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the damp meadow - Marsh Marigolds in the foreground. Stitchwort in the background.
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After visiting the Reserve every day for a week at the end of April I resumed my usual weekly visits for May on Thursday morning. It was rather damp and somewhat cold but nevertheless I recorded quite a lot. I was just about to leave when the sun decided to break through at last so I lingered hoping the slight rise in temperature would bring out some butterflies and other insects. My hunch proved correct and, although my lunch was later than anticipated, I was able to add quite a few species to my list.
Birds:
SC209693 Willow Warbler; male Chaffinch;
SC209694 Sedge Warbler; drake Mallard on pond & duck Mallard flew in to adjoining scrub; male Blackbird; Woodpigeon; 2 x BlueTit; Goldfinch; male & female Chaffinch, a pair later seen mating; Song Thrush heard not seen; Robin; male & female Blackbirds seen separately; Chiffchaff; Pheasant heard not seen; Wren heard not seen
SC208695 Blackbird heard not seen; Willow Warbler
SC208694 male Blackbird ; Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff heard not seen near the compost heap; Woodpigeon; Sedge Warbler heard from reed bed; Mallard flying over; male Pheasant flying over;
SC209695 Blue Tit; Willow Warbler carrying nesting material; Chiffchaff heard not seen
SC210694 male Blackbird;
Butterflies:
SC209693 male Orange Tip
SC210694 male and female Orange Tip
SC209693 Orange Tip egg on Garlic Mustard
SC208694 unidentified White flying
SC209695 male Orange Tip
SC209694 male and female Orange Tip. Egg on Garlic Mustard flower.
Other:
SC209694 spiders in gorse: Philodromus sp ( Crab running spider) NEW RECORD FOR RESERVE
SC209695 Cucumber spider ( Araniella cucurbitina) in gorse. With thanks to Kate Hawkins for confirming the ID. NEW RECORD FOR RESERVE
SC208694 2 x Tetragnatha sp. spiders
SC209694 honey and bumble bees in gorse and on dandelions
SC209694 wolf spiders in grass
SC208695 various unidentified flies
SC208695 Leucozona lucorum Hoverfly
SC208695 Yellow Dung Flies x 3
SC208695 Tephritis fly semaphoring on Hogweed - Euleia heraclei
SC208695 oak galls on oak leaves - to be ID'd
SC208695 Ichneumon Wasp
SC210694 Sloe Bug
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug and Eggs
SC209694 7-spot Ladybird
SC210694 Pisaura mirabilis Spider ( Nursery Web spider)
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Singing male Blackbird
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Blue Tit
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a singing Blue Tit elsewhere
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Mallard drake
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| Moorhen |
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Sedge Warbler
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| Rattles, |
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whistles and squeaks!
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silent for a moment
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then off it goes again!
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give us a twirl!
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not sure whether this is a Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler - a Willchaff!
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female Orange Tip
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male Orange Tip
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there were lots of males about once the sun came out
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Orange Tip egg on Garlic Mustard flower
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Bumblebee
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Honey bee
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Pisaura miarabilis spider ( Nursery Web)
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Crab Running Spider in the gorse (Philodromus sp.)
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Cucumber Spider - a new record for the Reserve
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another view
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with thanks to Kate Hawkins for confirming the ID
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this one was really minute ( not possible to ID from photo)
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suspended in its web - Tetragnatha sp. ( Long jawed Orbweb spider)
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very easy to miss this one aligned along the branch Tetragnathat sp.
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Sloe Bug (aka Hairy Shieldbug)
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Gorse Shieldbug
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Gorse Shieldbug eggs
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7-spot Ladybird
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Tephritis fly -Euleia heraclei (Celery/Hogweed fly)
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another view
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Leucozona lucorum hoverfly
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Yellow Dung Fly
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Ichneumen Wasp
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they are parasitic
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one of the new oak trees is now in leaf
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an older Oak tree has galls coming
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Over 50 species of galls can appear on Oak trees! I''ll monitor these.
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usual fixed point photo
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I zoomed in on the roof to try to see what species are there - it's meant to be clover!
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bluebell time at Ballachurry ( will take a year or two)
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Cuckoo flowers (food plant for Orange Tip caterpillars)
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Hedge garlic also their food plant but flowers have been snapped off
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something is also eating the leaves
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Hemlock Water Dropwort coming into bloom
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susbsiding water level in pond
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general view across reserve
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looking towards the reed bed
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and a final view of the work in progress
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It was worth making my lunch a little late for this interesting visit. With thanks to Steve Crellin and Kate Hawkins for help with IDs.
please click on photos to enlarge them
