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October at Ballachurry Reserve
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I have been away on holiday so missed my regular visit to Ballachurry at the beginning of October. I saw lots of changes during Thursday's visit because in my absence there had been both a local work party and a visit from the Reserves Officer and her Muckers to cut the damp meadow area. This must have been hard work as bad weather and poor ground conditions had prevented it being cut for the last couple of years. This cut/raking-off should benefit the wild flowers over the coarser grasses and brambles etc. The September Work Party volunteers had likewise done a splendid job on the streams and the vegetation round the main pond, making it much easier to see the wildlife.
Thursday was a beautiful, if cold, day. When I arrived at 9 a.m. it was only 8 degrees! No chance of seeing butterflies until later in the morning when the lovely autumn sunshine had warmed things up a little! Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 Chiffchaff x 2 ( one Chiffchaffing); Blackbird; Robin; 3 x Jackdaw on Old School House roof; Pied Wagtail on Old School House roof; Blue Tit.
SC209693 Robin; Wren heard not seen.
SC208694 2 x Magpie flying over; Robin; Woodpigeon flying over; Raven flying over croaking; Blue Tit.
SC208695 male Blackbird; Pheasant heard not seen.
SC209695 Goldfinch x 3 flying over + 1 drinking from stream; Blackbird; male Chaffinch; Wren; Robin; Buzzard heard not seen; Sparrowhawk with "escort" of 3 Goldfinches! Great Tit.
SC209694 Robin; Magpie x 2 flying over; Wren; Blackbird flew across path; 2 x Chiffchaff; male Chaffinch.
SC209694 ( hide) female Mallard; Water Rail heard not seen; 2 x Goldfinch.
Butterflies:
SC209695 2 x Speckled Wood together.
SC210694 Red Admiral in Ivy.
SC209694 Speckled Wood seen from hide; Small White on dandelion; Red Admiral flying.
Other:
SC209695 large, unidentified fungi which will be NEW RECORD growing close to Spiny Puffballs under willows.
SC209693 Pleated Inkcaps in path; unidentified fungi on path.
SC208694 Unidentified fungi under willows.
SC208694 Pleated inkcaps on path.
SC210694 Unidentified fungus growing on remaining fragments of wood chip.
SC210694 Field Grasshopper x 2;
SC209694 2 x Waterboatmen and 1 Water Beetle seen in dragonfly pond
SC209694 Green Shieldbug x 4 adults, 1 nymph.
SC209694 2 x Ladybird together under curled Raspberry leaf.
SC209694 Unidentified spiders x 2 under raspberry leaves + bright yellow spider guarding egg-sac on underside of raspberry leaf.
SC209695 small spider walking across gossamer "tightrope" stretched across path.
SC209694 various Hoverflies in vegetation.
SC209695 Various Hoverflies on Ragwort including Eristalis and Helophilus species
SC209694 2 x Harvestmen on noticeboard.
SC209695 yellow Sawfly.
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one of two Chiffchaffs on the Reserve
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female Mallard
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Pied Wagtail
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| Wren |
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| Robin |
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Speckled Wood
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Small White
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Red Admiral
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Helophilus Hoverfly on Dandelion
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and another on Ragwort
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a different kind of Hoverfly
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a Sawfly ( I think!)
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the yellow was very eye-catching
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Field Grasshopper
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Green Shieldbug
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there were 4 adults
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and 1 nymph
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2 x 7-spot Ladybirds hibernating together
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2 x Harvestmen on the Noticeboard
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unidentified spider under wild raspberry leaf
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Spider with egg-sac on underside of raspberry leaf
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close-up of egg-sac
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this will be a new record for the Reserve
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there were 3 large specimens
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pen for scale
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the largest one
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decurrent gills
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other fungi appearing throughout reserve now
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perhaps they can be identified
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there are still a few puffballs
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many grow in the wood chip, now covered by grass
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Pleated inkcaps?
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more inkcaps elsewhere
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these are growing near the gate where the wood chip was stored
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usual view of boardwalk
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and looking back the other way
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usual view from boardwalk
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Birch tree with autumn tints
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the damp meadow after mowing and raking off
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and from a different angle
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path to compost area enlarged
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strewn with dropped rushes (Mannanan would have approved!)
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giant compost heap with the rakings - Goldcrests will like picking this over
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this is from where I usually photograph the hide - but hardly visible now
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in future will be from here instead
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view from ramp
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and through hide shutters - pond now visible again
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through shutters looking the other way
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dragonfly pond
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but no dragonflies seen today
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lovely reflections though
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Volunteers have cleared the stream banks
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so the water is visible once more
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looking back as I left - blue sky and autumn tints
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and finally, a date for your diaries, taken from the Ballachurry Noticeboard
Always good to be back at Ballachurry - I enjoyed my visit.
please click on photos to enlarge them
