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| my first Ballachurry butterfly sighting of 2018 Peacock |
Birds:
SC209693 2 x Willow Warbler/ Chiffchaff; Robin; Great Tit; Wren; female Blackcap; Blackbird heard but not seen
SC209694 ( path junction) Willow Warbler/ Chiffchaff
SC208694 ( Willows/ compost area) Willow Warbler singing; Chiffchaff singing; Robin
SC209695 ( near private entrance) Willow Warbler/ Chiffchaff ( probably CC) ; Great Tit; male Chaffinch
SC208694 ( boardwalk) female Reed Bunting ( flew down and perched near me while I was taking a photo of insects on Marsh Marigolds nearby!) Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler; Great Tit; 3 x Mallard flying over;
SC208695 ( old beehive loop) Great Tit; 9 x Wood Pigeon; 3 x Long Tail Tit; female Chaffinch; Jackdaw
SC209694 ( hide) 3 x Mallard; Blue Tit; 2 x Magpie; 2 x Goldfinch; Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff; Pheasant heard but not seen.
Ladybirds:
SC209695 "Old Faithful" 7 spot still in the gorse bush by the Bowman Memorial Bench and another in the gorse bush near the stream.
Butterfly:
SC209694 A friend entered the reserve just as I reached the area near Ginnie's Bench and I explained that I was also hoping to see butterflies on such a lovely warm afternoon. As I said the word "butterflies" a Peacock Butterfly flew up right under my nose! Uncanny. It went to sunbathe on the wood chip, which is nice and warm. Later I saw either another or more likely the same one, a little further down the path on the gorse boundary, nectaring on a dandelion.
Other:
SC209693 Common Green Shieldbug in Hemlock Water Dropwort. I would not have seen this had I not taken a closer look at what I though was a caterpillar on the plant (turned out to be a hazel catkin but the Shieldbug was nearby!) Dung fly on Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC208694 Unidentified bee on Marsh Marigold; Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on Marsh Marigold; unidentified bumble bee on the ground.
SC209693 Willows are full of honey bees and Bumble Bees. Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on Daffodil. Yellow Dung fly ( Scathophaga stercoraria?) on Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC209695 Unidentified fly on Dandelion
SC209695 a couple of Water Crickets in the stream; unidentified fly on celandine; Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on gorse; unidentified small black fly on gorse; unidentified fly on daffodil
SC208695 tiny unidentified fly on ash tree trunk; unidentified fly on dandelion; unidentified fly on another dandelion;pair of mating Yellow Dung flies ( Scathophaga stercoraria?) on Hogweed; unidentified bug on nettles
SC208694 Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on Dock leaf
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| willow flowers are full of bees |
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| bumble bee and honey bee |
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| Bumble Bee |
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| Quite a few Bumble bees on the ground |
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| unidentified fly on Celandine |
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| unidentified fly on daffodill |
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| unidentified fly on Dandelion |
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| and another |
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| Dung fly on Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| unidentified fly on gorse |
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| Common Green Shieldbug on Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on gorse |
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| another view |
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| this one was on a dock leaf |
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| and this one on a daffoldil |
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| Carder bee? |
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| mating Yellow Dungflies |
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| unidentified fly on Ash trunk |
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| uncropped photo to show how small it was |
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| Robin rather against the light |
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| Singing Wren |
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| female Reed Bunting |
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| 7-spot Ladybird in gorse near stream |
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| "Old Faithful" 7-spot Ladybird in gorse near Bowman Memorial Bench |
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| I think this was a Chiffchaff |
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| another view of the same bird |
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| and again |
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| same bird again |
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| warming up on the wood chip Peacock Butterfly |
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| it moved to the grass |
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| another or possibly the same on a Dandelion |
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| another view |
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| does this remind you of an Owl? Would it put you off if you were a predator? |
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| Chirpy Chaffinch |
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| one of three Long Tail Tits |
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| Liocoris tripustulatus Bug ( I think!) They feed on nettles |
