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| Blue-sky day at Ballachurry Reserve |
Tuesday promised to be a lovely day so I headed for the Reserve full of anticipation. Although I was there at the same time and in similar weather conditions to my previous visit, the raucous singing of the Sedge Warblers was missing except for a couple of brief spurts while I was in the bird hide. The Sedge Warbler I did see wasn't singing either. Perhaps they felt outdone by the very loud noises (angle grinder? chainsaw?)coming from a nearby construction site! Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209694 ( hide) Moorhen; Chaffinch heard not seen; Woodpigeon heard not seen; Sedge Warbler heard not seen ; Blue Tit; Great Tit heard not seen; Magpie; Robin.
SC209694 ( elsewhere|) Blackcap; Great Tit; Robin on ground; Magpie flying over; Blackbird; Wren; male Chaffinch; Long Tailed Tit x 2 ( one carrying food)
SC209693 Chaffinch heard not seen; Robin in Birch singing
SC208694 Chaffinch and Woodpigeon in willows; Chiffchaff & Blackcap heard not seen, both in willows and near boardwalk; Blue Tit; Great Tit heard not seen; Greenfinch; Willow Warbler; Woodpigeon flying over; Sedge Warbler.
SC208695 Blackcap; Robin heard not seen; male Chaffinch in tree; Great Tit on dead ash; Goldfinch.
Butterflies:
SC209693 male Orange Tip.
SC210694 male Orange Tip; Speckled Wood.
SC209694 2 x male Orange Tip having territorial dispute; Large White.
SC208694 male Orange tip on Cuckoo Flower and another in grass.
SC209694 Holly Blue on Holly ( thanks to Rob Fisher for pointing this out).
SC208694 Large White.
SC208695 Speckled Wood.
SC209695 Speckled Wood; male Orange Tip.
SC209694 female Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower; male Orange Tip near Dragonfly pond.
Other:
SC209694 Three-Cornered Leeks on hide Roof ( Southern Group Committee notified so they can be removed before they spread further)
SC209694 Barley on hide roof ( grow your own thatch!)
SC208695 Weevil x 2.
SC208695 Common Wasp.
SC209695 Hairy Shieldbug.
SC210694 Hairy Shieldbug x 15 (many in Dandelion Clocks) including 3 mating pairs.
SC209694 Hairy Shieldbug x 3 together in Dandelion Clock.
SC208695 Hairy Shieldbug x 2 in Dandelion Clocks.
SC209695 Gorse Shieldbug x 7.
SC209694 Solitary bee/wasp on dandelion.
SC210694 14-Spot Ladybird on nettles.
SC210694 Nursery Web spider.
SC209694 Lots of Yellow Rattle coming through in mini meadow.
SC209694 Crane Fly.
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| ringed Long Tailed Tit |
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| it was in the Oak tree by the Dragonfly pond |
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| the other one looked very scruffy and was collecting caterpillars |
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| a close up from previous picture - obviously feeding young |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Blackcap in full voice |
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| Robin |
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| Wren |
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| Male Orange Tip[ |
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| and female Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower |
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| Cuckoo Flower is the species' caterpillar food plant |
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| Holly Blue - Holly is a caterpillar food plant for this species |
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| but the second brood is laid on Ivy instead |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| notice the Weevil too! |
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| this Weevil was elsewhere |
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| 14-spot Ladybird - they are very small |
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| this beetle on the wall was also very small |
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| and this one in the gorse was even smaller |
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| I actively look for Hairy Shieldbugs in dandelion clocks! |
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| They are also known as Sloe Bugs |
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| there were lots of them on Tuesday |
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| including this mating pair in the nettles |
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| the Gorse Shieldbugs were also enjoying the sunshine |
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| as was this Nursery Web Spider |
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| the Garden Snail in the Hide had not moved since last week |
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| Crane Fly |
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| Common Wasp |
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| a much smaller Solitary Wasp or Bee |
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| they love the dandelions |
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| the spiderwebs in one gorse bush..... |
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| were looking very odd - I'm making enquiries! |
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| dragonfly pond |
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| sparkling in the sunshine |
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| Bog bean and Duckweed |
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| Orb Mussels still visible |
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| Pond Skater |
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| closer view |
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| Tadpole |
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| I looked at the hide roof from this point through binoculars..... |
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| and saw Three-cornered Leeks- pretty, but a real scourge |
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| barley on hide roof - grow your own thatch! |
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| Marsh Marigolds going to seed now |
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| Hogweed |
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| fluffy Rowan blossom |
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| Yellow Rattle coming through |
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| the laid willow hedge near the hide has greened up beautifully |
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| through the shutters |
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| a sea of Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| looking the other way |
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| the reed bed |
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| usual view from the ramp |
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| heading for the gorse boundary |
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| usual view from the boardwalk |
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| the damp meadow |
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| near the dragonfly pond |
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| the woodchip has made a huge difference to the paths |
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| "the unofficial pond" persists under the willows |
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| a leafy scene |
A lovely morning nature watching!
please click on photos to enlarge them
