Ballachurry Reserve, 6th October 2017

The Ox-eye daisies seemingly bloom forever.

Just back from a short break "across", I was anxious to catch up with  the wildlife at Ballachurry on Friday. All that lovely morning sunshine had gone by the time I arrived at 1.30, so my visit was shorter than usual but I did see a few things of interest. The very good news was that almost immediately I could hear a Water Rail calling from the reed bed. It lasted some time but did not show itself (unlike the one picked off by the Sparrowhawk presumably) . Hopefully this is one of our resident birds and will find a mate in the spring.


Birds:

SC209693  Water Rail heard but not seen
SC209693 Blackbird heard but not seen
SC209693 Robin
SC209695 4 x Blackbirds taking Hawthorn berries
SC209695 Robin heard but not seen
SC209695 Wren
SC209695 Great Tit
SC209694 Blue Tit
SC209694 ( from hide) Robin
SC209694 Magpie flying over + usual corvids & 1 x Herring Gull

Other:

SC208694 3 x Noon Flies on handrail
SC210694 tiny spider on entrance gate ( possible new record)
SC210694 Moth Fly on Ox-eye daisy
SC210694 Noon Fly on handrail
SC210694 Several Common Wasps on ivy flowers
SC209695 Gorse Shield Bug
SC209694 Bee on Hogweed
SC210694 Crane Fly
SC208694 Unidentified fungus ( not seen in this location before )

one of many wasps on the ivy flowers

female blackbird 

repeatedly taking Hawthorn berries

Robin  photographed rather against the light

Robin taken across the pond from bird hide

Noon fly

The only Gorse Shieldbug seen that afternoon

Moth Fly

Tiny spider appeared to be living under the metal gate fastening!

Pound coin to show scale

unidentified Bumble bee

This visit was the day before our October work party, so I also spent some time making a route through the thistles to a new compost area near the road boundary and putting up some signage. An account of the work party follows shortly.