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| Ballachurry Reserve once the showers had stopped |
I delayed my visit to Ballachurry Reserve on Tuesday because of the showery weather. It was still spitting and spotting when I arrived at 10 o'clock but there was blue sky in the distance and the sun came out at 10.30 for the rest of the morning. I am very pleased to have a few bird photos once more - lovely views of a female Blackcap quite made my morning. Here is my report:
Birds:
SC208694 Song Thrush; Blackbird x 2; Sedge Warbler; Dunnock; Wren and Robin heard; 3 x Swallows flying over; Heron flying over; Buzzard heard not seen.
SC208695 Great Tit on peanut feeder; Dunnock; female Blackcap; Robin; 5 x Long-Tailed Tit.
SC209695 female Chaffinch.
Butterflies:
SC209693 Speckled Wood x 4
SC208695 Speckled Wood x 4
SC209695 Speckled Wood x 2
SC209694 Speckled Wood x 5
SC209694 Small White x 2
SC208694 Red Admiral x 7 ( all on the same Hemp Agrimony plant)
SC208694 Speckled Wood x 6
SC208695 Large White
SC209694 Red Admiral
SC208694 Small White
SC210694 Speckled Wood x 2
Other:
SC208694 Green Shieldbug nymph in meadow; Gorse Shieldbug in meadow; Forest Bug on Meadowsweet near boardwalk.
SC208694 male Common Darter sunning itself on the path.
SC208694 Inkcap fungi going over on path.
SC209694 male Common Darter dipping female to lay eggs in dragonfly pond. They were being harassed by a second male. As soon as they parted the second male seized the female and mated with her nearby. So she will be busy all over again egg laying in the water. She is basically just an egg-laying machine!
SC209694 5 x Greater Water Boatmen in dragonfly pond.
SC210694 Field grasshopper.
SC209693 Nursery Web Spider tent, spider not seen.
SC209694 Common Wasps going in and out of a hole in the bracken to hidden nest.
SC209694 Solitary Wasp (?) on margin of dragonfly pond
SC209694 Spider in gorse caught Crane Fly in web but appeared to cut it free.
SC209694 Artichoke Galls on Oaks now fallen to ground. Andricus foecundatrix gall wasp "pupation takes place in the fallen galls and adults emerge in late spring to lay their eggs in the male flower buds" ( Britain's Plant Galls, Michael Chinery)
SC209695 dog fouling again, this time out on the open grass. I narrowly missed treading on it while counting the butterflies. A local day nursery regularly brings the tots here - not something they want to encounter.
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| juvenile Blackbird |
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| female Blackcap |
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| spoilt for choice! |
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| certainly a good crop of berries this year |
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| there was a Dunnock too |
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| another Dunnock near the meadow |
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| Robin in the old beehive loop |
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| Speckled Wood warming up on the path |
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| this one had lost part of its wing |
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| they are Ballachurry's most numerous butterfly at present |
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| Speckled Wood among the brambles |
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| Small White |
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| a closer view |
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| 7 x Red Admiral all on one plant |
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| face to face with a Common Darter! |
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| waiting patiently at the dragonfly pond |
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| patience rewarded! |
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| male "dipping" female in the water to lay their eggs |
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| a second male nearby, awaiting his chance |
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| he mated with the same female the minute the pair separated |
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| a busy afternoon of egg laying in prospect |
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| Forest Shieldbug |
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| Gorse Shieldbug - though not in the gorse |
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| Green Shieldbug nymph on bracken |
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| Green Shieldbug nymph in the meadow |
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| some kind of solitary wasp, I think |
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| a closer view |
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| arrow shows hole in bracken |
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| Common Wasps going in and out |
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| Field Grasshopper |
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| Lurking Spider |
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| it appeared to cut free the Crane Fly caught in its web |
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| tent of Nursery Web Spider |
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| a regular visitor to the Reserve |
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| Artichoke Galls now fallen to ground |
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| Inkcaps continue to appear along the paths |
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| more of them going over |
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| progress report on acorns |
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| possibly Autumn Hawkbit - Andree if you're looking at this....... |
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| an autumnal feel to the reserve on arrival |
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| the meadow too looks late season |
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| mostly seedheads rather than flowers now |
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| but still pretty in places |
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| through the hide shutters |
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| again, an autumnal feel |
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| usual view of the hide |
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| view from the ramp on arrival |
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| same shot a couple of hours later |
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| usual view of boardwalk |
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| a sunny view from the boardwalk |
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| the dragonfly pond |
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| tranquil at the moment |
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| but scene of much drama later! |
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| usual photo of the new glade |
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| reeds a bit flattened by the wind |
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| but now in flower |
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| a much sunnier meadow by the time I left |
and to finish, a short video of the Common Darters
please click on photos to enlarge them
