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| Easter Greetings from one of our visitors |
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| Easter Treasure Hunt |
I was unable to visit the Reserve over Easter, although a number of families had enjoyed doing the Ballachurry Easter Quiz there. In fact when I went to the Reserve on Saturday 12 days had passed since my own last visit. The paths and grassy areas near the benches were looking very spruce ( thank you, Dave!) and elsewhere the vegetation was starting to look lush. The sun was shining when I arrived after lunch and it had brought out so much wildlife to photograph and record that it took me all of half an hour to walk just from the gate to Ginnie's Bench! Unfortunately, it then clouded over, a chill breeze sprang up and there was notably less to be seen during the rest of the afternoon, but here is the full list.
Birds:
SC210694 House Sparrow
SC209694 Willow Warbler; Chaffinch heard but not seen; Great Tit; female Reed Bunting.
SC209693 2 x male Pheasant flying in
SC209694 ( from hide) 2 x Mallard; 2 x Magpie flying over; 2 x Wood Pigeon flying over; Grey Heron flying over; Blackbird heard but not seen.
Found myself wondering about Moorhens - haven't seen one for months. Have you? Please add to hide whiteboard if you spot one.
SC209694 ( path junction) 2 x Great Tit
SC208694 ( near the compost heap ) Chiffchaff seen & heard calling, another calling nearby. Great Tit
( path through the willows) Blackbird heard but not seen;Willow Warbler heard but not seen.
SC208695 ( old beehive loop) Willow Warbler.
SC209695 ( orchard entrance) Blue Tit. Magpie.
SC209694 ( Ginnie's bench area) Great Tit
Ladybirds & other Beetles:
SC210694 3 x 7-spot Ladybirds + one more on outside wall of Reserve, near the road among Purple Toadflax
SC210694 2-spot Ladybird
SC210694 Oulema melanopa leaf beetle.
Butterflies:
SC210694 male and female Orange Tip butterflies. Female on Spanish bluebells, male on Garlic Mustard ((caterpillar food plant)
SC210694 Peacock butterfly
SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell butterfly
SC210694 Speckled Wood butterfly flying
SC209694 Peacock butterfly ( may be same one as above)
Spiders:
SC210694 numerous small Wolf Spiders; Unidentified Crab Spiders; Nursery Web Spiders; other unidentified spiders ( see photos)
SC208694 ( wildflower meadow) numerous Wolf Spiders
Very small mating spiders?
Other:
SC210694 unidentified snail on Garlic Mustard
SC210694 unidentified Hoverfly
SC209694 unidentified Crab Spiders; numerous Wolf spiders
SC209693 unidentified Bumble Bee "resting" on the ground
SC208694 3 x Gorse Shieldbugs
SC209695 / 209694 several Gorse Shieldbugs including mating pairs
SC208694 20+ Water Crickets
SC209695 5 Water Crickets
SC208695 unidentified Hoverflies, including mating pair.
SC209694 Ginger cat
SC209695 Sorrel beginning to flower.
SC209694 unidentified Weevil in Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC209694 Cherry tree in blossom
SC208695 & SC208694 a variety of flies on ash and on tree guard
SC210694 Garlic Mustard in flower
SC209694 Red Campion in flower
SC209694 half a dozen new tree saplings now leafing up
SC209695 Sycamore flowers open
SC210694 on outside of reserve wall, near road: Purple Toadflax (or is it Ivy Leaved? Must take a closer look) and Scurvy Grass (may be Danish, need to check)
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| Willow Warbler - light not very good by now. |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler again |
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| Yet another shot of a Willow Warbler |
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| Magpie |
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| Wolf Spiders in the nettles |
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| Several of these spiders around |
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| unidentified spider |
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| Crab Spider |
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| Crab Spider |
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| Two spiders mating? |
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| Nursery Web Spider |
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| Unidentified spider |
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| Wolf Spider |
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| 2-spot Ladybird |
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| 7-spot Ladybird |
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| 7-spot Ladybird |
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| 7-spot Ladybird |
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| On the wall of the reserve opposite where I parked my car |
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| Male Orange Tip |
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| Female Orange Tip, wings open. |
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| Female Orange Tip, wings closed |
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| Hoverfly in Garlic Mustard |
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| Hoverfly on Hogweed |
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| pair of Mallards |
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| Uptailed Mallards |
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| Peacock Butterfly |
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| This could be the same one |
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| Oulema melanopa leaf beetle |
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| unidentified Bumble Bee |
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| Snail on Garlic Mustard |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Is this just a much smaller Nursery Web spider? |
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| Water Crickets |
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| Weevil on Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| Wildflower meadow with Marsh Marigolds |
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| One of Ballachurry's many feline visitors |
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| Cherry Blossom on Ginnie's memorial tree |
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| a variety of flies keeping warm on an ash tree |
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| and a few more on a tree guard |
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| Garlic Mustard |
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| Gorse Shieldbug |
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| Hoverfly on Dock |
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| Mating Gorse Shieldbugs |
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the middle section of this grassy area will be left to grow long
as another wildflower area |
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| Red Campion |
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| Sorrel |
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| Water Crickets in a different part of the stream |
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Scurvy grass growing in the Reserve wall opposite where I
parked my car. |
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half a dozen new tree saplings have appeared near Ginny's Bench.
Not sure if they have been planted or are self sown |
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| Sycamore flowers |
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| Hoverfly on sycamore flower |
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| Purple Toadflax |
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| Colourful view from the hide |
