APRIL 2015
4th April
2015 ( Easter Saturday)
Birds:
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Hooded Crow on grass near the notice board. Also seen later on the path in
front of the hide. I think it may be injured as it hopped away rather than
flying, but vanished into the vegetation.
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(Hide pond) Moorhen; Water rail emerged briefly from rushes to left of pond,
swam a short distance, then vanished back into the rushes. No photos possible
on this occasion.
SC208694 (
firs) 2 x Hooded Crows
SC209695 (
orchard entrance) Blue tit; Goldfinch;
SC209694 (
near Ginny's bench) Great tit
Heard but
not seen: Chiff Chaffs singing simultaneously from firs, orchard, and garden of Old School House. One also heard from close to pond
on church boundary later.
Pheasant
Wood pigeon
flying over
Ladybirds:
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(near where stream enters reed bed pond) 1 x 7spot ladybird
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gorse along boundary 2 x 7spot ladybirds
SC209694 (
Ginny's bench area) 1 x 7spot on dock
SC210694 (
entrance) 1 x 7spot on Stinking Iris
Total
Ladybirds: 5
Gorse
Shield Bugs:
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4 x Gorse Shieldbugs on gorse near reed bed pond
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38 x Gorse Shieldbugs in boundary gorse.
Carpet
life:
SC209694 I
checked carpet of the usual 2 oak saplings by the path and saw a few worms and
a beetle.
Other:
Numerous
honey bees and large bumble bees throughout reserve, especially on pussy willow
and gorse.
Elderberry
now in leaf.
Great
Willow Herb & nettles showing through.
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Fungi in mown area near Orchard Entrance
Celandines
throughout reserve.
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Garden escape Muscari in flower by elderberry.
Wild bees
active in hollow tree.
Notes:
Dog fouling
on beehive loop and on path to hide. Clearly two different dogs.
Value of
new grid pathways apparent as adjacent area has standing water.
Cat
stalking something near Ginny's bench but then sat and sunbathed.
Different
cat emerged from raspberry canes near hide pond and vanished into rushes at
water's edge. Did not re-emerge ( worrying?)
8th April 2015
I was
tempted by the sunny weather to visit Ballachurry again today but
it was surprisingly cold and breezy.
Birds:
SC210694 Hooded
Crow on the grass near the notice board again.
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Hooded Crow; Wren; Blue tit; in "beehive corner"
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x Goldfinch on church boundary
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x Goldfinch; Chaffinch; Chiffchaff /Willow Warbler behind Ginny's bench
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Robin along gorse boundary
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x Moorhen; 2 x Pheasant; Chiffchaff; seen from hide;
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Chiffchaff in willows where the 2 paths join.
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reed bed pond - fleeting glance of bird splashing down into the reeds - pretty
certain it was the Water rail.
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Male pheasant on path on beehive loop. We startled each other!
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Chiffchaff heard but not seen in firs
Flying
over: 2 x Wood pigeon.
Butterflies:
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Small Tortoiseshell (Richard)
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Small Tortoiseshell ( Sheila)
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Small Tortoiseshell x 2 ( Richard)
Ladybirds:
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7spot ladybird on hogweed
Shieldbugs:
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9 x Gorse Shieldbugs in gorse where stream enters reed bed pond.
SC209694 23
x Gorse Shieldbugs in gorse along boundary, including some mating pairs.
Bees:
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Wild bees active in hollow tree.
Many honey
bees active throughout reserve, especially on willow flowers.
Bumble bees
active throughout reserve, especially on willow flowers. Many also
"resting" on the grass beneath willows including 13 along the new
strimmed path SC208694. Most of these were in the vicinity of a hole in the
grass which I had presumed was home to a longtail.
Carpet
life:
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Black mite(?) Very tiny red mite ( could be parent of harvest mites that nip
later in the year?);Small black beetle; very large camera-shy
beetle .
Other:
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Wolf spiders on bridge and elsewhere throughout reserve in grass.
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Hoverfly ( possibly Marmalade fly) on gorse, but did not manage to get a
photo for I.D.
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Water Crickets x 2. Back in the usual place where the stream comes through the
big, black pipe.
Notes:
Aggregate
paths have worm casts.
Ivy hedge
has come away from wall behind - not sure if can be put back.
The puddle
has subsided.
My husband has
put a hook on the inside of the hide door as it tends to blow open when
breezy.
Scatology!
No dog
fouling today. Some cat fouling.
Any clues
re shiny black, lozenge shaped scats along aggregate path? About half a dozen
of them, about 2" long.
10th April 2015
I
briefly walked round Ballachurry again today prior to a site meeting
with Duncan Bridges to discuss notice
board/ work party issues. I saw the following birds:
SC210694 Mistle
thrush pulling worms from mown area; 2 x Goldfinch flying through
SC209694 ( from
hide) Moorhen; Mallard; 3 x Chiffchaff flitting about in the blackthorn trees
at the back of the pond.
Regarding
the unusual scat seen last time, Duncan speculated it could be from
some sort of goose. I have seen the injured Hooded Crow on this section of path
but think the scats are probably too large for a crow?
17th April 2015
Lovely
sunshine this afternoon at Ballachurry but a cold, strong wind. Plenty to see
nonetheless.
Birds:
Seen from
hide ( SC209694) Pair of Moorhen; Mallard; Pair of Blackcaps in
blackthorn blossom; Great tit in willow. Wood pigeon on church boundary.
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("beehive corner") Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler; Chaffinch;
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new strimmed path) Chiffchaff landed in willow very close to me, singing.
Rook flying
over. Pheasant heard but not seen.
Butterflies:
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entrance) 2 x Small Tortoiseshell
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gorse boundary) Small Tortoiseshell ( might have been one of the above)
Ladybirds:
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"beehive loop" 2 x 7spot in same Hogwed plant.
Bees:
Honey bees
throughout reserve and active in tree nest SC208695
2 x Bumble
bees ( white tailed/buff tailed?) and Carder? bee outside the longtail
hole again. Some bees nest in mouse holes, I believe, but this hole might be
rather large.
Spiders:
Many Wolf
spiders in grass, especially along gorse boundary SC209694
Gorse
Shield Bugs:
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26 along the boundary in the gorse, some mating pairs.
Hoverflies
& other flies:
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Hover fly and "green bottle" fly almost appeared to be
sheltering from wind in dandelion flower rather than feeding.
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Same sort of Hoverfly in gorse.
Water
Creatures:
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Just one Water Cricket in the stream; New
Record several
caddis fly larvae on a stone near the water pipe ( ID to be confirmed)
Fungus:
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Bobbing about in the stream near the pipe was the fungus King Alfred's cakes Daldinia concentrica ( a.k.a. Cramp
Balls) This fungus is associated with ash trees, so must have fallen off a
branch somewhere and washed down the stream.
Notes:
No fouling
today.
18th April 2015 WORKING PARTY
Just a
quick update on the working party on Saturday. About a dozen volunteers came
along, fortified by tea and cake, some apparently provided by the
Fairies (at Ginny's Bench SC209694.) The Fairies are a new record for the
Reserve! Much appreciated by all concerned, thank you.
Joking
apart, we achieved a lot in a short space of time, extending the raised
pathway, painting the toolshed, carpeting round more saplings, replacing
the plaque on the hide and removing the rather incongruous Tusan Palm from
near the entrance. By the time we left, the space left by the palm had been
quickly occupied by a Peacock Butterfly( SC210694) There was another
nearby close to the bench ( SC209694) 2 x Tortoiseshell Butterflies
were also flying near the noticeboard and a singleton flew by while we were
working on the pathway ( SC209694) A small white was seen on the gorse
boundary ( SC209694)
Whilst
enjoying our tea break a Sparrowhawk came flying through at low level. We also
saw Swallows overhead, a male chaffinch, 4 x goldfinches and what was
almost certainly a Chiffchaff ( though possibly a Willow Warbler)(
SC209694)This little bird came flying out of a gorse bush at top speed while I
and a new volunteer, Karen, were looking at gorse shieldbugs in one of the
gorse bushes, at the end of the morning. Practically took our noses off! I have
made a note of which bush it was and will keep an eye on it from afar to see if
the bird is nesting there.
I was
showing Karen all the bumblebees on the grass on the new strimmed path and
speculating whether they were nesting in the "cummal beg" hole in the
grass. Karen suddenly saw a bee emerge from the hole, so that pretty much
confirms it, I think.
I also
noticed that the Ladysmock is now in flower, so the Orange Tip and Green Veined
White butterflies hopefully won't be far behind.
What
perfect weather we had for the tasks - it makes working on the reserve a
pleasure. I didn't
manage to photograph all the tasks on this occasion, but a few pictures are
attached.
21st April 2015
Probably my
last visit to Ballachurry today before our holiday.With 16 degrees
forecast for the afternoon I hoped to see some butterflies. I did indeed
see Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks but after one circuit had to go back to
the car to put on a fleece! Beautiful sunshine but a very cold breeze,
not at all the shirt sleeves weather I had been expecting.
Birds:
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(Ginny's bench) Sparrow;
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Hide) Moorhen
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Strimmed path) pair of Blackcaps in willows
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"Beehives" corner) Robin; Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler with nesting
material in beak. Another seen at this location later.
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Orchard entrance) Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler in sycamore; 2 x Bluetits going in
and out Men-in-Sheds/ Age Concern nestbox ( took me 5 attempts to get the
photo!); Goldfinch;
SC209694 (
path junction willows) Pair Blackcaps working up and down the line. Willow
Warbler flitting about singing;Other sightings of Chiffchaffs/Willow Warblers
here.
Pheasant
and chaffinch heard but not seen
The Willow Warblers/ Chiffchaffs seem to be
very tame and don't mind my presence at all. I was standing near "cummal
beg", as I call it, and they were landing in the willows very close to me.
It's also possible to watch them in these willows from the hide through the
right hand shutter but we volunteers need to add some means of keeping it open.
At the moment it swings shut all the time, having no block of wood fitted.
I meant to
say in my working party report that Karen and I had seen what we
both thought was a Great tit leaving the nest box on Saturday. However, with
the benefit of binoculars today, it is clearly occupied by Bluetits.
Butterflies:
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Peacock (It definitely likes the warm bare earth and stones where the palm used
to be); 3 x Small Tortoiseshells chasing each other.
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(Ginny's bench area) Another Peacock;
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half way along gorse boundary) Peacock; Small Tortoiseshell;
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strimmed path) Peacock.
Shieldbugs:
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5x Gorse Shieldbugs on small bush near where stream flows into second
pond.
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x Gorse Shieldbugs on Hogweed near stream - they are not always on gorse, it
would seem, but the red antennae help identifiy them when in doubt,
SC209694 (
gorse boundary) 20+ along the boundary but not a complete count as now avoiding
the bush where there might be a Chiffchaff nesting.
Plants:
Quite a lot
of Ladysmock in flower now, both pink and white, including SC209694
Rowan trees
have flower buds, and one mature ash overhanging from orchard is in flower.
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Flowering
currants in bloom and attracting the bees SC208695
Other:
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Wolf spiders on the carpet; Very large green beetle in grass near carpet (
sorry, no photo)
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(Stream) many more caddisfly larvae inside the blue pipe.
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near the second pond) what looked rather like Hedgehog scats, but can't be
sure.
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inside hide) very small red spider.
SC209694 (
gorse boundary) hoverflies in gorse and on dandelion.
Notes:
The usual
stalking cat in the reserve. Some fouling which was probably a cat,
rather than a dog.
No
ladybirds!
No
sunbathing bumblebees today but still plenty in the willows + honey bees.
I have
been given some tips on distinguishing between Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers
by one of the volunteers, but it will be some time I think before I
feel confident enough to identify them unless they are singing! So for the time
being the photos are captioned CCww.
23rd April 2015
I dropped off the paint brushes
etc at the Ballachurry tool store today. I tried very hard not to spot any
wildlife as I was in a hurry! However, there was a Speckled Wood butterfly at
SC209695 - the first I have seen this year. As I had the camera with me I
managed to get a photograph.. I also saw a Small Tortoiseshell at
SC208694 and another at SC210694. No Peacock today though.
