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| July at Ballachurry Reserve |
I arrived at the reserve around 2.30 on Thursday and enjoyed walking round in the sunshine for a couple of hours. There was plenty of birdsong from the trees but I hardly managed to see a bird at all! The water fowl saved the day as far as photos were concerned though. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209694 ( from hide) 2 x adult Moorhens and 2 x juveniles
SC209694 ( from hide) female Mallard
SC208694 2 x Woodpigeon; Willow Warbler heard but not seen; 2 x Great Tit
SC209695 Goldfinch, Willow Warbler; Chiffchaff - all heard but not seen
SC210694 Goldfinch
Butterflies and Moths:
SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell; Meadow Brown
SC209694 Meadow Brown
SC208694 Meadow Brown
SC209695 Green Veined White
SC209693 Meadow Brown
Sc208695 Clouded Border moth
Ladybirds:
SC210694 11 x 7-spot
SC 209694 7-spot
SC208695 2 x 7-spot
Other:
SC209695 various instars of Gorse Shieldbugs
SC209694 various instars of Gorse Shieldbugs
SC208695 male Syrphus species Hoverfly & male Helophilus pendulus Hoverfly
SC209694 Soldier Beetle
SC210694 and throughout reserve Marsh Woundwort in flower
SC209694 and throughout reserve - Honeybees especially on bramble flowers
SC209693 "Cuckoo Spit" Common Froghopper nymphs - Philaenus spumarius . They make the spittle by blowing bubbles through their bottoms! Have just learnt this interesting fact from British Wildlife Magazine!
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| neatly mown paths look inviting - which one shall I take first? |
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| first call, the bird hide and pond |
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| female Mallard |
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| adult Moorhen |
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| and another |
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| one of two juveniles |
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| Green Veined White butterfly |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Meadow Brown |
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| another of the freshly mown areas |
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| bridge and boardwalk |
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| one of several 7-spot Ladybirds near the entrance |
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| another along the Gorse Boundary on thistle |
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| this one was on the old beehive loop |
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| Marsh Woundwort - stop and smell the pungent leaves! |
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| some Hawthorn berries already red |
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| what a lush meadow! |
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| taken from the ramp to the hide |
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| Syrphus species Hoverfly - male |
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| Helophilus pendulus Hoverfly - male |
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| early instar of a Gorse Shieldbug |
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| another early one |
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| this one is older - note the changed colour |
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| and this is a late instar - another colour change |
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| the Cuckoo Spit hides the nymph of the Common Froghopper |
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| Soldier Beetle |
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| The reddish hue = dock seeds |
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| looking across the meadow to the hide |
