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| Early June at Ballachurry reserve |
I visited the reserve on Monday morning in beautiful sunshine but after about 2 minutes headed back to my car to get a coat! It was a chilly breeze! Lots to see in the nettles today between the gate and the noticeboard so read on:
Birds:
SC210694 Goldfinch
SC209693 Chaffinch; adult Great Tit + 2 x juveniles; Woodpigeon flying over
SC209694 Willow Warbler heard but not seen; Sedge Warbler opposite Hide; Chaffinch; Goldfinch.
SC208694 Willow Warbler heard but not seen; Chiffchaff heard but not seen; Robin.
SC209695 male Blackbird
SC209694 ( pond) female Mallard; 2 x Adult & 2 x chick Moorhens
Butterflies and Moths:
SC209693 unidentified moth; larvae of Depressaria daucella moth on Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC208694 Speckled Woods near compost heap and boardwalk
SC209694 Speckled Wood
SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly caterpillars
SC208695 Unidentified White butterfly flying
Ladybirds:
SC210694 1 Adult 7-spot and 7 larvae in nettles
Other:
SC209694 female Syrphys species Hoverfly
SC208694 Rhingia campestris Hoverfly
SC209694 Tephritis species fly - Xyphosia miliaria
SC209694 Marmalade Hoverfly
SC209694 very small Hoverfly on buttercup - Eupeodes corollae male
SC208695 "Footballer" Hoverflies x 2 Helophilus pendulus
SC209693 Various Muscid species flies
SC208694 Noon fly
SC208695 Noon fly
SC210694 Liocoris tripustularis Bug on nettles
SC210694 Grypocoris stysi capsid bugs ( many)
SC209694 and throughout reserve Honey Bees
SC209694 Cuckoo Spit Froghopper nymph - Philaenus spumarius
SC209694 galls on Sycamore leaves
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| 7-spot Ladybird near the Noticeboard |
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| 7-spot Ladybird larva |
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| Liocoris tripustulatus Bug - they feed on nettles |
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| Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillar |
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| and another |
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| Depressaria daucella moth caterpillar |
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| here on Hemlock Water Dropwort but they also use Hogweed |
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| Not what I like to record or have to pick up! Litter and fire hazard! One of 2 found on reserve. |
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| Grypocoris stysi Capsid bug. |
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| Bird Hide among the Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| I always check the board to see what has been seen by others! |
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| female Mallard |
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| one of 2 adult Moorhens |
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| here's the other with chick |
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| 2 chicks starting to be independent |
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| feeding among the yellow water lilies |
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| but still like to keep close to mother most of the time |
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| view from inside the hide looking left |
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| and looking right |
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| Singing right outside the Hide door..... |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| it was there all morning |
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| the damp meadow |
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| with Purple Loosestrife coming into flower |
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| and Meadow buttercups |
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| and Flag Iris |
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| Docks are not a welcome addition |
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| but Sorrel is |
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| Honey bee |
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| and another |
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| Looking back across the meadow to hide |
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| female Syrphus species Hoverfly |
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| A Muscid species |
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| Another Muscid |
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| all flies love Hogweed! Green Bottle ( possibly Lucillia) |
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| Calliphora species fly |
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| Marmalade Hoverfly - female |
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| Tephritis species on thistle - Xyphosia miliaria |
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| male Eupeodes corollae Hoverfly on buttercup |
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| female Rhingia campestris? They look very orange when flying |
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| "Footballer" Hoverfly on Hogweed - Helophilus pendulus |
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| and another |
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| can't beat a wild rose for beauty! |
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| controversial but excellent for wildlife - Cushag ( Ragwort) |
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| Cuckoo Spit leafhopper in there somewhere |
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| Catsear I think |
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| Unidentified moth |
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| some sort of gall on Sycamore |
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| underside of galls |
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| Speckled Wood butterfly |
An interesting morning on the reserve
Click on photos to enlarge them with thanks to Steve Crellin for fly IDs
