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| July meadow at Ballachurry Reserve |
I have been enjoying spending time with my family so had not been to the reserve for over 2 weeks. As expected, everything had grown considerably.The Hemlock Water Dropwort had gone over and the Sneezewort was flowering. Marsh Woundwort was in its prime! Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 Male Blackbird flew across.
SC209693: female/juvenile Blackbird down on the track; Wren; Woodpigeon heard; 2 x Goldfinches with thistledown in beaks alighted briefly in tree; Sedge Warbler in tree.
SC209694 ( hide) Sedge Warbler kept returning to same spot on edge of pond, presumably feeding juvenile; 2 x Sedge Warbler seen flying in and out of reeds later; Juvenile Moorhen on water; female Blackbird near hide door on path; juvenile Reed Warbler and adult seen separately.
SC209694 (elsewhere) juvenile Blackbird near dragonfly pond; Goldfinch chatter heard.
SC208694 Woodpigeon in firs; male Blackbird; female Chaffinch; Great Tit; family of 4 Chiffchaffs in willows; female Blackbird flew across near the boardwalk.
SC209695 Woodpigeon heard ; female Chaffinch.
SC208695 (feeders) female Chaffinch; 2 x Great Tit; Blue Tit.
Butterflies:
SC210694 2 x Unidentified Whites; Small Tortoiseshell; Meadow Brown.
SC209694 4 x Speckled Wood; Red Admiral; unidentified White flying; Meadow Brown x 4; Common Blue & Painted Lady near Ginnie's Bench; Peacock butterfly near path junction; Small White.
SC208694 2 x Speckled Woods in willows; Meadow Brown x 7; Painted Lady; Small White.
SC208695 Meadow Brown.
SC209693 Red Admiral; Speckled Wood.
SC209695 2 x Unidentified whites flying.
Other:
SC209694 ( dragonfly pond) female Common Darter; 2 x Blue-tailed damselflies.
SC209694 Blue-tailed damselfly; male & female Hawker species, male tried to grab her a couple of times but she flew off with her body pointing down rather than straight. They were both taking insects from the air.
SC209694 ( dragonfly pond) a few tadpoles with "Peter Pan syndrome"
SC209695 Soldier Beetle on grass seedhead.
SC208694 Bumble Bee on Hemp Agrimony.
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| female Chaffinch and Blackbird |
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| a better view of the Blackbird |
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| juvenile Chiffchaff |
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| the juvenile Chiffchaffs were very confiding |
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| sitting right above me in the tree |
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| Chaffinch - another juvenile I think |
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| juvenile Moorhen |
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| is that a supercilium stripe or a trick of the light? |
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| Reed Warbler |
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| Sedge Warbler in the reeds |
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| it kept returning to this same spot |
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| juvenile Reed Warbler |
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| another view of it |
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| Red Admiral |
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| Common Blue |
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| Meadow Brown |
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| a very faded Painted Lady |
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| Peacock butterfly |
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| it was taking nectar from bramble flowers |
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| Small White ( I think!) |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly |
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| probably the same one later |
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| female Common Darter |
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| a flying bow-tie! |
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| very hard to photograph |
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| and unless they settle I can't identify them |
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| but it is some species of Hawker dragonfy |
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| this one was the female, I think |
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| Hemp Agrimoy attracting bumblebees |
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| a tadpole refusing to turn into a frog! |
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| Soldier Beetle |
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| Common Valerian |
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| Colour contrast - Marsh Woundwort and Rowan berries |
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| Marsh Woundwort |
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| Burdock near the gate starting to flower |
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| Small apples as yet but will feed the autumn and winter birds |
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| Hazel Nuts for the wood mice later |
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| entrance to Reserve |
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| heading off for the hide |
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| not just a reedy bend these days |
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| sunlight and shade in the new glade |
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| usual view from the hide ramp |
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| flowers just outside the hide |
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| usual views through the shutters |
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| I found graffiti + rubbish on the hide floor today 😞 |
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| heading for the meadow next |
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| meadow flowers - Purple Loosestrife and Meadowsweet |
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| a shady walk through the willows |
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| to a sunlit glade |
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| notice the coppiced willow resprouting |
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| a perfect spot on a hot day! |
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| then over the boardwalk |
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| luxuriant loosestrife! |
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| usual view from the boardwalk |
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| another shady walk - under the ashes |
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| looking the other way |
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| and a bench in the shade too, if required |
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| Great Willowherb along the gorse boundary |
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| the bracken is very high |
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| looking back over the mini-bridge |
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| usual gorse boundary view |
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| the dragonfly pond - no sign of the "dragonfly branch" |
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| another shady spot from which to watch the pond life |
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| and a final backward glance as I left |
please click on photos to enlarge them
My thanks to Chris Sharpe and Neil Morris for determining the age of the Reed Warbler which was "almost certainly raised on the site though, given it is a juvenile rather than recently fledged, there is a chance it has moved in from another site". Good to know that Reed Warblers are probably still breeding on the reserve.
And finally, for the Year of the Manx Language, Blein ny Gaelgey 2026, here is what was seen today:
Birds Ushagyn :
Blackbird Lhon Doo; Wren Drean;
Woodpigeon Calmane Keylley; Goldfinch Lossey ny Keylley;
Sedge Warbler Kiaulleyder Cliogagh ; Moorhen Kiark Ushtey;
Chiffchaff Beealerey ; Chaffinch Ushag y Chloau;
Great Tit Drean Mooar; Blue Tit Drean Gorrym .
Butterflies Foillycanyn:
Small Tortoiseshell Ruyag Veg; Meadow Brown Donnag yn Aiyr
Speckled Wood Breck ny Keylley; Red Admiral Ard-marragh Jiarg;
Common Blue Gorrymag Chadjin, Painted Lady Foillycan yn Onnane
Peacock Peacag; Small White Baneag Veg.
