Ballachurry Reserve: Thursday, 1st August, 2024.

 

 

a tranquil scene at Ballachurry Reserve

 "More Haste, Less Speed" says the old adage. This was certainly the case for me on Thursday and despite my best intentions I  didn't start my recording visit at the Reserve until nearly 11 o'clock!  Nevertheless, I spent a couple of happy hours there wandering around in the sunshine. It was very quiet from a birding point of view but I still found plenty to look at. Here is  my report:

Birds:

SC208694 Woodpigeon; Chiffchaff.

SC208695 Magpie.

SC209694 Wren.

SC209693 Male Pheasant ( without a tail!) 

Butterflies and Moths:

SC210694 Speckled Wood.

SC209693 Green Veined White; Speckled Wood; 2 x Green Veined White.

SC209694 Common Blue roosting on Grass Seedhead; Silver Y moth; Speckled Wood; 3 x Unidentified Whites flying.

SC208694 2 x Speckled Wood; Green Veined White; Grass Moth;  3 x unidentified Whites flying; Meadow Brown on boardwalk; meadow Brown elsewhere.

SC208695 Speckled Wood; Red Admiral.

Other:

SC208694 Common Darter Dragonfly.

SC209694 Common Darter at the Dragonfly Pond and 3 x Common Darter main pond.

SC209694 Blue Tailed Damselfly.

SC209694  8 x 7-spot Ladybird (already verified by iRecord)

SC208694  2 x 7-spot Ladybird ( already verified by iRecord)

 SC209694 Green Bottle Fly species.

SC209693  Marmalade Hoverfly.

SC208694 Marmalade Hoverfly; Honey Bees.

SC208694 Crane Fly.

SC208694 4 x Wolf Spider, 1 with egg sack.

 SC208694 Nursery Web Spider nest.

SC208694 Helophilus Species Hoverfly ( Footballer)

SC208694 Great Pied Hoverfly.

 SC208694 Rhingia species Hoverfly.

SC208694 2 x Cicadella viridis Froghopper Bugs  NEW RECORD ( already verified by iRecord)  These were the Blue males. Females are a Turquoise Green.

 SC209694  Green Shieldbug nymph.

there were several 7-spot ladybirds in the grass

and this one was on Meadowseet

nymph of a Green Shieldbug

Meadow Brown

another enjoying the sunshine on the Boardwalk

Speckled Wood

this one was rather ragged

this Speckled Wood was in the reeds

whilst this one was nectaring on Marsh Woundwort

Green Veined White

the upper side veins are black

the underside veins give it its name

a roosting Common Blue

can you spot the Grass moth?

it was very camouflaged in the gorse

the dragonfly pond

Common Darter Dragonfly

Blue-tailed Damselfly

and the 2 together sharing the popular quartz stone

Common Darter on path near the meadow

Cicadella viridis Froghopper - NEW RECORD

Great Pied Hoverfly

Green Bottle

a parasitic wasp, I think

will try to have it identified

Wolf Spider carrying egg sack

Nursery Web spider nest

A Rhingia species hoverfly

path through the reeds

start of the old beehive loop

the first ripening blackberry I have seen

 Ballachurry Bridge

looking towards the boardwalk

looking along the boardwalk

the view from the boardwalk

looking back towards the hide from boardwalk

the Meadowsweet and Loosestrife are in full flower

the flowering meadow

and another view

colourful Purple Loosestrife

near the Private Entrance

the main pond

 there is scarcely any water at present

view from the ramp before the sun came out

the reeds near the bridge

usual view of hide - can you see it?

 

 

final view of the pond Loosestrife before leaving

An enjoyable visit despite my late start. Apologies for the lack of bird photos - that's the first time ever, I think!

 please click on photos to enlarge them