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| Meadowsweet in the meadow |
Two visits to Ballachurry on Wednesday! We'd received a report that a tree had blown over and was blocking the path so I went down with loppers, hoping they would be adequate and that I wouldn't need a man with a chain saw! One of the willows on the old beehive loop had split right down the middle in the recent gale and had indeed completely blocked the path. I cleared a way through but we can leave the main trunk where it has fallen and it may well root in where it touches the ground. Thanks to the member of public who reported it to the MWT office.
Of more concern was the fact that we had clearly had some sheep on the reserve! Sheep dung everywhere - especially on my shoes! They had left some wool behind too as evidence, if more evidence were needed. It seems they may have got in through the adjoining private land but the gate has now been padlocked so hopefully it won't occur again. The sheep dung was attracting flies which were quite persistent in their attentions so when I returned in the afternoon to do a recording visit I made sure I was well and truly covered in insect repellent!
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| Exhibit A - woolly evidence. I'll spare you Exhibit B! |
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I returned to the reserve about 3 and spent a couple of hours there. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209693 Sedge Warbler
SC208694 Sedge Warbler; Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff ( both heard but not seen)
SC209694 Chiffchaff heard but not seen
SC209694 ( from hide) female Mallard; 2 x Adult Moorhens + 2 chicks.
Butterflies & moths:
SC210694 Red Admiral
SC209694 Common Blue; Meadow Brown seen singly but also a mating pair; Speckled Wood
SC208694 Speckled Wood
SC208694 Silver Y moth; Speckled Wood; Red Admiral; Meadow Brown
SC209695 Meadow Brown
SC209693 Unidentified white flying
Ladybirds:
SC210694 23 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC209694 5 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC208695 3 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC208694 4 x 7-spot Ladybirds
Other:
SC210694 2 x Grypocoris stysi bugs
SC208694 Scaeva pyrastri (?) Hoverfly sharing Hemlock Water Dropwort flower with Ladybird
SC208695 Syrphus species Hoverfly
SC209694Syrphus species Hoverfly
SC209694 Tephritis species fly on thistle -Xyphosia miliaria
SC209694 unidentified micro moth
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| Moorhen with chick |
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| juvenile growing fast |
