Ballachurry Reserve, Rushen, IOM.: 03 MARCH 2015

MARCH 2015

4^TH March 2015

The Met. Office said the wind would drop this afternoon so my thoughts turned to Ballachurry on this lovely sunny day. In fact, it was still quite windy down there but there was plenty about nonetheless. At the gate I met the bee keepers who were just leaving. They were still in all their gear and even had a few bees still buzzing round them! They told me they were moving the bees away and only one hive now remained, to be collected by the Bee Inspector later in the week ( but it won't coincide with the Saturday Working Party). They warned me to keep away from the beehive corner as, having lost their home, the bees were quite angry! So it was with some trepidation that I set off round the reserve.

Birds:

SC210694 the ivy berries just inside the gate were being pillaged by 2 male and 2 female blackbirds and a thrush. I didn't get a good view of the thrush so unfortunately can't identify it. The blackbirds were just sitting there happily eating but the thrush was doing smash and grab raids, pretty much taking the berries on the wing.

Also in the ivy hedge - House sparrow; Blue tit; Chaffinch.

SC209694 from the hide - female Moorhen; female Mallard; Robin just at the back of the pond; Wood pigeon, 2 x Great tits & male Chaffinch in hedge on boundary;

SC209694 on the bridge near the Hide and in nearby raspberry canes - Robin

SC207694 seen from new strimmed path - 2 x Great tits; 2 x Grey Heron in firs; Blue tit eating the pussy willow flowers or something in the flowers;

SC209694 on new aggregate path & adjacent willow - Robin.

SC208694 reedbed pond - 4 Mallard ( two pairs); 2 x Teal; Moorhen; Wren on exposed weed.

SC208695 beehives corner ( seen from safe distance through binoculars!) female Blackbird

SC209694 halfway along gorse boundary - female Blackbird.

SC209695 near orchard entrance - Blue tit; Chaffinch.

SC210694 there is a small nest very visible in the wild rose near the gate. It is very mossy and only a couple or feet or so off the ground. I was checking this rose regularly last summer as it had some ladybirds resident but I didn't spot the nest or any birds going in or out. Can anyone suggest which bird species it might be please?

SC209693 a cock Pheasant flew into the Reserve just as I was leaving.

Ladybirds:

The bee keepers told me they had seen half a dozen or so ladybirds in the grass near the orchard bench. I looked and looked but couldn't see any! Fortunately I found a total of 5 x 7spot in the gorse along the boundary, otherwise I would have been disappointed. SC209694

Shieldbugs:

The Gorse Shieldbugs were again enjoying the sunshine along the boundary. Some singletons, some in groups. Often near the ladybirds. Total 31 SC209694

Other:

Plenty of Celandines open now throughout the reserve, including a patch near the entrance SC210694

I picked up the remains of a helium party balloon on the new strimmed path and pushed it into my pocket to take home. When I pulled it out to put in the bin at home a caterpillar fell out of it! So I suppose I record that as SC208694. Caterpillar now in back garden but minus its balloon.

Dam repair seems to be working well, water level in reed bed has risen and there is now a lot of frogspawn amongst the reeds at the back of the pond.SC208694.

Capture cam has gone. Hope Duncan has just (re)moved it and that it has not been stolen. Some dog fouling today.

Photo "blackbird 02" isn't that great of the blackbird but I've included it as there is a berry in the beak if you zoom in..

I was buzzed by a bee a couple of times but I put up my hood and turned my back and it seemed to do the trick.

Two 7spot Ladybirds soaking up the sun

Blackbird taking ivy berries

Blackbird eating ivy berry

Caterpillar found in balloon litter

Grey Heron

7spot Ladybird

Last year's nest in wild rose

Nest is only a couple of feet off the ground.

Pussy willow buds

Robin

Gorse Shieldbug

7^th March 2015 Work Party.

A blustery day for our work party today but we kept dry and got quite a lot done, concentrating on tree maintenance and the tool store. In wildlife terms, I saw a male blackbird, a couple of chaffinches and a White-legged snake millipede. Everything else sensibly kept out of our way! A woman walking by stopped to volunteer her services for future working parties, so clearly we looked a happy bunch!

White legged snake millepede

Staking

Strimming

Righting fallen sapling

Next stage of building the toolstore

More strimming

Clearing round saplings

Putting carpet squares round saplings to suppress grass

just a coat of paint needed

10^th March 2015

I took advantage of today’s lovely weather to visit Ballachurry, especially as the rest of the week was forecast to be rather dire. Although there were one or two sheltered spots the breeze was surprisingly cold but there was plenty about to be noted.

Birds:

SC208694 ( firs) Heron and Wood Pigeon

SC208694 ( reed bed pond) female Mallard

SC208695 ( former beehive corner) Robin, Chaffinch

SC209695 (orchard entrance) unidentified Thrush flying, Blue tit; Great tit; Robin

SC209694 ( along gorse boundary) 2 x female Chaffinch; female Blackbird

SC209694 ( Ginny's bench area) Sparrow; Great tit;

SC210694 ( entrance ivy) 4 x Blackbirds

SC208694( between beehive area & reedbed) 2 x Great tit

SC208694 (reed bed pond) Water Rail flying. I stood very still on the new path over-looking the pond for about 10-15 minutes ( nice warm sun on my back!)hoping something might walk out of the reeds. When I finally took 2 steps forward to move off the Rail flew up from near the dam and flew into the reeds. It's legs are what I would describe as maroon and they trail down as it flies. I have only seen it near the Hide pond once - all other sightings have been near the reed-bed pond.

Mallard, corvids flying over

Butterfly:

SC209694 Small Tortoiseshell on the gorse flowers. This is the first butterfly I have seen this year.

Ladybirds:

SC209694 8 x 7-spot Ladybirds. One in the grass, the rest in the gorse.

Gorse Shieldbugs:

SC209694 41 Shieldbugs along the gorse boundary. Some singles, some in groups. Often near the Ladybirds.

Bees:

SC208695 The beehives have gone but are you aware of the bees nest in the orchard tree near the corner where the hives were? They are going in and out of the hole in the trunk and also settled around it.

Honey bees throughout the reserve mainly on gorse. I saw 2 large unidentified Bumble bees on the wing too.

Spiders:

SC208694 2 x small spiders together in the gorse bush near the reedbed pond.

SC209694 small wolf spiders in the grass.

Carpet life:

The carpet squares may not look very attractive but they are rapidly becoming habitats in their own right. I photographed slugs, worms, various beetles, a caterpillar and a couple of mites/ticks/ spiders both under and on top of the square around one of the oak saplings at SC209694

Plants in flower:

Mostly gorse, but a few lawn daisies, dandelions, alder catkins, one Hogweed, Blackthorn and, of course, the pussy willows.

Notes:

Tool store: I noticed one door was open from some distance away. I hope there were no tools inside? Now empty. It may have blown open in the wind.No longer screwed in.

No fouling on this occasion.

7spot Ladybird

and another 7spot Ladybird

this 7spot was in the grass rather than the gorse

7spot Ladybird

Wild bees' nest

Blackthorn in flower

Carpet round saplings has become a hahitat

Life under the carpet

Weevil? Under the carpet

Alder catkins

Celandines

Cultivated daffodils

Dandelion

Honey bee busy with the gorse

7Spot Ladybird

Some sort of mite?

a closer view of mite

Rook

Some of the 41 Gorse Shieldbugs counted today

Slug under carpet

Another view of slug

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly

Unidentified spider

View of reedbed pond

Wolf spider in the grass

Worm under carpet square

Unidentified beetle under carpet

unidentified mite?

18^th March 2015

Probably my most exciting visit to Ballachurry ever today as I was able to watch the Water Rail for about an hour! I was on my "second lap" and scanned the far side of the pond with my binoculars as usual. I could see it sitting in the rushes preening but then it started walking through the pondside vegetation, so I had a better view. It does a short dash then sits still for ages afterwards. A cat came by right behind it and I held my breath because I thought it might frighten the bird away, but it just remained motionless and the cat didn't even notice it. Then the mallards swam across the pond but as soon as they saw the Water Rail the drake deliberately went into the reeds and moved it on! I was so miffed! I could just about see it still and then the ducks caught up with it again and fortunately moved it back to where I had a better view.Later it swam a short distance to the right hand side of the pond where I could not see it and it seemed like an eternity until it eventually emerged out onto the green weed where I was able to watch it feeding. Then it disappeared along the stream, so I started to write up what I had seen on the noticeboard. Fortunately I glanced out a couple of minutes later and what a shock to see it on the weed right in front of the hide! I just managed a couple of photos before it turned tail and made its way back up the right hand side of the pond again. A bit more harrassment from the ducks sent it back to the far side of the pool and eventually it climbed the bank and headed off into the vegetation in the direction of the church boundary. I'm afraid my camera isn't up to this sort of bird photography but they are good record shots. I am so pleased to have seen it on the ground at last as previously I have only inadvertently put it up and had such fleeting views of it.

Here is the complete list for today’s visit to Ballachurry Reserve.

BIrds:

SC210694 Great Tit; 2 x male Blackbirds, 1 x female; Chaffinch

SC209694 2 x Mallard ( pair); Moorhen; Water Rail; Wood pigeon flew down to drink from pond.

SC209693 2 x Wood Pigeon in trees on Church boundary

SC208694 female Chaffinch; flock of goldfinches on cones of adjacent fir trees

SC208694 Wren low down in reeds ( interestingly I saw its reflexion in the water before I saw it in the reeds) ; Great Tit;

SC208695 Wren; Great Tit

SC209695 Dunnock in brambles adjacent to orchard entrance; 2 x Jackdaws & 2 x Wood pigeons in overhanging trees

SC209694 Robin; Blackbird

SC209694 Great Tit

Mallard flying over. Pheasant heard but not seen.

Bugs:

SC209694 13 x Gorse Shieldbugs along gorse boundary

Ladybirds:

SC209694 5 x 7spot Ladybirds

Bees:

SC208695 Still wild bees going in and out of hole in orchard tree but less busy than last week.SC209694 A few honey bees on the gorse

Carpet life:

SC209694 Usual worms, 13 x small beetles, 2 different bugs, 1 very small snail, 1 black millipede ( not white snake-legged), small slug; small spider ( or it may be a Harvestman, hard to see)

Spiders:

Wolf spiders in grass & under carpet including SC209694

Plants in flower:

SC209695 Primroses, celandines ( here and elsewhere)

SC209694 Lawn daisies here and elsewhere along mown paths, also dandelions

SC209694 Gorse, here and elsewhere

Blackthorn in flower. Hawthorn in leaf

The solitary hogweed that has been in flower near Ginny's bench has suddenly died. One of the ladybirds was on it.

Notes:

No fouling but doggy footprints in aggregate. Bike tracks in the aggregate.

First view of the Water Rail

Closer view of the Water Rail

Water rail feeding

Iit plunges long bill into mud

Water Rail

Water rail

Water Rail

Mallard duck intent on sending off the Water Rail

Water Rail

Life under the carpet

7spot Ladybird

Pound coin shows size of beetles

Possibly a Brandling worm

Female Chaffinch

Gorse Shieldbug

More carpet life

Mallard pair

Millepede

Pound coin shows size of snail

close-up of Snail

19th March: My husband went to Ballachurry at lunchtime today, hoping to see the Water Rail, but was unlucky. He saw some blackbirds and also either Chiffchaff/ WillowWarbler near the fir trees SC208694. This is the area where the Chiffchaff sings most years, so I am guessing he is back to claim his territory.

23^rd March 2015

My husband and I paid an impromptu visit to Ballachurry about 5pm this evening, tempted by the late evening sun. We saw two Water Rails there from the hide! We watched for nearly 2 hours until the light started to fade and we reluctantly went home. We saw some interesting behaviour, I wondered if they were both males as we witnessed some very aggresive action. We saw the first one vanish into a sort of tunnel in the rushes. A second appeared from out of the vegetation, looked into the tunnel, turned away and went round the back of the rushes. Suddenly there was an almighty commotion / noise and the two flew out together. They flew off in one direction, then the front one changed tack pursued by the other, and they both flew towards us over the water. Both landed on the exposed weed very close to us, there was still a lot of noise and then they separated and one walked back towards the right and the other was right in front of the hide but obscured from view by the rushes. The one to the right vanished into the rushes but for a while we heard the "squealing pig" noise they make. After ten to fifteen minutes the one in front of us darted out and flew off to the left and into the reeds. We later heard the squealing pig noise from this one too. After that we saw both of them intermittently but they avoided each other. We had lovely views of one preening itself and making chip-chip squeaks. ( Last week I located it by looking for where a call was coming from - that time it was kerr-chupp, kerr-chupp) The light was not good enough for photographs this evening unfortunately. There were also 2 Mallards and 2 Moorhens.

When we came to write up our sightings on the board we noticed someone else had also seen 2 Water Rails earlier in the day. It's becoming quite a hot spot!

25^th March 2015

I don't have time tonight to send the full report for today's visit to Ballachurry but I wanted to send you an update on the Water Rail. It was very much in evidence again today - this "elusive" tag is a bit of a myth, I'm beginning to think! Three good sightings in one week. I took the rather interesting photo of it with the duck quite by accident! Just as I pressed the shutter to take the duck, out flew the Water Rail straight over it's head and right across the pond diagonally. I think the duck must be some sort of mallard hybrid - I am taking advice on this.

Here is the Ballachurry Reserve report for 25th March.

Birds:

SC209694 2 x Bluetits in willows

SC209694 from hide: Water rail seen intermittently between 3pm and 5.30pm; hybrid mallard?; male Moorhen; male Pheasant; Grey Heron; 2 x Wood Pigeon; 2 x male Chaffinch; wren working through rushes in front of hide; male blackbird.

SC209695 near Orchard entrance - Robin; Bluetit.

SC209694 along the gorse boundary - 2 x Robins together

Ladybirds:

SC210694 7spot on Stinking Iris leaves

Carpet life:

SC209694 Millipede; Caterpillar

Notes:

Someone has left a yellow litter picker leaning against a sapling near the path. I've left it there in case they come back for it.

Some weeds are starting to appear in the aggregate in the paths.