No problems with social distancing at Ballachurry today - I had the reserve completely to myself so took my time and enjoyed the sunshine. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209693 2 x Woodpigeon; Chaffinch; Magpie
SC209694 ( path junction) Sedge Warbler; Chaffinch; Song Thrush; Blackbird heard but not seen
SC209694 ( near hide) Moorhen; Swallow flying over; Willow Warbler;
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Wren; Sedge Warbler; Great Tit
SC208694 Sedge Warbler; 3 x Goldfinch; Willow Warbler; Chiffchaff; Great Tit; Robin;
SC208695 male Chaffinch;
SC209695 Great Tit; male Chaffinch.
Butterflies:
SC209693 male Orange Tip
SC208695 Small White; male Orange Tip
SC209694 male Orange Tip; Orange tip eggs on Cuckoo Flower
SC208694 male Orange Tip
SC209695 female Wall Brown
Other:
SC209694 4 x Sloe Bugs including mating pair
SC208695 Various Hoverflies on blossom
SC209694 solitary self-seeded Ox-eye Daisy near path junction
SC209694 Blackthorns again affected by Taphrina pruni fungal pathogen
SC209694 Gorse Sheildbug
SC209694 Apple trees in blossom
SC209695 sheet web spider webs in gorse
SC208694 Orange Tip butterfly eggs on Cuckoo Flower + female Hoverfly(Platycheirus albimanus ?)
SC208694 Ground Ivy in flower
I was able to test out the bridge repair with my great weight and am pleased to report that it is rock solid! Many thanks again to Janet and Guy for undertaking the task and also for replacing the boardwalk plank.
The reserve is slowly turning white:
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| Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| Hogweed |
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| Rowan |
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| Stitchwort |
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| Stitchwort |
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| Hawthorn |
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| female Eristalis species Hoverfly |
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| Helophilus pendulus"footballer" Hoverfly |
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Orange Tip eggs on Cuckoo Flower - fly landed as I was taking the photo
Platycheirus albimanus perhaps |
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| Hawthorn blossom in foreground |
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| falling water level in pond |
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| damp meadow not looking so damp |
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| repaired bridge |
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| and repaired boardwalk |
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| Ground Ivy in flower |
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| Hemlock Water Dropwort along stream |
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| Trees in adjacent property greening up |
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| near the Ash grove |
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| Mown area near the Bowman bench |
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| Sorrel in flower |
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| sheet web from spiders in gorse |
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| nice contrasting colours of young Sycamore |
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| the old and the new - Dandelions |
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| Apple Blossom |
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| Gorse Shieldbug |
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| Mating Sloe Bugs ( also known as Hairy Shieldbugs) |
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| Tephrina pruni distorts the developing sloes |
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| bud of Ox-eye daisy |
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| another lovely blue sky day |
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| even docks look good when back lit! |
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| looking back as I head for home |
with thanks to Steve Crellin for fly IDs
please click on photos to enlarge them
