Ballachurry Reserve, 13th July, 2023.

Ballachurry Reserve in full summer bloom

  I was unable to make a recording visit to the Reserve during the first week of July so it was interesting to see how things had changed during the past fortnight. In fact, Thursday's visit was pretty much as good as it gets! A lovely sunny morning ( mostly) and some pretty special sightings. Here is my report:

Birds:

SC209694 Sedge Warbler; Reed Warbler heard not seen; 3 x Mallard & 1 Hybrid; Great Tit flying over; female Blackbird flying over; male Blackbird on path; Woodpigeon heard not seen. Wren heard not seen; Chiffchaff heard not seen; fledgling Willow Warbler.

SC209693 Woodpigeon x 2; male Blackbird.

SC208694 Reed Warbler x 2 together; Sedge Warbler x 2 together; Goldfinch; Woodpigeon; Chiffchaff heard not seen;  Song Thrush heard not seen; Kestrel flying over; Blue Tit;  female Blackbird.

SC208695  Chaffinch heard not seen.

SC209695 Song Thrush heard not seen.

SC209694 3 x Buzzard seen from reserve, later 1 circled over reserve.

Butterflies:

SC209694 Dark Green Fritillary (this was a new record for 2023 when seen a few weeks ago - this time I was able to take a photo); Meadow Brown x 3; Small Tortoiseshell.

SC208694 Unidentified White; Meadow Brown x 4.

SC209695 Speckled Wood; Meadow Brown.

SC208695 Red Admiral; Unidentified White; Medow Brown x 2.

SC209693 Green Veined White.

SC210694 Meadow Brown.

Other:

SC209694 7-spot  Ladybird ( no photo, alas!)

 SC209694 Snipe Fly, Chrysopilus cristatus NEW RECORD

SC208694 2 x Common Green Capsid  Bugs on Hemp Agrimony.

SC208694 Common Wasp on Hemp Agrimony.

SC208694 unidentified Woodlice under rotting planks.

SC208694 small unidentified moth.

SC208695 cluster of eggs on oak sapling ( Green Shieldbug?) 

SC209695 Marmalade Hoverfly.

SC209694  Marmalade Hoverfly.

SC209695  unidentified  Hoverfly and other flies

SC 209694  "Footballer" Hoverfly 

SC209695 Crane fly - probably Nephrotoma flavipalpis

SC209695  Flesh Fly?

SC208694 Gorse Shieldbug and 3 nymphs.

SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug nymphs, various instars.

SC209694 Hairy Shieldbug ( aka Sloe Shieldbug)

SC209694 2 x Nursery Web Spider webs.

SC209693  Nursery Web Spider webs.

SC208695  Nursery Web Spider webs.

SC209694 Pond Skater, Diving Beetle; Greater Water Boatman.

SC209694 unidentified Hoverfly.

SC209694  Common Wasp.

SC209694 Cinnabar caterpillars have grown but only 3 seen.

SC208694 very small unidentified moth.

SC209695 Leucozona laternaria Hoverfly NEW RECORD

SC208694 large blue dragonfly flying very fast around meadow

SC209694 signs of "oak apples" forming caused by a Gall Wasp 

SC208695 signs of acorns forming on Oaks

SC209695 unidentified tiny bug in bramble flower

SC208694 several Soldier Beetles here and throughout reserve

SC209694 Honey bees throughout reserve

SC209694 3 x Froghoppers - probably Philaenus spumarius

SC209694 large green aphid?

composite photo of one of the Buzzards

Goldfinch

through the hide shutters

Mallard  (her 2 grown ducklings are out of shot)

Mallard duck with new hybrid visitor

time for a doze

Willow Warbler fledgling

One of two Reed Warblers

I felt privileged to see them

the second bird was less active

content to sit on its reed and watch

there are Sedge Warblers in several areas too

take a deep breath and

 warble!

this one elsewhere was collecting insects

while this one was foraging among the Iris

Meadow Brown

nectaring on bramble flowers

Meadow Brown in Meadow

Speckled Wood

Small Tortoiseshell

Green Veined White

Red Admiral among the Loosestrife

but it was nectaring on bramble flowers

as was this one elsewhere

Dark Green Fritillary - the underwings have the green markings

unidentified moth 01

a rather blurry unidentified moth 02

Cinnabar moth caterpillar

Hoverfly defending its patch of sunlight and Hogweed flower

 Leucozona laternaria Hoverfly

a new record for the reserve

there are many different sorts of Hoverfly on the Reserve

this one is on Cushag ( Ragwort)

this one was very small

whereas this "Footballer " was much larger

another very small one

there were several of this type around

Marmalade Hoverfly resting on Oak leaf

and another sipping bramble nectar

unidentified fly 01

Chrysopilus cristatus - Snipe Fly - New record

unidentified fly 03 ( possibly Flesh fly)

Crane Fly - probably Nephrotoma flavipalpis

large aphid

Common Green Capsid bug on Hemp Agrimony

these may be the empty egg cases of a Green Shield Bug

Gorse Shieldbug nymph

later instar of Gorse Shieldbug nymph

Sloe Shieldbug ( aka Hairy Shieldbug)

Froghopper - hatched from Cuckoo Spit nymph?

Froghoppers - probably Philaenus spumarius

Meadowsweet attracting bees and other wildlife

Nursery Web Spider nest on nettle

this one in the grass appeared to have spiderlings inside it

there were quite a few on the Reserve

Soldier Beetle

they are everywhere at this time of year

close up of one in the mini meadow

not sure what this tiny bug is - new record?

plenty of Woodlice in the wood piles

there is still water in the deeper part of the new pond

you can see how much has evaporated

Greater Water Boatmen swim on their backs

Pond Skater

acorns starting to form on the oaks

whereas these will be "Oak Apples" caused by a gall wasp

usual view of the hide

view through the shutters

a tranquil scene

approaching the boardwalk

and looking back along it

down the other side and heading for the bench

having paused to take the usual view

mown area in front of the Bowman bench

and a shady walk through the willows

Meadowsweet stealing the show at present

between the hide and the boardwalk

lovely Loosestrife

and the white Sneezewort now in flower too

Marsh Woundwort is particularly good this year

Despite being July there was a hint of autumn about the Reserve

ripening berries

Hogweed seedheads

and some fallen leaves

and to finish a short video of a Reed Warbler

 With thanks to Neil Morris for help with some bird identification and Steve Crellin for the new fly records.

 

please click on photos to enlarge them