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September, Ballachurry Reserve
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I arrived at the Reserve on Thursday around 9 o'clock again. It was a fine sunny morning but a strong, cold breeze made me glad of my jacket. The sunshine proved to be increasingly intermittent and by the time I left at lunchtime the weather looked quite menacing. Still, it saved the rain until the afternoon and I had a very pleasant morning. Here is what I recorded:Birds:
SC209693 Magpie heard but not seen
SC209694 Magpie flying over; Robin heard not seen; Great Tit in two different locations; Woodpigeon flying over; male Blackbird in two different locations
SC208695 Blackbird alarm call heard;
SC209695 Robin heard not seen
SC208694 Raven heard croaking above but not seen through tree canopy; Robin heard not seen
Not much bird life compared to my previous two visits and no bird photos at all!
Butterflies:
SC210694 Speckled Wood
SC209694 2 x Speckled Wood together near path junction, another near the Hide flying; Small Copper on Cushag ( Ragwort); Speckled Wood along Gorse boundary; 2 x Speckled Wood together near new pond.
SC208695 Speckled Wood flying along path; Speckled Wood sunbathing on leaf; 2 x Speckled Wood flying together and later seen close together on vegetation
SC209695 2 x Speckled Wood on grass
SC209693 2 x Speckled Wood
SC208694 2 x Speckled Wood; Red Admiral
Other:
SC210694 11-spot Ladybird (fairly uncommon and not seen on Reserve for some time)
SC209694 ( from hide) 2 x Common Darter dragonflies over pond; at least 4 Migrant Hawker Dragonflies over pond including 2 flying conjoined; Migrant Hawker also flew across path near path junction.
SC210694 Hare's Foot Inkcaps just inside entrance gate;
SC209693 Unidentified fungi under birch, hazel and willow. Some large with inrolled cap and blue staining on stipe (NEW RECORD); Hare's Foot Inkcaps along path.
SC208694 Unidentified cream coloured Fungi near meadow on path .
SC209694 unidentified fungi near hide
SC208694 Hare's Foot Inkcaps on path beyond boardwalk
SC208694 dark red unidentified fungi on bend beyond boardwalk
SC208695 unidentified cream fungi with umbel
SC209694 ( direct path to hide ) Inkcaps and unidentified fungi
SC209694 unidentified fungi near new pond ( 2 species)
SC209695 Green Shieldbug nymph on blackberry
SC209694 Green Shieldbug nymph on blackberry
SC208694 Green Shieldbug nymph on blackberry
SC208695 2x Green Shieldbug nymphs on bramble leaf
SC209694 nymph of Hawthorn Shieldbug on Rowan berries near new pond
SC209693 Hoverfly on Bird Cherry
SC209694 Eristalis species Hoverfly on Cushag?
SC208695 Syrphus species on Bramble?
SC208695 Unidentified red & green fly on leaf
SC209695 Crane Fly
SC209695 unidentified Green Bottle fly
SC209694 various unidentified flies on Hogweed flower
SC209694 Cranefly
SC208694 Syrphus species Hoverflies near compost heap and on nettles?
SC208695 Marmalade fly x 2
SC208695 Flesh Fly?
SC209695 Unidentified Hoverflies on Rowan berries and elsewhere
SC209694 Syrphus species Hoverfly?
SC209694 small Pisaura Mirabilis spider
SC209694 Large spider in hide -Tegenaria species
SC209694 10 unidentified diving beetles in new pond
SC209695 Unidentified Froghopper
SC208694 Woody Nightshade now has green berries
SC209694 unidentified small Snail in hide
SC208694 unidentified bee by boardwalk
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Red Admiral - butterflies love fruit
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Speckled Wood
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this one had seen better days
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Speckled Woods were on just about every path
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Unidentified fly 01
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unidentified flies 02 and 03
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unidentified fly 04
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closer view of 04
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unidentified fly 05
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unidentified flies 06 and 07
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unidentified fly 08
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unidentified fly 09
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unidentified fly 10 -Flesh fly perhaps?
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Crane Fly
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Hoverfly 01
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Hoverfly 02
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Hoverfly 03
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Hoverfly 04
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Hoverfly 05
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Hoverfly 06
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Marmalade Hoverfly
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and another nearby
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This was a very small spider -Pisaura mirabilis - juvenile I think
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and this was a very big one in the hide! Tegenaria species.
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spider eggs in hide
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a timely reminder
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very tempting, but take a closer look!
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wildlife depends on nature's bounty!
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this is a Green Shieldbug nymph
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not long till this one is an adult
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all sorts of wildlife rely on fruit at this time of year
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| two different instars of Green Shieldbugs on Bramble leaf |
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unidentified snail in the hide
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| Froghopper |
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Attractive bee
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no birds round the pond today
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but that blue blur is a dragonfly!
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rain is filling up the new pond
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it has been colonised already by diving beetles
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this somewhat old fungus has pores rather than gills
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they grow quite large - and a new record for Reserve
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it's probably some sort of Bolete -
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| with interesting blue staining on the stipe |
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the reserve has several different types of fungi at present
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in a variety of colours
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well nibbled by the wildlife!
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growing on our wood chip, I think
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yet another sort elsewhere
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same patch
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these are by the hide
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the Inkcaps are still going strong
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they are along all the paths
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but don't last more than a day or two
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they soon shed their spores and vanish
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delighted to find an 11-spot after an absence of some years
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they are really tiny - much smaller than a 7-spot
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and a few general photos of the Reserve to finish
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the ramp view on arrival - plenty of blue sky
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but clouding over towards midday
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the stream is still flowing
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usual view from the bridge
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view from the boardwalk
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near the private entrance
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meadow not so colourful now
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there were no water crickets at this point this week
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autumn leaves
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and an autumnal view of the hide too
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the reedy route to the hide
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no butterflies on the Sneezewort today
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lovely reflections in the new pond
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Although birds were in short supply today, the amount of insects and fungi kept me very busy recording and made for a very interesting morning.
Please click on photos to enlarge them
