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| A perfect summer's day at Ballachurry Reserve |
Monday's forecast sounded perfect for my next visit to the Reserve. But things kept cropping up and it was actually 11.45 before I walked through the gate. Very frustrating! So it was nearly 2.30 when I headed home for a late lunch! During that time I had the reserve completely to myself and managed to see quite a lot:
Birds:
SC209693 Willow Warbler heard but not seen
SC209694 Blackbird heard but not seen; Sedge Warbler; 2 x adult Moorhen + 1 chick; 2 x Blue Tit; Chaffinch Heard not seen.
SC208694 Goldfinch; Sedge Warbler in reeds; Chaffinch; Willow Warbler heard not seen; Chiffchaff heard not seen; Woodpigeon flying over;
SC208695 Great Tit x 2; Chaffinch; Blackbird heard not seen
I am very grateful to my friend, Anne Kaye, for loaning me her camera while mine is repaired so that I could take photos of the Sedge Warblers.
Ladybirds:
SC210694 44 x 7-spot!
SC209693 9 x 7-spot
SC208694 2 x 7-spot
SC209694 26 x 7-spot
SC208695 4 x 7-spot
SC208695 1 x 11-spot ( lucky to notice this as tiny)
Total 7-spots = 85
Butterflies:
SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell; unidentified White flying
SC209693 unidentified White flying
SC209694 ( path junction) Speckled Wood
SC208694 Red Admiral flying; unidentified White flying
SC208695 2 x Speckled Wood
Other:
SC210694 5 x Grypocoris stysi Capsid bugs + probable Common Green Capsid bug
SC210694 various unidentified Hoverflies
SC209693 very small fly on dock - male Microchrysa ( soldierfly ) Possibly flavicornis
SC 209693 Depressaria daucella caterpillars on Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC209695 Broken Brown lipped Banded Snail shell on stone near stream ( evidence of Thrush)
SC209695 Longtail - obviously sick ( if you are reading this from outside IOM I should explain that we don't use the R-word!)
SC208694 Gorse Shieldbug nymph, early instar.
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| Sedge Warbler in reeds |
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| another view |
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| Chaffinch in neighbouring garden |
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| Goldfinch |
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| distant Moorhen and chick |
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| Sedge Warbler near the hide |
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| taken through the hide doorway |
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| 7-spot Ladybirds are having a good year |
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| they love nettles and thistles because they often have aphids |
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| on Hemlock Water Dropwort seed head |
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| same 7-spot Ladybird + Depressaria daucella moth caterpillar |
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| 11-spot Ladybird is smaller than a grass seed! |
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| a male Syrphus species Hoverfly |
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| three views of the same Hoverfly on Hogweed |
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| a male Microchrysa ( soldierfly) possibly flavicornis |
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| later the sea mist came rolling in in the distance |
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| Hemlock Water Dropwort starting to obstruct bridge - will be cut back |
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| view from hide |
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| one of my fixed point photos |
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| Small Capsid bug with a big name - Grypocoris stysi |
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| early instar of Gorse Shieldbug nymph |
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| another view - they are really tiny |
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| possibly Common Green Capsid - checking |
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| the wild roses are truly at their best in June |
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| garden escape Oxalis near gate |
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| another garden escape |
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| Elder flower - the Reserve has its own Tramman Tree! |
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| Meadowsweet now in flower |
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| and thistles too |
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| first Hazel nut I've noticed |
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| a rather blurry picture of Yellow Rattle - the only one I could find |
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| Hogweed looking like lace |
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| grasses are beautiful when in flower |
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| a rather sick Longtail I fear ( poisoned elsewhere?) |
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| the stream is hard to see in summer because of the lush vegetation |
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| we think a Thrush is using this stone as an anvil - Banded Snail |
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Speckled Wood butterfly
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| sea mist still rolling in as I left but reserve still sunny
Blogger is refusing to let me present these 2 photos in the usual way or put any concluding text beneath them! My apologies but it's a complete mystery! Hopefully all the photos will enlarge if you click on them.
with thanks to Steve Crellin for fly IDs | |
