Ballachurry Reserve, 14th and 15th June 2019.

 Ballachurry Reserve pond in June

It was rather a dull afternoon on Friday when I headed for the Reserve but it was my first opportunity that week to do my weekly survey. A little more sun would have brought out more butterflies etc. but there was plenty going on down in the nettles anyway. The good news is that just as I was preparing my camera to send off for repair it suddenly put itself right! So fingers crossed it stays that way! Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC210694 Willow Warbler and Chaffinch heard but not seen.
SC209693 Goldfinch on wires
SC209694 ( just outside hide) Willow Warbler ( see video); Sedge Warbler heard but not seen.
SC208694 Chiffchaff heard but not seen; Woodpigeon.
SC209694 ( path junction) Sedge Warbler

Ladybirds:

SC210694 several 7-spot Ladybird Larvae
SC209694 7-spot Ladybird x 2

Butterflies & Moths :

SC209693 Small Heath; Unidentified White flying; Speckled Wood.
SC210694 unidentified White flying
SC209693 & throughout reserve - Depressaria daucella  Moth larvae on Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC209694 Silver Ground Carpet Moth;
SC208694  Clouded Border Moth

Other:

SC210694 40+ Capsid bugs on nettles ( Grypocoris stysi); unidentified beetle ( flea beetle?)  Nymph of Anthocoris species, probably nemorum. ( Flower bug) *
SC208694 Wolf spiders on boardwalk
SC209694 unidentified Hover fly and several Yellow Dung Flies.
SC208694 several Noon Flies on the wooden bridge
SC209693 unidentified fly
SC208694 and throughout reserve, Cuckoo Spit leaf hopper

* My thanks to Dr. Joe Botting of the britishbugs website for the identification of the Capsid and Flower bugs.  See more here: https://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Miridae/grypocoris_stysi.html

Willow Warbler

nearly the same photo but I liked the bee!

Willow Warbler

7-spot Ladybird

and another nearby

this is a 7-spot Ladybird larva

these Capsid bugs were all over the nettles

they are rather beautiful
Grypocoris stysi

Nymph of a Anthocoris species ( Flower Bug) - probably
Anthocoris nemorum

possibly a flea beetle?

Speckled Wood butterfly

a great plant for wildlife, Hemlock Water Dropwort
Depressaria daucella caterpillars on the left, Honey Bee on right.

close up of Depressaria daucella caterpillar

and another

Honey Bees on the Hemlock Water Dropwort

a couple of Noon Flies on the bridge

Silver Ground Carpet Moth

and a Clouded Border Moth

not a photo I take very often!
the compost heap

Cuckoo Spit on thistle*

Meadow buttercups are starting to appear in the damp meadow
Hopefully they will spread

Flag iris in the damp meadow

Small Heath butterfly

Native yellow waterlilies in flower now

the hide in June

Cuckoo Flowers in the damp meadow
one of the Orange Tip butterfly food plants

a veritable sea of foamy white Hemlock Water Dropwort

Common Valerian and Hemlock Water Dropwort

a lovely combination near the boardwalk - nature does it so well!
Red Campion and Hemlock Water Dropwort

Red Campion

another pretty corner

Yellow Flag Iris in the damp meadow

Meadowsweet in bud

Ragged Robin in the damp meadow
hopefully it too will spread

mown area seen from the private entrance

the pond seen from the hide

*The cuckoo spit Froghopper nymph is making the headlines at the moment as a possible vector of the bacterial plant disease Xylella fastidiosa. We do not yet have this disease in Britain but I believe it is devastating olive groves in Italy. A citizen science project has been launched to see which plants the Froghopper nymphs live on in their cuckoo spit but as far as I can see they are not at all fussy and it can be found on just about everything.

15th June 2019

While at Ballachurry on Friday afternoon I noticed that the Reserve had marched under the gate and out about 2 feet across the pavement! So I returned on Saturday with a sharp spade and dug it back to the boundary. I soon had a full trug of vegetation which I took to the compost heap so any wildlife lurking in it could escape elsewhere. I also cut back a few brambles etc. which were trying to cross the paths.

I enjoyed the birdsong while working and saw 2 x Wren near the gate ( SC210694) There was a Song Thrush on the Bowman Bench ( SC209695) and a Goldfinch on the wires ( SC209693) The Moorhen was on the pond (SC209694)

Two Small Heath Butterflies were around the longer grass near the noticeboard and there was a Silver Ground Carpet Moth near Ginnie's Bench. Speckled Woods at SC209694. & SC208695. Unidentified moth at SC209694.

Song Thrush on the bench

Moorhen back on the water
Sadly, we don't think the 2 chicks survived

Small Heath butterfly

Speckled Wood

unidentified moth at SC209694

I am seeking IDs for some of the above and will update the captions when I know more. I have another short report to post following a walk round the Reserve with a friend on Monday, but you will have to be patient a little longer for that one!

Remember you can click on the photos to enlarge them.