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| looking back along the stream to the pond and reed bed |
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I visited the Reserve this week on a somewhat cloudy afternoon with an autumn chill in the air. It was also quite breezy and most of the insects I saw were keeping low down in the undergrowth. There were also very few birds about and nothing to be seen feasting on the berries, however here are the notes I made from my visit:
Birds:
SC208694 Blackbird and Robin heard but not seen
SC208695 Robin
SC209694 Robin; Wren heard but not seen; 2 x Woodpigeon flying over
SC209693 Robin heard but not seen
Butterflies:
SC209694 Speckled Wood
SC209695 Speckled Wood
Ladybirds:
SC209694 2 x 7-spot hibernating in gorse + one active on thistle
Other:
SC209695 On Ragwort and Hawkbit: Eristalis tenax; Eristalis pertinax; other Eristalis species; Episyrphus balteatus Hoverfly ( Marmalade fly)
SC209695 late instar Shieldbug nymph of on bracken
SC208695 early instar Shieldbug nymphs on Blackberry + later instar nymph on Rowan berries
SC209694 adult Hawthorn Shieldbug on Rosehips
SC209694 good patch of fungi - Scurfy Twiglet?
SC209694 Froghoppers
SC209694 Tar Spot + felt galls on Sycamore (Aceria pseudoplatani gall mite)
SC209694 Spangle Galls on Oak
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| Cloudy skies over Ballachurry. |
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Another Robin hoping to be on my Christmas Cards?
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| View through the shutters |
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| I received a suggestion that this might be a male in eclipse? |
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two unidentified Froghoppers
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yet another
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Two Shieldbug nymphs on this juicy blackberry
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a late instar Shieldbug nymph
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this one might be a Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph
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some Ladybirds are starting to hibernate I think
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| tucked up in a gorse seed pod |
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| this one was still active in the thistles |
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| I decided to check out this wild rose bush |
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and found a Hawthorn Shieldbug on the rosehips
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| Sycamores have been attacked by Tar Spot fungus |
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Felt Galls caused by Aceria pseudplatani gall mites
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Oak Spangle galls
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| possible Scurfy Twiglet again |
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| quite a large patch of them on the wood chip path |
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| the usual fixed point view of the hide |
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| Nice to see a larger expanse of open water again |
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no sign of the Water Rail though
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Eristalis tenax Hoverfly on Ragwort
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Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly
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Eristalis species Hoverfly
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Episyrphus balteatus Hoverfly - Marmalade fly
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Eristalis species Hoverfly
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and a hint of work to come!
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With thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identifications
My next post will be an account of Saturday's Work Party.
please click on photos to enlarge
