AUGUST 2015
12TH August 2015
Perfect
weather for a Ballachurry visit today. Skived off from the post family
visit chores!
Ladybirds:
SC210694
7 spot ladybird.
Molluscs:
SC210694
Small white lipped banded snail on nettles
Grasshoppers:
SC210694
Field Grasshoppers heard but not seen.
SC209694
Field Grasshoppers heard but not seen - I have not heard nor seen any
grasshoppers at this Grid reference before ( path junction)
Butterflies
& Moths:
SC210694 3
unidentified whites flying
SC209693
Meadow Brown; Common Blue ( male)
SC209694
Small Tortoiseshell almost flew into hide when I opened the shutters;
unidentified white flying; Common Blue ( female)
SC208694
Meadow Brown x 2
SC208695
Meadow Brown x 2
SC209695
Meadow Brown
SC209694 (
gorse boundary) Meadow Brown x 2
Micromoths
throughout reserve including SC208694 & SC209694
Birds:
SC209694
Sedge Warbler seen from grid path in willow with food in beak; another on
docks; Great tit in willow;
SC209694 (
seen from hide) young moorhen
SC209693
Chaffinch
SC208694
Greenfinch in willows
SC209694 Willow Warbler
Dragonflies:
SC208694
Common darter on hand rail of bridge, second pond. ( first I've seen this year)
Shieldbugs:
SC208694
( near 2nd pond) 3 x adult Gorse Shieldbugs + 1 instar
SC209694 ( gorse
boundary) several instars of Gorse Shieldbugs
Other:
Wolf
spiders in grass including SC208694
Common Wasp
collecting wood from bridge SC208694
Various
hoverflies throughout reserve including 2 x marmalade flies near orchard
entrance SC209695
Honey and
bumble bees throughout reserve including a bumblebee in marsh woundwort
SC209694
Common
capsid bugs on thistles near dam SC208694
Mating
orange beetles near dam SC208694
Soldier
beetles throughout reserve including SC208694
Small
spider ( cross?) in gorse near second pond SC208694
Harvestman
in hide SC209694
Some of
the developing alder cones have strange red growths coming from them which
I have not noticed before - possibly some sort of gall wasp damage?
The Hemp
Agrimony I planted earlier in the year is coming into flower.
Not much
change in the Blackthorn pupae
Rowan
berries ripening near orchard entrance SC209695
Thistledown
blowing about throughout reserve
Sycamore
keys starting to fall. Tar spot fungus on some sycamores.
Young green
blackberries starting to form.
Notes:
The strong
smell of dog fouling turned out to be coming from my wellie boot!
At the end
of my recording visit I spent 45 minutes cutting back the brambles and docks
which were intruding onto the path. I bagged up the docks to take off site as
they seem to have the knack of continuing to ripen and seed if left on the
ground. I also cut back some willow as it was difficult to walk past it on the
paths. I pushed the prunings into the ground near the failed willow whips
by the hide, just on the off chance that they might grow. I had no means of
watering them in though. Hopefully the ground was already wet enough. I did not
have any shears with me otherwise I might have cut back overhanging rushes too.
I did not
enter any info on the hide noticeboard as the marker seems to be spent. Will
try to remember to get another.
