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| a peaceful place for pond-watching |
I usually make morning visits to Ballachurry Reserve as I always seem to see more birds in the morning, but Friday afternoon was my only option this week and I arrived about 1.30p.m. Certainly the reserve was very quiet, tending to bear out my theory, although towards 4 o'clock birds were starting to appear again. Here is my report:
Birds:
SC208694 Chiffchaff heard not seen; 2 x Woodpigeon flying away; Wren heard not seen; Robin x 2 together; female Chaffinch; Swallow flying over; 3 x Goldfinch flying over.
SC209695 Blackbird flew off into trees; Buzzard heard not seen.
SC209694 Wren x 2.
SC208695 3 x Blackbirds flying through; Robin; male & female Chaffinch.
SC209695 3 x Long-tailed Tit; Chiffchaff, 2 x Blackbird; female Blackcap - all in the same Rowan tree.
SC209693 Wren flew into cover.
Butterflies:
SC209694 Small Copper; Red Admiral x 2; Speckled Wood x 11; Large White; Small White.
SC208694 Small Copper; Comma; Red Admiral x 2; Small White x 2; Speckled Wood x 6.
SC209695 Speckled Wood x 2 .
SC210694 Speckled Wood.
Other:
SC210694 Field Grasshopper.
SC209693 Nursery Web Spider tent.
SC208694 male Common Darter on Boardwalk.
SC208694 funnel type fungi on path
SC209694 male Common Darter at Dragonfly pond.
SC209694 funnel type fungi on path
SC209694 Hawker flying over ( Blue).
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| Rowan tree attracting a variety of birds - juvenile Blackbird |
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| female Blackcap |
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| a closer view |
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| Long-Tailed Tit |
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| Robin |
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| and another elsewhere |
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| Large White |
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| Small White on Marsh Woundwort |
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| another Small White |
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| Small Copper |
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| it's always worth checking out Ragwort / Cushag - Small Coppers love it |
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| male Common Darter at the Dragonfly pond |
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| male Common Darter on the boardwalk |
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| Field Grasshopper near the gate |
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| black thistle aphids |
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| Nursery Web of Pisaura mirabilis Spider |
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| Artichoke galls distorting acorns |
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| fungi on the wood chip paths |
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| quite prolific in places |
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| funnel-like with decurrent gills |
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| usual Ink Cap on the wood chip |
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| Dragonfly pond |
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| view from the Bowman Bench |
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| usual picture of the new glade |
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| looking along the gorse boundary |
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| an autumn look to the meadow now |
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| but still some Sneezewort in flower |
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| looking back towards the hide |
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| and over towards the boardwalk |
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| usual view of the boardwalk |
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| usual view from the boardwalk |
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| usual view of the hide |
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| view from the hide ramp |
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| shots through the hide shutters |
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| apples planted to feed the wildlife |
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| the Ash Walk |
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| September reed bed |
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| reed flowers against the blue sky |
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| my favourite reedy bend! |
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| under the willows |
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| and goodbye till next time |
A very pleasant first visit for September.
please click on photos to enlarge them
