Ballachurry Reserve, Rushen, IOM.: Ballachurry Reserve, 30th March 2016.

Not quite what I expected to find at the Reserve!

I took advantage of the sunny afternoon on Wednesday to spend quite a long time at Ballachurry Reserve, including a long stretch in the hide but there was nothing to be seen on the water. (The mallard was flying)

Birds:

SC209694 Mallard ( male); Chaffinch; Wren; Wood Pigeon; Pheasant heard but not seen.

SC209695 Great Tit

SC209694 Hen Harrier ( Ringtail)

SC208694 Chiffchaff heard but not seen.

SC209695 Great Tit on the bird box.

New Record - white domestic hen! Walking round with the Peacock along the gorse boundary SC209694

Flies:

SC210694 Crane Fly - first I've seen this year at the reserve. Tipula sp. (probably T.paludosa or oleracea)

SC210694 Hoverfly Eristalis pertinax

SC209694 Hoverfly Eristalis pertinax

SC208694 ( composite photo) Smaller may be a Muscid or Anthomyiid species. Larger may be Calliphora species.

Butterflies:

SC208694 Small Tortoiseshell down in the reedy grass of the reed bed

SC208695 Small Tortoiseshell flying

SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell amongst the nettles

I'm not sure whether these were all the same butterfly or 3 separate ones.

Ladybirds:

SC209694 7spot on Celandines near Ginny's bench.

Shieldbugs:

SC208694 1 Gorse Shieldbug near reed bed in gorse

SC209694 5 x Gorse Shieldbugs along the Gorse Boundary.

Bees:

Bumble bees on the wing, on the ground and in the willows including SC209694

Honey bees in the gorse, including SC209695 and willows as above

Plants and Flowers:

Pleased to see the Meadowsweet & Hemp Agrimony coming through again in the area mown with the bar mower.

Lawn Daisies, dandelions, celandines, primroses, gorse, willow - all in flower.

Other:

SC208694 I thought I could see, hundreds of tiny water creatures swimming in the water filled ruts. Then I realised it was their shadows I could see and not the creatures themselves! I took a photo anyway and when enlarged I could see round white blobs each with a black dot. It's a very fuzzy photo but perhaps someone will be able to identify them for me.

SC209695 In the stream I could see a couple of interesting things on a white stone. I think they may be more of the leach egg sacks that Dawn found last Saturday.

SC208694 the whole reserve was full of midges ( not the biting sort, fortunately!). I tried taking a photo. When enlarged they look like tiny aeroplanes!

Notes:

The memorial cherry tree has again been mulched with horse dung. Last year this produced some interesting fungi.

Other people have seen Sand Martins passing through the Reserve, and a Willow Warbler on 31st. I keep missing all the interesting birds, it would seem!