to the hide dry shod! Which is just what I did on Monday afternoon in the beautiful spring sunshine. Here is my report:
Birds:
SC210694 2 x Great Tit flitting through the trees
SC209693 Great Tit foraging at base of tree; Chiffchaff, Blackcap heard but not seen; Woodpigeon flew in from road and landed in tree; Willow Warbler in tree; Mallard drake flying over; Blue Tit in tree.
SC209694 ( hide) Sedge Warbler x 2 in reeds catching insects; Great Tit, Dunnock in vegetation near pond; Raven flying over croaking; Pheasant heard not seen; Moorhen x 2 swimming on pond; Chaffinch heard not seen; Blue Tit
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Willow Warbler in Willow; Blackcap, Chiffchaff, and Chaffinch heard not seen; Great Tit in Willow; Robin in tree; Blackbird alarm call heard.
SC208694 Willow Warbler singing from top of tree near boardwalk; Great Tit in Willows; Chaffinch; Blue Tit; Song Thrush in full voice from tree near meadow.
SC208695 (feeders) Blue Tit x 2 ; Great Tit; male Chaffinch in tree, female on feeder; male Blackcap briefly in tree.
SC208695 ( elsewhere) Buzzard flying over with many Herring Gulls; Willow Warbler heard not seen; male Blackcap in mature boundary trees.
SC209695 Goldfinch near Bowman Memorial Bench.
Butterflies:
SC209694 Speckled Wood x 4
SC208694 Speckled Wood x 2
SC210694 female Orange Tip on dandelion
SC209693 male Orange Tip flying, female on dandelion
SC208694 male Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower
Other:
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug
SC209694 Bogbean in flower; Apple Blossom in bud;
SC210694 Spanish Bluebells in flower near gate
 |
| male Blackcap |
 |
| Buzzard |
 |
| it was flying over..... |
 |
| in the midst of a large flock of Herring Gulls |
 |
| Blue Tits on the feeders |
 |
| Goldfinch near the Bowman Memorial Bench |
 |
| there were a couple of Moorhens swimming on the pond |
 |
| Robin |
 |
| One of two Sedge Warblers in the reeds |
 |
| Song Thrush |
 |
| Willow Warbler doing just that |
 |
| it was in a willow near the boardwalk |
 |
| Speckled Wood |
 |
| and another elsewhere |
 |
| female Orange Tip |
 |
| another female Orange Tip enjoying the dandelions |
 |
| male Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower |
 |
| Hogweed in flower |
 |
| Herb Robert flowering in the Willow Copse |
 |
| Marsh Marigolds ( aka Kingcups) |
 |
| Bog Bean in flower |
 |
| Spanish Bluebells near the gate |
 |
| Bird Cherry in flower |
 |
| Apple Blossom in bud |
 |
| the recent work party had cleared the wood chip pile |
 |
| choice of paths: straight ahead to the hide or left by a more circuitous route? |
 |
| I chose left past the reed bed |
 |
| mud slowly diminishing |
 |
| the path junction with fresh wood chip added |
 |
| another view of the path junction |
 |
| the new glade |
 |
| I arrived at the hide |
 |
| and took the usual photo from the ramp |
 |
| some photos through the shutters |
 |
| then on through the meadow |
 |
| the meadow looking back from the bridge |
 |
| a stroll through the Willow Copse |
 |
| the long view of the pond from the Willow Copse |
 |
| the meadow seen from the boardwalk |
 |
| looking back the way I came |
 |
| Dropwort now growing abundantly along the stream |
 |
| usual view from the boardwalk |
 |
| some ashes coming into leaf but others alas are dead |
 |
| the Bowman Memorial Bench looked inviting in the sunshine |
 |
| but I continued towards the gorse boundary |
 |
| The Gorse Boundary living up to its name |
 |
| I spent some time at the dragonfly pond.... |
 |
| ........watching the aquatic wildlife |
 |
| a final glance over my shoulder as I left |
My last visit of the month but I'm looking forward to early May at Ballachurry.
please click on photos to enlarge them
