Ballachurry Reserve, 12th August 2021

August flowering meadow

 I have been rather busy lately so missed visiting Ballachurry  during the first week of August. However, on Thursday last week I was welcomed back at the gate by the sight of a Common Blue Butterfly on a dandelion and a Small White butterfly just behind it. The sun was shining but there was a strengthening wind and I was pretty well wrapped up for August! I stayed for three hours as there was lots to see but it had clouded over by the time I went home for lunch and by then the butterflies were sheltering rather than flying. Here is what I  recorded:

Birds:

SC208694 female Chaffinch;  5 x Swallows flying over; 3 x Goldfinches flying over

SC209694 Wood Pigeon flying over; Magpie flying over; 3 x Mallard ( all female); Herring Gull flying over; Heron flying over.

Butterflies & Moths:

SC209694 Speckled Wood x 2; Unidentified White flying; Small Copper; Green Veined White; Small White;  Antler Moth; Udea lutelalis Moth

SC210694 Common Blue

SC208694  Common Blue; Green Veined White; 2 x Speckled Wood together + 1 other;  2 x Small Copper;  Nettle-tap Moth; unidentified moth pupae on Rush flowers.

SC208695 2 x Green Veined White; Peacock; Speckled Wood

SC209695 2 x Speckled Wood together

Odonata:

SC209694 Blue tailed damselfly; 

SC208695 unidentified khaki/greenish hawker

Ladybirds:

SC209694 7-spot on thistle

Bugs:

SC208694 Gorse Shieldbug nymphs in gorse bush - various instars

SC209695 Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph

SC209694 Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph

Flies and Hoverflies: 

 SC209693 "Footballer" Hoverfly - Helophilus pendulus

SC208694 Flesh Fly ( Sarcophaga sp.) ;darkish Marmalade Fly ( Episyrphus balteatus); other Marmalade Flies x 2 elsewhere;  2 x Eristalis species Hoverfly; 

 SC209694 Eristalis pertinax x 3; Helophilus pendulus " footballer" Hoverfly

Other:

SC208694 unidentified fungus

SC209695 Harvestman in gorse

SC209694 unidentified caterpillar in Rowan tree

SC208695 2 x Froghoppers

 

Looking right through the hide shutters

and looking left

like most adolescents, this young duck is always hungry

it is some sort of Mallard Hybrid, like its mother

distant Heron flying over

 

controversial Cushag ( Ragwort) is brilliant for wildlife - Small Copper & Udea lutealis moth

composite picture of Common Blue female near the entrance

another Common Blue in the Meadow

nectaring on Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil

There were lots of Green Veined Whites about

they love the Hemp Agrimony

a good view of the Green Veins

and another elsewhere

and yet another, on bramble this time

 a Peacock butterfly

and a Small White

Small Copper on Cushag ( Ragwort) near Ginnie's bench.

and among the grass

and nectaring on clover in the path

but the Cushag ( Ragwort) is definitely favourite!

Speckled Woods were also in evidence

they love dappled shade

and the warmth of the wood chip

this is a Speckled Wood too

there is an autumnal look to the Reserve already - seeding docks

ripening Rowan berries

this is the short route to the hide

and this one near the entrance

ripening sloes - autumn food for the wildlife

hazel nuts for Ballachurry Wood mice to enjoy later

ripening blackberries - enjoyed by all manner of wildlife

can you see why I took this photo?  3 x Gorse Shieldbugs

let's take a closer look 

here is an adult Gorse Shieldbug on the right with one of its nymphs

another stage of development for a Gorse Shieldbug

once "you get your eye in" you notice them everywhere

this was a really small, early instar ( or life stage)

they go through various colour changes as they grow

check out a gorse bush by you in August....

and you may well find some

and now for something completely different -

these are Hawthorn Shieldbug nymphs

despite the fact that these are Rowan berries!

they hide among the berries so are hard to see

Caterpillar on Rowan - possibly Grey Dagger Moth

the Rowans give an autumnal look to the hide

a shot through the telephoto lens shows the roof  greening up

Sneezewort and Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil in the meadow

Purple Loosestrife

view taken from the back of the meadow

and the usual view from the hide ramp

 Flesh fly  - (Sarcophaga species)

A darkish Marmalade Fly - Episyrphus balteatus

"Footballer" Hoverfly in its stripey  jersey - Helophilus pendulus

Marmalade fly

Eristalis species

Eristalis species Hoverfly on Hemp Agrimony

a great plant for wildlife  -Eristalis  species

 Eristalis pertinax

Cushag attracting the hoverflies too   - Eristalis pertinax

what big eyes you've got..... Eristalis pertinax

Marmalade fly on Loosetrife

Noon Fly

Nettle-tap moth

the white "grass seeds" on the rush flowers are in fact Moth pupae

 

Antler Moth ( top) Udea Lutealis moth ( bottom)

another "footballer"  - Helophilus pendulus

7-spot Ladybird

unidentified fungi - another sign of approaching autumn?

very well camouflaged Harvestman

 this is what all that Cuckoo Spit  turns into

they may both be different morphs of Philaenus spumarius

a slightly different view of the Reserve to close

Very few birds were seen during this visit - hence the lack of bird photos.

With thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identifications

 We had a work party at the reserve the following Saturday in preparation for the Open Afternoon on 22nd August. My next post will have photos of that.

please click on photos to enlarge them

Ballachurry Reserve - Open Afternoon

 We are holding an Open Afternoon at the Reserve on Sunday, 22nd August to which you are cordially invited! There will be representatives from many of the Island's Wildlife interest groups on hand with static displays in our  two marquees,  as well as outdoor activities such as bug hunts ( always popular with families), butterfly and wildflower walks, bird watching  and even spider catching opportunities. See details below and do come and join us. 

please click to enlarge

Ballachurry Reserve, 30th July 2021

July Meadow, Ballachurry Reserve.

  Friday afternoon was my last chance to visit Ballachurry that week. My last visit for July, in fact. Earlier in the week  it was either too hot or too wet - real extremes. I wore wellies to walk round the reserve thinking the vegetation might still  be wet from the morning's rain, which indeed it was in places. It was generally cloudy although the sun broke through from time to time but after one circuit of the reserve I had to return to the car to grab my fleece as a strong North Westerly was blowing up and I felt decidedly chilly. Here is what I recorded during a two hour visit.

Birds:

SC 210694  3 x Swallows; 2 x House Martins all flying over.

SC209694  2 x Wren; Great Tit; juvenile Blackbird; Hybrid Mallard and juvenile; juvenile Moorhen

SC208694 2 x Wren; 2 x House Martins flying over

SC208695  Willow Warbler with juvenile; Chaffinch; Wren;  probable juvenile Willow Warbler alone; Blackcap male; Great Tit;  3 x Chaffinch ( male, female, juvenile); 2 x Blackbird; Dunnock; *Treecreeper. Blue Tit;

SC209695 2 x Goldfinch; 2 x Blackbird taking Rowan berries; 3 x Chaffinch; 2 x Woodpigeon

Butterflies: 

SC210694  3 x Unidentified Whites in brambles; Green Veined White; Small White; Meadow Brown.

SC209693 Unidentified White; Speckled Wood

SC209694 Small White; 3 x Meadow Brown; Green Veined White

SC208694 3 x Unidentified Whites over meadow. Small White

SC208695 Large White; Green Veined White,

SC209695 Speckled Wood; 2 x Meadow Brown; Large White

Ladybirds:

SC209694 7-spot on Nettles

SC209695 very small 7-spot on Brambles

Other:

SC210694 Unidentified Bumble Bee on Marsh Woundwort

SC209694 Turnip Sawfly - Athalia rosae

SC209695 Marmalade Hoverflies x 4 ( Episyrphus balteatus) a Syrphus species Hoverfly;  Greenbottle Muscid Fly ( probably Eudasyphora species)

SC209695Adult Gorse Shieldbug + various instar nymphs

SC209694 Adult Gorse Shieldbug + various instar nymphs

SC209693 small Garden Spider on thistle - Araneus diadematus

SC208694 Wolf spiders on boardwalk 

SC209694 and throughout reserve - Great Willow Herb in flower

mother duck taking a well earned nap

that's her duckling on the left

They are not pure Mallard

The juvenile Moorhen is also growing up fast now

no sign of its parents lately

juvenile Blackbird taking Rowan berries

Goldfinch

juvenile Goldfinch ( I think!)

 probably a juvenile Chaffinch?

Willow Warblers. They were making vocal "weep" calls

This one was a juvenile I think

I had a better view of this one about an hour later

it was very yellow

I think the younger birds  are more yellow

Willow Warbler rather than Chiffchaff, I think.

this 7-spot was very small

and this one elsewhere was larger

Meadow Brown

Green Veined White

Large White

 Green Veined White

another Small White

Hemp Agrimony starting to open

recent rain has started to green up the roof

Meadow probably at its best now

Sneezewort and Purple Loosestrife

Marmalade Hoverfly on the right, unknown on left 01

 Syrphus species Hoverfly

there seemed to be Marmalade Hoverflies everywhere

another Marmalade Hoverfly

  Marmalade  Hoverfly 

 Green Bottle Muscid - probably Eusdasyphora species

 Turnip Sawfly - Athalia rosae

adult Gorse Shield Bug

early instar Gorse Shieldbug nymph

and a later instar

parent and child!

 another stage of Gorse Shieldbug development

 

Great Willow Herb now in flower throughout reserve

ripening Rowan berries

Wolf Spider on the boardwalk

Garden Spider - Araneus  diadematus

pond view looking left

and right

Loostrife abundant at this time of year

* Treecreeper.   I was standing in deep shadow under the ash saplings observing other birds when it flew in at low level over my left shoulder and landed on a trunk very close to me - I could have touched it! It then noticed me almost immediately ( probably because I exclaimed Treecreeper aloud!) and flew to another tree nearby then quickly off and away. This was only the second time I have seen one at the reserve. The first time was many years ago.

A very pleasant end to the month. What will August bring? 

(With thanks to Steve Crellin for the fly identifications )

Please click on photos to enlarge them