Sunday 7 August 2022

Ballachurry Reserve, 3rd August, 2022.

my first August visit to the Bird Hide at Ballachurry Reserve.
 

 Another Wednesday morning visit to Ballachurry Reserve. With cloudy skies and a cool breeze, everywhere seemed a little autumnal. Bracken changing colour to yellow, berries on the trees, ripening blackberries and two species of fungi along the paths. I had to remind myself that it was only early August. Later the sun came through intermittently and put a different complexion on things. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC210694  Wood Pigeon flying over; 

SC209694  Male and female/juvenile Blackbirds together in Rowan tree;  male Blackbird elsewhere; Great Tit; Juvenile Greenfinch  Juvenile Chaffinch; 2 x female Mallard; Great Tit; male Pheasant; Woodpigeon flying over. unidentified juveniles x 2

SC208694 6 x Goldfinch flying over; Sedge Warbler;  2 x Wren; Juvenile Siskin; Blue Tit; 2 x Swallow flying over; 4 x Swift flying over; 2 x Chaffinch

SC208695 Blackbird heard not seen;  Woodpigeon heard not seen;   2 x Juvenile Dunnock


Butterflies:

SC209693  Speckled Wood; Meadow Brown

SC209694 Common Blue;  Speckled Wood

 SC208694 Speckled Wood; Small Tortoiseshell; 2 x Red Admiral; Unidentified White flying

SC209695 Speckled Wood

Other: 

SC209693 Soldier Beetle

SC208694 Tachina grossa fly

SC208694 Unidentified Bumble Bee species

SC208695 Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph on Rowan berries

SC209694 Marsh Cudweed growing in excavated part of new dragonfly pond

SC209694 2 x Leiobunum rotundum Harvestmen

SC209694 Hare's foot inkcaps along the paths

SC209694 Unidentified fungi with decurrent gills

SC208694 Soldier Beetle

SC209695 Great Pied Hoverfly 

SC209695 possible femaleAnthomyiid  flies

Sc209695 Syrphus species Hoverfly

SC209695 female Empis livida fly

SC209695 female Epistrophe grossulariae Hoverfly

SC209695 female Platycheirus species Hoverfly

SC209695 Froghopper

SC209695  Leiobunum rotundum Harvestman

SC208695  2 x Syrphus species Hoverflies

SC208695 Muscid fly ( possibly Morellia species) and  possible Lucillis species fly

SC209694 Rhingia sp. Hoverfly.

SC208694  Female  Sarcophaga Flesh Fly

SC209694 Male Sarcophaga Flesh Fly

SC209693 Eristalis nemorum Hoverfly with another hovering above it.

SC209693 Common Wasp 

the Rowan tree near the pond is attracting lots of birds

female or juvenile Blackbird

juvenile Goldfinch

juvenile Greenfinch

same bird back view

Great Tit

another view of the same bird
 
juvenile Wren

Wren

Sedge Warbler

saying "tut tut" intermittently

2 female Mallards

juvenile Greenfinch

juvenile Chaffinch

one of two juvenile Dunnocks

second Juvenile Dunnock


 Juvenile Siskin

boardwalk with Loosestrife alongside

recent rain has put a little water in the new pond

usual view from the hide ramp


3 butterflies on the Hemp Agrimony at the same time


 Red Admiral


Small Tortoiseshell

here with wings closed


another Red Admiral

Common Blue

just a glimpse of the underwing

Speckled Wood in the grass

on a leaf

and on a thistle

new fungus along the path


cap starts circular then develops a more frilly outline

gills are very decurrent -ie. they run down the stem


Tar Spot fungus on sycamore leaves

Hare's Foot Inkcaps

female Eristalis nemorum  Hoverfly feeding on Cushag ( Ragwort)


the male was hovering above her in characteristic behaviour

occasionally he would drop down to touch her very briefly

 Syrphus species Hoverfly

A Marmalade Hoverfly


 Possibly female anthomyliid flies

Syrphus species Hoverfly

Syrphus species Hoverfly

Empis livida, probably female


Great Pied Hoverfly

 female Epistrophe grossulariae Hoverfly

 Platycheirus species Hoverfly

a different view of the same Hoverfly


Tachina grossa on left,  BumbleBee on right

Tachina grossa -a parasitic fly


another view of this huge fly

Female Sarcophaga Flesh Fly

 Male Sarcophaga Flesh Fly

 Muscid fly on left ( Possibly Morellia species) and probably Lucillia species on right

Sargus species, Soldier Fly

a male Leiobunum rotundum Harvestman

a female Leiobunum rotundum Harvestman

a male Harvestman - Leiobunum rotundum

another male Harvestman - Leiobunum rotundum

Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph among Rowan berries

another willow split by gales

rushes flattened by recent strong winds

blackberries starting to ripen

Bracken turning autumn colours

not all the Rowan berries are yet ripe

Acorns starting to develop

Marsh Cudweed

Froghopper  - probably Philaenus spumarius

Soldier Beetle

Wolf spider carrying egg sack
Purple Loosestrife and white Sneezewort still looking good together


time to close shutters and go home - a girl has to eat!

 

With thanks to Neil Morris of Manx Birdlife for identifying the juvenile birds and Steve Crellin for help with Fly Ids

please click on photos to enlarge them