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Mid-summer at Ballachurry Reserve
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Another sunny day at Ballachurry Reserve! Already 19 degrees when I arrived about 9.20 and 21 by the time I left. It actually felt much hotter this week as there was no breeze to speak of and most of the birds I saw were deep in among the branches of the trees, keeping cool. This made bird photography difficult whereas butterflies love sunshine and obliged me by posing from time to time. Here is my report:
Birds:
SC209694 Wren singing from top of the holly tree; Sedge & Reed Warblers heard not seen; 3 x Mallard ( female and fully grown ducklings); 2 x Moorhen with 2 x Chicks; Blackcap heard not seen; Willow Warbler seen near the path junction and later near the hide; Chiffchaff heard not seen. Woodpigeon. Goldfinch.
SC208694 3 x Long Tailed Tit; male Blackbird flying through; Woodpigeon; Goldcrest near the compost heap; Magpie; Wren; Chaffinch; Blackcap heard not seen; Robin; Dunnock.
SC208695 Blackcap heard not seen; Wren; Song Thrush heard not seen.
SC209695 Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler heard not seen.
SC209693 Great Tit.
Butterflies:
SC210694 I was very excited to see a Dark Green Fritillary flying up and down very fast between the gate and the noticeboard. Unfortunately my hopes of a photograph were dashed when it failed to settle and flew off into the road. New Record. Also, Meadow Brown.
SC209694 4 x Meadow Brown; Common Blue; Speckled Wood x 2; Unidentified White flying.
SC209693 Speckled Wood; Meadow Brown.
SC208694 Courtship pair of Common Blue + one singleton; Meadow Brown x 3.
SC208695 Speckled Wood x 3; Small White; Red Admiral; Meadow Brown.
SC209695 3 x Speckled Wood together; Unidentified White flying; Meadow Brown.
SC208694 timothy Tortrix Moth NEW RECORD
SC208695 Common Carpet Moth.
SC 209694 Silver Ground Carpet Moth.
SC209695 Straw Dot Moth NEW RECORD
Other:
SC209693 Nursery Web Spider nest( no Spider visible).
SC209695 unidentified spider.
SC209693 Crane Fly.
SC209693 Unidentified fungus on path.
SC209694 2 x Nursery Web Spider nests close together ( no spiders visible).
SC208694 very small fly on Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC208695 Great Pied Hoverfly hovering in sunbeam.
SC208694 Great Pied Hoverfly on bramble.
SC208695 unidentified Green Bottle Fly
SC208695 Depressaria daucella caterpillars on Hogweed.
SC208695 3 x Capsid Bugs on Hogweed.
SC209695 Several Pond Skaters, Great Water Boatman and several Diving Beetles in new pond.
SC210694 7-spot Ladybird.
SC209695 Marmalade Hoverfly and another Unidentified Hoverfly.
SC208695 Philaenus spumarius Froghopper nymphs here and throughout reserve.
SC208694 unidentified cocoon on Hemp Agrimony
SC209694 Unidentified Green metalic fly and unidentified Hoverfly drinking from new pond.
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last week's "Tranquil Scene" - less tranquil, spot the noisy plane!
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the wild fowl remained undisturbed however
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female Mallard
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Moorhen
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one of two chicks
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| Magpie |
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Wren atop the Holly Bush near the Noticeboard
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singing to welcome all visitors
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Wren in the Blackthorn right beside the path ( a juvenile I think)
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Willow Warbler just outside the hide
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searching for insects in the Birch
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a handsome little bird
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Ménage à trois - 2 x Common Blue in courtship flight, 3rd trying to join in!
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Another Common Blue nectaring on Clover
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it was in the mini meadow by the Noticeboard
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Speckled Wood in a sunbeam
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they like dappled shade
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near the Private Entrance there were 3 flying together
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Meadow Browns are abundant at the moment
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this one in the mini meadow caught my eye
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without it I might have missed the Ladybird!
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it was a 7-spot
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Common Carpet Moth
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Timothy Tortrix moth
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Straw Dot moth
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Depressaria Daucella moth caterpillar on Hogweed
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this may be something different - very small
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these are the Nursery Webs of the Pisaura mirabilis spider
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the web protects the spiderlings - no sign of Mum on this occasion
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a tiny spider among the vegetation elsewhere
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A Great Pied Hoverfly
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A Green Bottle species
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A small Hoverfly
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and a Marmalade Hoverfly
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the Meadowsweet was attracting pollinators - I think it's a bee
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Cuckoo Spit Froghopper nymph in its foam nusery
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Capsid bug on Hogweed
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Gorse Shieldbug nymph - no adults seen this time
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some sort of cocoon made from golden thread!
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new pond needs some rain to top it up
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it's looking rather "gloopy"
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the pond life doesn't mind that - metallic green fly taking a drink
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and a Hoverfly doing likewise
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the diving beetles were still scurrying about
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as were the Water Boatmen
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and the Pond Skaters
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I spotted this new clump of weed - not sure what variety
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a solitary toadstool - possibly an inkcap?
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the usual view from the boardwalk
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I noticed the chairs had vanished from the hide!
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Much more Meadowsweet in flower this week
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likewise the Purple Loosestrife
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this is what I call the mini meadow near the Noticeboard
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it's just in front of Ginnie's Bench
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the smart new sign makes it clear
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Hazelnuts starting to form - winter food for the Wood mice
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a different view through the shutters, the smaller Phalaris reeds are flowering
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the usual view of the hide - can you see it?
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a shady path
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still not a cloud in the sky as I left!
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This week's video shows a Depressaria daucella moth caterpillar building a cocoon in which to pupate.
It was good to meet 2 sets of visitors from 2 different "adjacent islands" on the Reserve. Both said they always look up where to watch wildlife when they go away on holiday, so I was pleased that Ballachurry had been drawn to their attention.
With more changeable weather now forecast I wonder what my next visit will bring?
(With thanks to Ian Scott for moth identifications )
please click on photos to enlarge them
