My first chance to visit Ballachurry in April! It was a beautiful spring afternoon with the reserve looking fresh and green. There was a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly basking in the sunshine just inside the gate and the birds were singing when I arrived at three o'clock. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209693 Swallow flying over; Robin singing from tree; Willow Warbler; Chaffinch heard not seen.
SC209694 ( Hide) male & female Mallard; 2 x Moorhen together; 2 x Chiffchaff chasing insects from reeds. At one point they were sitting on the same fallen reed together about 12" apart. male Blackcap in vegetation at back of pond; Pheasant heard not seen.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Chaffinch heard not seen at the path junction; Song Thrush heard not seen; 2 x Blackbird flew across path, another flew into tree by dragonfly pond; Chiffchaff by dragonfly pond; Willow Warbler at path junction.
SC208694 Chiffchaff; Chaffinch heard not seen; Robin heard not seen; Wren seen twice near boardwalk; Blackcap in willow; Greenfinch in willow; male Chaffinch in willow.
SC208695 ( feeders) 4 x Greenfinch; Blue Tit; Great Tit x 2; Goldfinch x 2; 2 x Robin; male Pheasant foraging beneath feeders.
SC208695 ( elsewhere) Dunnock sitting in tree; male & female Chaffinch; Goldfinch "chatter" heard; Buzzard overhead.
Butterflies:
SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell.
SC209694 Comma.
Other:
SC208695 Longtail foraging beneath feeders.
SC209694 abundant tadpoles and 3 Whirligig beetles in dragonfly pond.
SC209694 2 x Gorse Shieldbug among gorse flowers.
I'm afraid there are no photos on this occasion due to "a technical hitch" affecting the photographic program on my computer. Hopefully once this is resolved I'll be able to add them later.
