Saturday 12 March 2016

Ballachurry Reserve, March 10th 2016.

This little Blue Tit was aware of my presence but totally unconcerned.

Thursday was a beautiful spring day, lovely sunshine and for once very little wind. I spent the morning at Ballachurry and came home and ate my lunch in the garden for the first time this year! 

Birds: ( There seemed to be Bluetits and Wrens everywhere!)
  
SC210694  Robin; Bluetit;
SC209693 Robin; 2 x Great Tit
SC209694  3 x Wren together; 2 x Bluetit ( path junction)  
SC209694 Wren;  (  directly opposite hide ramp); Bluetit  NOTE RING   (I have made a composite photo)
SC209694 Mallard drake, Wood Pigeon (seen from Hide); 
SC208694 Robin; 2 x Bluetit ( near the dam)
SC208694 Great Tit ( near reed bed) 
SC208695 Goldfinch; Chaffinch; 2 x Great Tit; (beehive loop)
SC209695  2 x Jackdaw; Wren; Great Tit;
SC209694 Robin; Magpie ( gorse boundary)

Not strictly in the Reserve - adjoining thicket. SC209692. This is flooded at the moment. Drake Mallard and Male Moorhen.

Carpet life:  (I shall be resisting temptation to look under the same carpet squares for a little while now that the snails have been identified, as I do not like causing repeated disturbance to the habitat) 

SC210694  Some really tiny snails - too small to identify, presumably juveniles.
                 Another blue bodied  snail - smaller this time.
                 Shiny black slug/worm? Almost looked like a leach. I had not seen anything like this before . New record when identified.
                 Very small Harvestman which may be Nemastoma bimaculatum (seeking confirmation of ID. My book says they may eat very small snails!) New 
                 Record.
SC208694  Unusual white worm? Likewise something I have not seen before. New record when identified. 
                 Snail eggs. Very small red ants.

Hoverflies: ( first I have seen this year) 

SC210694 Marmalade Hoverfly ? (Episyrphus balteatus) on  elderberry tree next to Jelly Ear fungus
SC208694 Marmalade Hoverfly ?  (Episyrphus balteatus)  on gorse near reed bed - sent off by honey bee

Shieldbugs:

SC208694  10x Gorse Shieldbugs on gorse near reedbed.
SC209694   12 x Gorse Shieldbugs along gorse boundary

Other:
SC210694  Jelly Ear Fungus as mentioned above
Honey bees on gorse throughout reserve
SC210694 Wolf spiders in grass
SC209694 Wolf spider on tree stake
SC209695 Primrose in flower

SC209694 Cultivated daffodils in flower

Note the ring on right leg

Can almost read the ring when enlarged but not quite!

Singing his heart out!

Wren in the docks very close to Blue Tit

Wren in a different part of  Reserve


Jackdaws in boundary trees 

Mallard in flooded thicket next door

Cultivated daffs now flowering

Primroses

Wolf spiders now out and about

Is it a worm? Is it a slug? 

The above creature with £1 coin to give scale


Another mystery - a worm perhaps?

A tiny Harvestman

Very small red ants

Close -up of red ants. 

Snail eggs and red ants

Hoverfly with Jelly Ear fungus - think it's the Marmalade Fly.

Sorry some of the photos are twisted round - can't seem to stop this. The originals are the right way up.