Ballachurry Reserve, 23rd March, 2022.

Beatutiful day, beautiful reserve.

 I could hear a Chiffchaff singing from inside the Reserve as I stepped out of my car on Wednesday. Then as I stood on the pavement I spotted the Ivy Leaved Toadflax in flower, growing on the Reserve wall. Such a pretty little flower.  An excellent start to a lovely spring visit . Here's what I recorded:

 Birds: 

SC210694 Chiffchaff  heard but not seen. 2 x Buzzard overhead

SC209693 Robin; female Chaffinch; female Blackbird; Song Thrush;Magpie heard but not seen; Woodpigeon flying over.

SC208694 ( near compost) Wren; Magpie; Blue Tit x 2 together; Robin;  Chiffchaff heard not seen;

SC208694 ( general)  Chiffchaff; 4 x Long Tailed Tit

SC208695  Dunnock; Blue tit; Wren; Great Tit; Goldfinch

 SC209695  Magpie; 2 x Wren; 

SC209694 Chiffchaff; Goldcrest;  Buzzard ( fleetingly)  Robin with nesting material; Magpie; Jackdaw; Goldfinch; Great Tit;

Other:

SC209695 3 x 7-spot Ladybird; 2 x Gorse Shieldbug;   Metellina species spider ; Honey bees & Bumble Bee.  (all in gorse)

SC209694 3 x Gorse Shieldbug;  Sloe Bug ( aka Hairy Shieldbug) 

SC209694 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly on dandelion +  in territorial dispute with Peacock butterfly 

SC208694 Small Tortoisehell flying over

 SC208694  Broad Buckler fern growing under willows ( with thanks to Andree Dubbeldam for ID)

SC208694 Hare's Foot Inkcap fungus

 SC208694  Lesser Spearwort, no longer floating

SC208694 Honey and Bumble Bees on Willow flowers

 SC209694 Honey Bees in Daffodils

 SC210694 Ivy Leaved Toadflax on reserve wall

Blue Tit

one of about 3 Chiffchaffs on the Reserve

this one was close to the new pond

in a birch tree

a welcome summer migrant

Great Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Robin

Wren was thoroughly exploring this log for insects

first glimpse of calling Buzzards just as I was leaving

a composite picture of one of them

Insects love the  willow flowers - Honey Bee

and a Bumble Bee

Honey Bee in daffodil

and Bumble Bee in gorse

a Bumble Bee in the Blackthorn blossom

Honey bee visiting  gorse

this is the plant that was floating last week - Lesser Spearwort

signs that we have an active Hedgehog

usual view to indicate the weather

looking back towards the hide

7-spot Ladybird in gorse

this one was on the dead stems of Hemlock Water Dropwort

photographed in same spot last week, this one is still with the Mettellina spider

the stream banks are turning green with Hemlock Water Dropwort

same stream, different area

usual pic. to record the season

the damp meadow was slightly less damp this week

Hare's Foot Inkcap

looking down on the cap

Gorse Shieldbug - note red antennae

Sloe Bug ( aka Hairy Shieldbug)

I checked out all the dandelions in the hopes of finding a butterfly!

Small Tortoiseshell

heading for the bridge

and across towards the compost heap

lovely spring colours

Red Campion, Nettles and Cleavers near the compost heap

this is the first time I've seen a fern at Ballachurry!  Broad Buckler Fern.

Surprisingly, these Hawthorn berries have been left by the birds

water level falling during the current dry spell

Ivy leaved Toadflax

a donation of slate chippings soon to be put to good use

destined mostly to firm up and raise path levels above the mud

but some already in use as boardwalk foundations

water levels have finally fallen enough to press on with this work

also awaiting our next work party - boardwalk timber

 I had a very pleasant morning at the reserve.

My next post will be about our Work Party on 26th March.

Please click on photos to enlarge them

BallachurryReserve, 15th March 2022.

  

Hawthorn and Blackthorn in mid March

 A dry day with intermittent Sunshine was forecast for last Tuesday so I headed down to the Reserve for just after 9.30. There seemed to be birds everywhere at first, although later it went quite quiet. I had a fleeting glance of a Chiffchaff almost immediately and had two further sightings later in different locations.  But perhaps the highlight for me was to see a Greenfinch from the hide. Others have seen Greenfinches at Ballachurry  many times but this was a first for me! Here is my full report:

 Birds:

 SC210694 male Blackbird;  Great Tit; Robin. 2 x Jackdaw on Old School House chimney

SC209693 2 x Robin together; 2 x Wren together; Long Tailed Tit; male and female Blackbirds separately; Chiffchaff;  Dunnock.

SC209694 Magpie flying over; Great Tit; Wren; Heron flying over; female Blackbird; 3 x Goldfinch.

SC209694 ( hide) Greenfinch; Magpie; Water Rail heard not seen; Wren;  Chiffchaff; 2 x Great Tit; Robin; Blue Tit.

SC208694  ( general) Goldfinch; Chaffinch heard not seen; male Blackbird; Robin; Wren;  male Pheasant; (Compost  area)  male Blackbird; Goldfinch; Robin; Magpie flying over; 2 x Blue Tit; Chiffchaff; male and female Chaffinch; Wren.

SC208695 Mistle Thrush; Robin; Woodpigeon over; male Chaffinch; Woodpigeon flying over;  2 x Blue Tit together.

SC209695 Robin;  Great Tit x 2 together; 

Other: 

SC209694 7-spot Ladybird;  Honey Bee;  Metellina species Spider (with thanks to Kate Hawkins for ID)

SC208694 Lesser Spearwort NEW RECORD

a male Blackbird in the Alder tree near the compost heap

juvenile Blackbird on the gorse boundary

it then flew into the ivy to eat the berries

Blue Tit

Singing Dunnock

another view of the same bird

one of two Great Tits seen together

 

Wren in the Blackthorn

Robin near the compost heap

another on the bridge

one of two Robins on the path parallel to the road

this one may be its mate

I usually hear Pheasants more than see them on the Reserve

a fleeting glance of a Long Tailed Tit

just a ball of fluff!

one of 2 Jackdaws next door.

my first view of a Greenfinch at Ballachurry I think

it stayed quite a while

I was very pleased to see it there

view through the shutters

a watery sun

route to the compost heap

7-spot Ladybird and Metellina species  spider

7-spot Ladybird

Honey Bee

a little more progress?

and a dry spell forecast

 Hazel and Blackthorn growing together

Lesser Celandines still in flower

view to reed bed and church

bridge to compost heap

I noticed it is growing moss

cultivated Muscari near the gate

 Lesser Spearwort -thanks to Andree Dubbeldam for ID

some nice reflections in the new pond

Sorrel near the new pond - food plant for Small Copper butterfly caterpillars

the damp meadow still looking fairly desolate

a slightly different view of the hide

cultivated Daffodils along the gorse boundary

 

Three hours well spent on the Reserve.

please click on photos to enlarge them