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| a bright splash of buttercups |
Last Sunday, 15th May, I thought
I ought to call in the Reserve to check on the wasps' nest in the hide. It was
now the size of an egg cup, suspended from the ceiling near the door. No wasps at home, so I
carefully removed it,as it would become a hazard to users of the hide if allowed
to remain. It's an absolute work of art and I feel quite bad about
removing it, but there you are! I shall give it to Dawn Dickens, the MWT
Education Officer to show to her Watch and school groups. At the moment
though it is in my freezer making sure nothing hatches out from the eggs
inside. A wasp did come in through the door a couple of times while I was there
but didn't bother me. We need to monitor for these in future I think. So much
easier to nip in the bud than deal with a full-blown nest. In previous years
there has been a nest in the nest box on the hide and, of course, this has
caused no problem to visitors.
Naturally I took a
walk round while there and saw the following:
Birds:
SC209695 2 x
Goldfinch, Hooded Crow;
SC208694 Willow
Warbler; Peahen sitting comfortably on the path!
SC209694 Male
Blackcap; Moorhen.
Swallow flying over
Butterflies:
SC209695
Speckled Wood
SC208695 Male Orange
Tip
SC209694 Small
Tortoiseshell
SC209693 Wall Brown
SC210694 Wall Brown
Not bad for an
unscheduled visit!
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| Wasp nest in hide |
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| Close-up photo taken once removed |
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| Looking inside the wasp's nest |
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| close-up showing the eggs inside the cells |
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| a rather distant photo of the Blackcap |
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| one of the peahens from next door, now free-range in the reserve |
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| Speckled Wood |
Friday 20th
May 2016
My next recording visit was on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, it
started to rain when I was only half way round the reserve. Although I
completed the circuit it did of course mean an end to seeing butterflies etc.
Nevertheless, there were a few highlights.
Birds:
There was a lot of birdsong but now the leaves are on the trees the birds are much harder to spot.
SC209694 female
Pheasant crossed the path in front of me, followed by one small chick. (
delighted to see this)
SC208694 Goldfinch
SC209694 ( from hide)
Moorhen; Hooded Crow; 2 x male Mallard ( including the usual hybrid)
Great Tit
SC209694 the Peahen
and the white hen were walking along the gorse boundary and elsewhere; Sedge
Warbler.
Swallows flying
over
Heard but not seen: Wren; another Sedge Warbler; Song Thrush; Willow Warbler;
Chiffchaff
Butterflies:
SC208694 Small White;
Green Veined White;
SC209694 Speckled
Wood. I had just photographed this when it flew off along the gorse boundary
towards the Peahen, some distance ahead of me. The Peahen immediately
pecked it in mid air, making it fall to the ground and was about to eat it when
I hollered and approached at speed! The Peahen moved off but alas the Speckled
Wood was dead. I know I should probably have let nature take its course, but I
feel it's one thing a wild bird taking a butterfly for food but quite another
when a domestic pet does it.
Other:
SC208695 Mating
pair of St. Marks flies
SC209695 Large
Bumble Bee on grass; Noon Fly; Campion aphids; about 15 Water Crickets; Sorrel
flowers
SC209694 unusual
fly on sycamore sapling
SC209695 Crane fly
SC208.694 Wolf
spiders, one carrying egg sack.
SC208695 unusual
tiny flies in dandelion flower - will try to identify
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug eggs; Horsetail.
SC208694
Dropping /pellet on bridge handrail. I had intended to dissect this to
see what it contained but it had vanished when I went back for it later
SC209694 I
deliberately looked for the black worms under the carpet as I needed a close-up
photo for identification purposes. It has been suggested that they may be an
alien species of flatworm (Kontikia ventrolineata) - an unfortunate new record both for Ballachurry and
the Island, if so.
The Reserve is looking
very attractive at present with the golden buttercups, white hawthorn blossom
and red campion flowers, to name just a few.
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| Bumble Bee |
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| Crane Fly |
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| Many of the dandelions had these flies on them |
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| another fly to be identified |
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| Noon Fly |
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| Mating St. Marks Flies |
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This may be an alien flatworm called Kontikia ventrolineata
- under investigation! |
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| Gorse Shieldbug eggs |
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| not sure if this is a pellet or a dropping amongst the lichen |
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| Mallard drakes |
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| Wolf spiders - the one on the left has egg sack |
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| Campion aphids |
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a lovely stand of Red Campion |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Horsetail |
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| Sorrel flowers |
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| out for a stroll |
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Speckled Wood already looking ragged
and about to be killed by the Peahen |
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| Small White |
