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a lovely May day at Ballachurry Resrve
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My last visit to the Reserve in May took place on Bank Holiday Saturday. It was an unscheduled visit because, according to the weather forecast, it was going to be a cloudy, dull morning perfect for catching up on the chores at home. However, during the course of breakfast it became apparent that the better weather had reached us sooner than expected, so I grabbed my binoculars, camera and a notebook and headed down to the Reserve shortly after 10 o'clock. I'm so glad I did! Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 Kestrel mobbed by a Corvid; Chaffinch heard but not seen.
SC209694 2 x Sedge Warbler seen, others heard; Willow Warbler;2 x Moorhen on pond; Blackcap heard but not seen; female Chaffinch; Goldfinch; Woodpigeon; Wren.
SC209695 Blackbird;Dunnock; male Chaffinch
SC208694 Willow Warbler; Robin;
SC208695 Blackbird; Blackcap heard but not seen.
SC209693 male and female Blackbirds together.
Other:
SC210694 10-spot Ladybird in Garlic Mustard flower head
SC210694 Orange tip eggs on Garlic Mustard
SC210694 4 x 7-spot Ladybirds, one with a smudged spot looking like a comma
SC210694 small Nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana)
SC209695 small Nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana)
SC210694 Unidentified White Butterfly flying
SC210694 Sow Thistle and Hogweed in flower
SC210694 Jumping spider on wall, probably Salticus scenicus
SC210694 Nursery Web Spider in nettles Pisaura mirabilis
SC209694 Spider in gorse Tetragnatha species
SC208694 several Wolf spiders on boardwalk Pardosa species
SC208694 unidentified White Butterfly flying
SC210694 Green Veined White butterfly
SC208694 single toadstool by boardwalk with a a tiny fly on cap
SC209694 Taphrina pruni ( Plum Pocket Gall fungus) on some Blackthorns
SC208694 Speckled Wood Butterfly
SC208695 unidentified White flying
SC209694 Green Veined White butterfly
SC209694 Wall Brown butterfly
SC209695 Leucozona lucorum fly on nettles - female
SC210694 garden escape Oxalis in flower
SC209695 Black Campion Aphids ( food for ladybirds)
SC209694 good clumps of Red Campion now in flower
SC210694 Click beetle in nettles probably Athous haemorrhoidalis
SC208695 Carder Bee?
SC208695 Crane Fly - probably Tipula oleracea
SC208694 Cultivated purple iris in flower
SC209694 Dung fly - Scathophaga species
SC210694 2 x Rhingia campestris hoverfly
SC208695 Rhingia campestris hoverfly
SC208695 Eristalis species hoverfly?
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug eggs
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only one Moorhen visible on my first visit of the day to the Hide
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an hour later they were both out on the water
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this Blackbird flew into the Reserve to join its mate
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another Blackbird at the opposite end of the Reserve
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male Chaffinch in Ash Tree
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| Dunnock |
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| Goldfinch |
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Sedge Warbler singing from Hawthorn bush
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a momentary pause
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then back to its raucous song
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another Sedge Warbler
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and yet another
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distant Reed Bunting
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same bird, different angle
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the Willow Warbler was singing in the same tree as last week
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I had a good view of it
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lovely little bird
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and didn't seem to mind my presence
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this was a juvenile Wren, I think
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it actually flew down out of the tree and landed in the gorse close to me
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signs of Taphrina pruni fungus on the Blackthorn
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otherwise known as Plum Pocket Gall
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one solitary toadstool with unidentified tiny fly
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a lovely stand of Red Campion
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I think this is a Carder bee -it was carefully washing its face
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Crane Fly species- probably Tipula oleracea
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cultivated Iris showing through near the bridge
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Green Veined White on Hawthorn
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a rather tattered Wall Brown
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a different view
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a very camouflaged spider on the gorse - Tetragnatha species
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Nursery Web Spider - Pisaura mirabilis
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a very small Jumping spider on the wall - probably Salticus scenicus
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they are very camouflaged - I was specifically looking for one
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you can scarcely see its abdomen against the lichen
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one of several Wolf Spiders on the Boardwalk ( Pardosa sp)
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Scathophaga species - dung fly
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Rhingia campestris on the Garlic Mustard
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Leucozona species Hoverfly - female
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| Rhingia campestris |
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and another - they look very orange when flying
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Click beetle - possibly Athous haemorrhoidalis
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Black Campion aphids
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Gorse Shieldbug eggs
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and some more - I'll try to monitor them
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Nettle-tap moth ( Anthophila fabriciana)
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and another - they like the nettles
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Eristalis species hoverfly
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Hogweed in full flower
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7spot Ladybird with a smudge!
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7-spot ladybird and Nettle-tap moth moth
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10-spot Ladybird - they are very tiny
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orange egg of Orange Tip butterfly on Garlic Mustard
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garden escape Oxalis
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Plantains in flower
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Shepherd's Purse growing on the roof of the hide
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meadow looking lush and wood chip grassing over already
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this Hawthorn is turning from white to pink
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as the close up shows
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I'm told this box has tenants!
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willows going to seed - falls like snow!
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Sow thistle near gate
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Hide hiding in the Hemlock Water Dropwort
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Gorse along the boundary.
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A morning well spent!
With thanks to Steve Crellin, Kate Hawkins and Ian Scott for help with identifications
please click on photos to enlarge them
