Ballachurry Reserve: Wednesday 17th July, 2024.

Ballachurry Wetlands Reserve, mid July.

  

  I had not been to the Reserve for 3 weeks because of other commitments, so was looking forward to my Wednesday morning visit to see how things might have changed. I arrived at 9.15 on a beautiful, sunny morning. Opening up the hide shutters, I was surprised to see lots of activity with birds flying in and out of the reeds and walking amongst the lily pads. Here is what I recorded:

Birds: 

 SC210694 juvenile Blackbird on path.

SC209693  Wren; Woodpigeon heard not seen; 2 x Rooks flying over.

SC209694 (hide) Chiffchaffs x 4 landing on reeds, lily pads and adjoining vegetation; male Chaffinch; juvenile Dunnock;  3 x Goldfinch; 2 x Blackbirds taking unripe Rowan berries;  3 x Magpies flying over together; Woodpigeon flying over; Sedge warbler briefly heard not seen.

SC209694 ( elsewhere) Blackcap heard not seen; Wren heard not seen; female Chaffinch; Pheasant heard not seen; Goldfinch .

SC208694 Blackcap heard not seen; Chiffchaff heard not seen; juvenile Robin; Woodpigeon flying over; single Swallow flying over.

SC208695  Blackbird alarm call heard; Blackcap heard not seen.

Butterflies & Moths:

SC209694  Meadow Brown x 3; unidentified White flying; unidentified micro moth.

SC208694 Meadow Brown.

SC209695 Silver Y Moth; Meadow Brown.

SC208695 Dark Green Fritillary flying; Speckled Wood; Meadow Brown.

SC209693 Meadow Brown x 2.

Other:

SC209694 Nursery Web Spider on nursery web x 2.

SC209693 2 x Inkcap Fungi on path.

SC208694 2 x unidentified fungi under willows.

SC209693 Crane Fly.

SC209693 Common Darter on rushes.

SC208694 Common Darter  x 2 on bridge handrail.

SC209694 Common Darter flying over main pool.

SC209694 Conjoined pair of Common Darter egg laying in new pond + another Common Darter on rock.

 SC208694 Nursery Web Spider web.

SC208695 Depressaria daucella  caterpillar on Hogweed.

SC209695 various Hoverflies, including Marmalade Fly on Hogweed.

SC209695 Nursery Web Spider web.

SC208694 dead Rabbit  visible under Hawthorns.

SC208695 Common Darter. 

 there were 4 Chiffchaffs flitting about together

looking for insects among the high and dry pond weed

and the waterlilies

a juvenile Dunnock was doing likewise

Goldfinch near the hide

Silver Y moth resting

unidentified small moth

one of several Meadow Brown Butterflies

moth caterpillar on Hogweed

Common Darter among the rushes

this one landed  on the brambles

male Common Darter on bridge handrail

and a female later

the dragonfly pond

and from the opposite end

male Common Darter dipping the female into the water

to lay her eggs

they were there some time

meanwhile a singleton male

rested on stones between short flights

pond life - Greater Water Boatman and Pond Snails

Crane Fly - possibly Nephrotoma flavipalpis

Hoverfly - Eristalis species?

Marmalade Hoverfly

we have lift-off!

Bumble bee species on Marsh Woundwort

Nursery Web Spider on her nursery web

fungi starting to appear in the wood

another also under the willows

Inkcaps on the wood chip path

a good stand of Marsh Woundwort

I hope it is bad weather and not disease affecting this Rowan

others nearby are healthy

Willowherb and Birch

Ivy colonising tree - good for wildlife

Hawkbit I think

path to the hide  - reeds now very high

difficult to see the hide from this spot now

some shots of the meadow

with creamy Meadowsweet

and purple Loosestrife

usual view from the hide ramp

stream from the boardwalk

view from the boardwalk

hide seen across meadow from boardwalk

mid summer look to the turf roof

heading for the gate now

a fresh load of chip suggests another work party soon!

please click on photos to enlarge them

Ballachurry Reserve: Wednesday, 26th June, 2024.

 

The sun came out mid morning - view from hide ramp

 I slept very well on Wednesday night! I had spent the morning at Ballachurry Reserve, the afternoon at another Manx Wildlife Trust reserve where I also do some recording and then in the evening I went on a boat trip organised by the Manx Ornithological Society  round the Calf of Man, the Chicken Rock lighthouse, and the Sugar Loaf Rock to see the nesting seabirds. That was a lot of fresh air with only snatched meals in between. My morning visit started around 9.15 and I left just after midday. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209693 Willow Warbler heard not seen; Woodpigeon flying over; Song Thrush heard not seen; male Blackcap.

SC209694 Blackcap heard not seen; Willow Warbler heard not seen; Swallow flying over; female Chaffinch; Woodpigeon flying over; female Blackbird; Great Tit; Mallard flying over; Goldfinch; Sedge Warbler heard not seen; Blue Tit x 2 together and later x 4 together.

SC208694  male Blackbird; Wren; Blackcap heard not seen; juvenile Robin; Great Tit; male Chaffinch; Song Thrush heard not seen.

SC208695 female Blackbird on the path; Chaffinch heard not seen; Great Tit; Woodpigeon.

Butterflies and Moths:

SC209694 unidentified moth on nettle; Clouded Border moth.

SC209694 Speckled Wood; Meadow Brown.

SC208695 unidentified moth on Oak.

SC209695 Speckled Wood.

 Sc209693 Speckled Wood.

 Other: 

SC208694 Click Beetle  (Athous haemorrhoidalis) on Phragmites reed

 SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug eggs on gorse seedpod

SC209694 caterpillar on Hogweed seedhead

SC209694 ( dragonfly pond) Blue-tailed damselfly on branch in water and quartering pondside grass;

Conjoined Common Darters "dipping" in water to lay eggs; Greater Water Boatman;  small Black beetle out of the water; 

SC209694 2 x Common Darter visible over main pond from hide

 SC209694 Wolf Spider carrying egg sack 

SC208694 Honey Bees on bramble flowers

SC208694 Numerous flies on bridge Handrails and elsewhere

SC208695 Unidentified Hoverfly

Blue Tit

male Chaffinch

Wren

it sings regularly from the same spot

Speckled Wood

unidentified moth

and another elsewhere

caterpillar in Hogweed seedhead

Hoverfly on Hogweed

lots of flies warming up on handrails

there were noticeably more flies this week

the bramble flowers are now attracting insects too

    

the dragonfly pond

Common Darters

the male "dips" the female into the water to lay the eggs

when they finally separated one returned to rest on a rock

I was pleased to see a Blue-tailed Damselfly using the branch I provided

Water Beetle crossing the weed

Greater Water Boatman

Click Beetle

Grypocoris stysi Capsid Bug

there were several in the ox-eye daisies too

Gorse Shieldbug eggs

Wolf Spider carrying her egg sack

Cuckoo Spit containing Froghopper nymph

It's always a pleasure to meet the little tots from Hopes and Dreams Nursery School enjoying their nature walk round the reserve. I was very impressed to hear what they had to tell me about Cuckoo Spit. We also established ( with the aid of a buttercup) that I like butter!

start of the old beehive loop

hard to imagine that this area once housed beehives

usual boardwalk view

looking back from the boardwalk towards the hide

usual view from the boardwalk

usual view of the hide

water forget-me-nots near main pond

Hemp Agrimony starting to flower

a woodland corner

pond through the shutters

last Saturday's work party cleared the wood chip pile

one of the newly chipped paths

mini meadow near Ginnie's Bench

main meadow near the hide

and a last look at June sightings before I left

 

My last visit of the month. I arrived under cloudy skies and left in hot sunshine! What weather and wildlife can we expect in July?

please click on photos to enlarge them