Ballachurry Reserve: Monday, 20th April, 2026.

 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 

 

 Apologies once more for lack of photos. 

 

Ballachurry Reserve, Monday afternoon, 13th April, 2026.

 My first chance to visit Ballachurry in April! It was a beautiful spring afternoon with the reserve looking fresh and green. There was a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly basking in the sunshine just inside the gate and the birds were singing when I arrived at  three o'clock. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209693  Swallow flying over; Robin singing from tree; Willow Warbler; Chaffinch heard not seen.

SC209694 ( Hide) male & female Mallard; 2 x Moorhen together; 2 x Chiffchaff chasing insects from reeds. At one point they were sitting on the same fallen reed together about 12" apart. male Blackcap in vegetation at back of  pond; Pheasant heard not seen.

SC209694 ( elsewhere)  Chaffinch heard not seen at the path junction; Song Thrush heard not seen; 2 x Blackbird flew across path, another flew into tree by dragonfly pond; Chiffchaff by dragonfly pond; Willow Warbler at path junction.

SC208694 Chiffchaff; Chaffinch heard not seen;  Robin heard not seen; Wren seen twice near boardwalk; Blackcap in willow; Greenfinch  in willow; male Chaffinch in willow.

SC208695 ( feeders) 4 x Greenfinch; Blue Tit; Great Tit x 2;  Goldfinch x 2;  2 x Robin;  male Pheasant foraging beneath feeders. 

SC208695 ( elsewhere) Dunnock sitting in tree; male & female Chaffinch; Goldfinch "chatter" heard;  Buzzard overhead.

Butterflies:

SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell.

SC209694 Comma.

Other:

SC208695 Longtail foraging beneath feeders.

 SC209694 abundant tadpoles and  3 Whirligig beetles in dragonfly pond. 

SC209694 2 x Gorse Shieldbug among gorse flowers.

 I'm afraid there are no photos on this occasion due to "a technical hitch" affecting the  photographic program on my computer. Hopefully once this is resolved I'll be able to add them later. 

 

 

A last look at March 2026.

please click to enlarge

 

Ballachurry Reserve: Friday afternoon, 27th March 2026.

Friday afternoon at Ballachurry Reserve

 

 Friday afternoon was my first ( and last) opportunity to visit the Reserve this week. I arrived in sunshine at 1.30 and immediately saw a Peacock Butterfly and there were bumble bees zooming round in the pussy willow. Chaffinches were singing and there was a spring in my step as I headed for the hide. But alas! By the time I reached it the sky had clouded over and thereafter the sunshine was only intermittent. At one point I had to hotfoot it back to the hide as it began spitting and spotting with rain and by the time I left at 3.30 the rain had definitely arrived. Nevertheless, I  had enjoyed my afternoon visit. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209694 ( hide) Goldcrest; Mallard drake; Moorhen; Wren; Chaffinch heard not seen; Greenfinch; Chiffchaff; Pheasant heard not seen; Goldfinch x 3.

SC209694 ( elsewhere) male & female Chaffinch; Woodpigeon flying over; Goldfinch.

SC210694 Goldfinch.

SC209693 Robin; Chaffinch heard not seen; Great Tit;  Pheasant heard not seen.

 Sc208694 Blue Tit x 2; Chaffinch; female Blackbird; Great Tit.

SC208695  ( feeders) Blue Tit x 2; male Chaffinch; Goldfinch; Pheasant. 

SC208695 ( elsewhere)  Great Tit x 2. 

Other: 

SC209694 Peacock butterfly.

Sc209694 and throughout reserve, unidentified Bumble Bees.

SC209694 ( dragonfly pond) 3 x Pond Skater; 2 x Whirligig Beetles; Diving Beetle; Tadpoles have now dispersed throughout the pond. 

SC208694 Marsh Marigolds in flower in the meadow.

SC208694 Herb Robert in flower under the willows. 

SC208694 Coppiced Willows re-sprouting 

Blue Tit in the pussy willows

Chiffchaff

Great Tit

  Blue Tit enjoying sunflower hearts

female Chaffinch

distant shot of a Greenfinch

Moorhen

it was feeding along the edge of the pond for some time

Mallard drake seen through side shutter

it too was feeding

Peacock butterfly

Pond Skater

Tadpoles

Marsh Marigolds in the meadow

Herb Robert

the coppiced willows are sprouting afresh

still muddy!

looking towards the compost area

and back the other way

entrance to the willow copse -looking very spring-like

no Mallard at this point

usual views of the hide

the view from the ramp when the sun came back out

usual views through the shutters

sunlit corner

taken from the Bowman Memorial bench

looking back towards the meadow

everywhere is greening up very rapidly now

I made the most of a sunny interval to re-take earlier photos! 

grey skies for this one....

the sunshine makes everything more cheerful

this was my first photo from the boardwalk

and this was second time around! 

not too long to wait for the first damselflies now🤞

gorse possibly at its best right now

still no gorse Shieldbugs though

stream vanishing behind the Hemlock Water Dropwort

awaiting April's work party?

I fear the pond may be overflowing onto this path in wet weather

this section is marginally drier though

we all know what this is for! 

 

The next work party is scheduled for Easter Saturday between 10 and 1p.m. Volunteers are always welcome.

My next visit to the reserve will be in April. I am looking forward to the return of more summer migrants and more butterflies.

please click on photos to enlarge them