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| a lovely colour combination at Ballachurry - Marsh Woundwort and Cushag ( Ragwort) |
Other commitments have kept me away from Ballachurry Reserve for 2 weeks and even Wednesday's visit was the result of a last minute change of plan. I didn't arrive until 9.30 but was able to spend the entire morning there. It was mostly cloudy but with occasional sunny spells. The chill wind meant I was glad of a light jacket - something of a contrast to recent hot weather! Here is my report:
Birds:
SC209694 2 x House Martins flying over at low level; female/juvenile Blackbird foraging under willow near dragonfly pond; Robin heard not seen; 2 x Blackbird together on wood chip path.
SC208694 10 x House Martins flying around quite high; Buzzard flying over very slowly, but high; Willow Warbler; Blackbird x 2 flying across at low level; Blue Tit; 2 x Wren; Chiffchaff heard not seen.
SC208695 Willow Warbler heard not seen; Robin; Magpie heard not seen.
SC209695 Willow Warbler heard not seen.
SC210694 2 x Robin heard at the same time but not seen.
Butterflies:
SC208694 Meadow Brown
SC208694 Small White
SC209694 Small White
SC209694 Clouded Yellow on Knapweed
SC209694 Small Copper
SC208694 Peacock
SC208694 Painted Lady
SC208694 Small Tortoiseshell
SC209694 Red Admiral x 2
SC208694 Red Admiral
SC208694 Speckled Wood x 3
SC209694 Speckled Wood x 7
SC209695 Speckled Wood x 4
SC208695 Speckled Wood x 3
SC209693 Speckled Wood x 4
Other:
SC209694 Common Darter at dragonfly pond.
SC208694 Common Darter on wood chip path.
SC209694 Common Darter on Ginnie's Bench.
SC209694 various Hoverflies on Cushag /Ragwort.
SC208694 small unidentified Hoverfly.
SC210694 Nursery Web Spider tent - no spider visible.
SC210694 large female Field Grasshopper being serenaded by two males. Presumably this is courtship behaviour. I could see the males stridulating but, alas, I can no longer hear them!
SC208694 remains of Inkcap fungi on path.
SC209693 Angelica in flower.
SC208694 Common Valerian in flower.
SC209694 Water Mint in flower
SC209694 Ox-eye daisies in flower
The birds were again hard to spot, skulking in the trees and undergrowth. I read recently that they keep a low profile while renewing their feathers after the breeding season, so this is probably the reason why the reserve seems so quiet at present.
Butterflies on the other hand were everywhere, especially Speckled Woods. The Clouded Yellow was a real thrill as these are quite rare migrants most years but occasionally appear in great numbers. I saw my very first Clouded Yellow ever at Ballachurry but that was on 31st August, 2014 ( with thanks to Garry Curtis for recording the date!) so it was lovely to seen another enjoying the Knapweed 11 years later!
On the downside, there was dog fouling on the Reserve. It's strange how some people think the No Dogs signs don't apply to them! And they don't even bother to clean up after their pet.
Not having visited in a while I could see that the Committee had been busy - a new latch on the hide door and that awkward, rusty bolt removed. Thank you! Reeds and Meadowsweet cut back where they had fallen in the wind too.
Not many bird photos again I'm afraid, but hopefully those of the invertebrates compensate to some extent.
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| Blue Tit eating Blackberries |
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| Buzzard high overhead |
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| early contender for my Christmas card this year - 127 days till Christmas! |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| a rare view of a Clouded Yellow butterfly in the meadow |
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| other insects tried to dislodge it but it was having none of it |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Speckled Wood eyeing the feast |
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| another in the bracken |
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| they were everywhere |
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| Small White |
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| Red Admiral enjoying the blackberries |
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| this one was keeping warm on the path |
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| distant view of Painted Lady on Sneezewort |
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| Peacock on the Hemp Agrimony |
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| Meadow Brown |
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| Small Copper |
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| Common Darter at the Dragonfly Pond |
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| but this one was near the meadow |
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| back at the pond later |
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| Pond Skater |
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| Greater Water Boatman |
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| Nursery Web Spider's tent - no sign of spider |
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| Hoverfly |
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| Cushag is a great food source for Hoverflies and other insects |
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| female Field Grasshopper with two admirers |
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| Hemp Agrimony attracting the bees |
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| Inkcaps going over |
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| Common Valerian in flower |
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| Water Mint |
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| Ox-eye Daisies |
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| Angelica |
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| signs of drought - low water levels |
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| pond liner showing |
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| some of the Blackthorn seems to have died too |
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| acorns developing |
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| bird food - Willowherb and Dock seeds |
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| Hawthorn berries look ripe |
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| the corner Hawthorn is loaded with berries |
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| Rowan berries |
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| Sycamore seeds nearly ready to drop |
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| Spear Thistledown - goldfinch food perhaps? |
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| some work has been done here making the hide more visible |
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| view from the ramp |
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| view through the shutters looking left |
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| and looking right |
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| usual view towards the boardwalk |
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| looking back the way I had come |
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| usual view from the boardwalk |
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| among the compost heaps |
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| the dragonfly pond |
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| and in the other direction |
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| looking back to the hide across the meadow |
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| green is starting to predominate once more |
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| although the Sneezewort is still in flower |
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| Purple Loosestrife going over now |
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| usual view of the new glade |
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| flowers appearing on the reeds |
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| fallen reeds and Meadowsweet removed on the reedy bend |
Although I had seen a Clouded Yellow the previous day at another MWT Reserve, I was very excited to see one at Ballachurry on Knapweed so close to the path. Another visitor to the reserve saw it on the same plant an hour later, so it was obviously very hungry after its long flight to the Island. They have also been reported from Scarlett in the South and Andreas in the North, so keep looking out for them. They are unmistakable with their high viz wings.
please click on photos to enlarge them
