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July Meadow, Ballachurry Reserve.
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Friday afternoon was my last chance to visit Ballachurry that week. My last visit for July, in fact. Earlier in the week it was either too hot or too wet - real extremes. I wore wellies to walk round the reserve thinking the vegetation might still be wet from the morning's rain, which indeed it was in places. It was generally cloudy although the sun broke through from time to time but after one circuit of the reserve I had to return to the car to grab my fleece as a strong North Westerly was blowing up and I felt decidedly chilly. Here is what I recorded during a two hour visit.
Birds:
SC 210694 3 x Swallows; 2 x House Martins all flying over.
SC209694 2 x Wren; Great Tit; juvenile Blackbird; Hybrid Mallard and juvenile; juvenile Moorhen
SC208694 2 x Wren; 2 x House Martins flying over
SC208695 Willow Warbler with juvenile; Chaffinch; Wren; probable juvenile Willow Warbler alone; Blackcap male; Great Tit; 3 x Chaffinch ( male, female, juvenile); 2 x Blackbird; Dunnock; *Treecreeper. Blue Tit;
SC209695 2 x Goldfinch; 2 x Blackbird taking Rowan berries; 3 x Chaffinch; 2 x Woodpigeon
Butterflies:
SC210694 3 x Unidentified Whites in brambles; Green Veined White; Small White; Meadow Brown.
SC209693 Unidentified White; Speckled Wood
SC209694 Small White; 3 x Meadow Brown; Green Veined White
SC208694 3 x Unidentified Whites over meadow. Small White
SC208695 Large White; Green Veined White,
SC209695 Speckled Wood; 2 x Meadow Brown; Large White
Ladybirds:
SC209694 7-spot on Nettles
SC209695 very small 7-spot on Brambles
Other:
SC210694 Unidentified Bumble Bee on Marsh Woundwort
SC209694 Turnip Sawfly - Athalia rosae
SC209695 Marmalade Hoverflies x 4 ( Episyrphus balteatus) a Syrphus species Hoverfly; Greenbottle Muscid Fly ( probably Eudasyphora species)
SC209695Adult Gorse Shieldbug + various instar nymphs
SC209694 Adult Gorse Shieldbug + various instar nymphs
SC209693 small Garden Spider on thistle - Araneus diadematus
SC208694 Wolf spiders on boardwalk
SC209694 and throughout reserve - Great Willow Herb in flower
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mother duck taking a well earned nap
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that's her duckling on the left
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They are not pure Mallard
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The juvenile Moorhen is also growing up fast now
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no sign of its parents lately
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juvenile Blackbird taking Rowan berries
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| Goldfinch |
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juvenile Goldfinch ( I think!)
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probably a juvenile Chaffinch?
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Willow Warblers. They were making vocal "weep" calls
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This one was a juvenile I think
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I had a better view of this one about an hour later
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it was very yellow
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I think the younger birds are more yellow
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Willow Warbler rather than Chiffchaff, I think.
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this 7-spot was very small
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and this one elsewhere was larger
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Meadow Brown
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Green Veined White
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Large White
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Green Veined White
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another Small White
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Hemp Agrimony starting to open
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recent rain has started to green up the roof
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Meadow probably at its best now
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Sneezewort and Purple Loosestrife
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Marmalade Hoverfly on the right, unknown on left 01
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Syrphus species Hoverfly
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there seemed to be Marmalade Hoverflies everywhere
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another Marmalade Hoverfly
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Marmalade Hoverfly
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Green Bottle Muscid - probably Eusdasyphora species
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Turnip Sawfly - Athalia rosae
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adult Gorse Shield Bug
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early instar Gorse Shieldbug nymph
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and a later instar
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parent and child!
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another stage of Gorse Shieldbug development
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Great Willow Herb now in flower throughout reserve
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ripening Rowan berries
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Wolf Spider on the boardwalk
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Garden Spider - Araneus diadematus
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pond view looking left
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and right
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Loostrife abundant at this time of year
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* Treecreeper. I was standing in deep shadow under the ash saplings observing other birds when it flew in at low level over my left shoulder and landed on a trunk very close to me - I could have touched it! It then noticed me almost immediately ( probably because I exclaimed Treecreeper aloud!) and flew to another tree nearby then quickly off and away. This was only the second time I have seen one at the reserve. The first time was many years ago.
A very pleasant end to the month. What will August bring?
(With thanks to Steve Crellin for the fly identifications )
Please click on photos to enlarge them
