Ballachurry Reserve, 2nd May, 2023.

Ballachurry Bird Hide and Hawthorn in  full flower

 On Tuesday Ballachurry Reserve was full of birdsong. If only I could have spotted all the birds!  With the leaves on the trees now it is much harder to see them. I was particularly anxious to see the Blackcap which was singing away throughout my visit. I  finally located it just as it flew away but did manage to grab a photo of sorts. Here is what I recorded:

Birds: 

SC209694 (Old School House garden) Chiffhaff and Chaffinch heard but not seen.

SC210694 Swallow and three Mallards flying over; House Sparrow; Wren.

SC209693 male Chaffinch; male Blackbird; Goldfinch x 2; Reed Warbler heard not seen;  Woodpigeon;  Dunnock;  Robin;

SC209694 Swallow flying over; Dunnock; Song Thrush heard not seen; male Blackbird; Chiffchaff heard not seen; Blackcap; Blue Tit; Chaffinch; Greenfinch;  Willow Warbler; Robin; Buzzard x 3 flying over;

SC209694 ( from hide) Sedge Warbler  heard not seen; Moorhen x  2 ( one carrying nesting material)  Great Tit x 2 one with caterpillar in bill;  male Blackbird; Willow Warbler heard not seen; Song Thrush.

SC208694 Song Thrush; Blackbird heard not seen; Sedge Warbler; Long-tailed Tit carrying food in bill; Chiffchaff heard not seen; Willow Warbler; pair of Chaffinch; Pheasant heard not seen; Woodpigeon heard not seen; Dunnock; Sparrowhawk.

SC208695 Blackbird; Blackcap;  Chiffchaff; Blue Tit; Jackdaw; Goldfinch; 

Ladybirds:

SC210694 7-spot Ladybird in nettles

SC208695 7-spot Ladybird on Bramble; 7-spot Ladybird on daffodil seed head

SC208695 7-spot Ladybird x 2 on Hogweed

SC209695 7-spot Ladybird on nettles

SC209694 7-spot Ladybird on Gorse; 7-spot Ladybird on nettles

Butterflies: 

SC209693  female Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower; male Orange Tip; Speckled Wood; Peacock butterfly.

SC209693 some Cuckoo Flowers have Orange Tip eggs

SC208694 Speckled Wood

SC209694 Speckled Wood; 2 Small Tortoiseshell together sparring; 1 Small Tortoiseshell further along the path

SC209694 male Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower

Other:

SC208695 several Nursery Web Spiders; 1 x Long Jawed Orb Web spider ( Tetragnatha sp.); 2 x Weevil on Hogweed ( iRecord suggest Liophloeus tessulatus); several unidentified flies;  Yellow Dung Fly ( to be confirmed) Oulema species beetle

SC209694 Bumble Bee - White Tailed

SC210694 Crab Spider ( Xysticus)

SC209694 2 x Weevil on Hogweed ( iRecord suggest Liophloeus tessulatus)

SC209694 5 x Gorse Shieldbug

SC209694 Rhingia species Hoverfly ( to be confirmed) 

SC208694 unidentifed fly

SC209695 Unidentified flies; Crane fly;

SC209694 Sloe Shieldbug

SC210694 Sloe Shieldbug

SC208694 Wolf Spider x 2 on bridge timbers

SC209694 small flat shelled Snail 

SC209694 2 x Pond Skaters mating

SC209694 dung indicates presence of rabbits

SC209694 Common Frog

SC208695 sapling Oaks in leaf

SC208695 Red Campion in flower

SC209694 Garlic mustard in flower

SC210694  4 x  Sow Thistle ( to be confirmed) 

SC209694 Apple trees in blossom

SC209694 Speedwell species in flower

SC208695 Rowan flowers in bud

SC209694 Hemlock Water Dropwort in bud/flower

Nature reserves are not meant to be used as football pitches. Ground nesting birds in particular are at risk from this sort of activity.

incriminating evidence!

Goldfinches throughout the reserve

this one was having a word with the Blackbird

Blackbird collecting food for its nestlings

male Blackcap

Blue Tit

another Blue Tit elsewhere

a ringed Dunnock

this may be the same one singing

Great Tit with caterpillar for nestlings

Greenfinch

I noticed it while looking for the Blackcap!

House Sparrow

a relatively rare bird on the Reserve

Long-tailed Tit collecting insects from the reeds

 bill full of insects

this Moorhen was not limping this week

but I didn't see this one on land

Moorhen among the water lilies

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Wood pigeon on wires just outside the reserve

Song Thrush

I think it has noticed me!

a blurry shot of the Sedge Warbler

Robin

a ringed Chaffinch

Hoverfly awaiting identification

possibly the same species as above

a different species on Hogweed

Unidentified fly on dandelion

A yellow dung fly, I think

this dandelion was popular!

Crane fly

"Blue Bottle" on Hogweed flower

Two different species on this Hogweed

and two more on a buttercup

I think this is a Rhingia species of Hoverfly

it was on Ladysmock (aka Cuckoo Flower)

this is an Orange Tip butterfly egg on Ladysmock

several plants have them

two eggs marked by arrows

 

Orange Tip caterpillars are cannibalistic so if the caterpillars from these two eggs meet probably only one will survive!

female Orange Tip

I almost missed it while checking for eggs nearby

this one is a male - just a hint of the orange tips showing

male Orange tip, wings open

Peacock butterfly

one of two Small Tortoiseshells that were having a bit of a spat

and another a little further down the path

Speckled Wood

Speckled Wood on Hawthorn flowers

a closer view

one of several 7-spot Ladybirds

7-spot on Daffodil seed pod

they can often be found on nettles

A Weevil on Hogweed - possibly Liophloeus tessulatus ( as suggested by iRecord)

same species elsewhere, I think.

a much smaller Oulema beetle

Gorse Shieldbug

one of 5 counted  in the gorse

This Sloe Shieldbug was near the gate

they are also known as Hairy Shieldbugs

 a White Tail Bumble bee

I think!

a Crab Spider - Xysticus species

Nursery Web Spider - Pisaura mirabilis

Probably a Tetragnatha species spider

Wolf Spider on the wooden bridge

and another close by

Water boatmen mating

single Water Boatman with reflection

unidentified snail - very flat

Common Frog near the new pond

evidence that we have rabbits!

Rowan flowers still in bud

Apple tree in blossom

These Aspens are suckers from trees next door

 

 

 

Oak saplings in leaf (grid ref should be 208695)

 

"If the Oak is out before the Ash then we'll only have a splash!"

 

a colourful corner

Speedwell species, I think

Red Campion

Hedge garlic / Jack by the Hedge

Can you see the Horsetail coming through?

Sow Thistle? ( near the gate)

Yellow Rattle coming through

 Hemlock Water Dropwort coming into flower

close up of one of the flowers

looking along the Gorse boundary towards the gate

a very green prospect through the hide shutters

looking the other way towards the reed bed

usual view from the ramp

reserve attractive with spring blossom

boardwalk view

and usual view from the boardwalk

Lovely to see such a wide number of species on the Reserve.

 

With thanks to Kate Hawkins for spider identifications.

 

Please click on photos to enlarge them