It's official! Ballachurry becomes the Manx Wildlife Trust's 24th Reserve.

 Following the conclusion of legal formalities a few weeks ago, 23rd June 2016 was set as the date for the formal handover of  Ballachurry Reserve to the Manx Wildlife Trust by Stan and Pam Clucas, the landowners.

Various Wildlife Trust Members, Trustees, Staff, Volunteers, Committee Members, Adrian Cain (representing Culture Vannin), and other interested parties  gathered at 2 o'clock to witness this long awaited moment. Needless to say, the Press and Manx Radio were also invited.

Whilst waiting for Stan, Pam , Richard Higgins ( Trust Chairman) and Tim Graham ( Trust CEO) to arrive, the Southern Group Committee wasted no time in setting up the tea urn and plates of luscious cakes. In true work party mode, spare path grids and the wheel barrow were quickly  pressed into improvised service in the refreshment area, making something of a contrast with some of the fine bone china and dainty serviettes provided!

Once assembled, we were neatly arranged by press photographer Mike Wade in front of the noticeboard (constructed by volunteers and financed from donations, including the interpretation panel from Culture Vannin) Hands were shaken, the lease handed over. We all laughed and smiled as cameras clicked.  Do look out for the photos and press release in local papers and on the Trust website :  http://www.manxwt.org.uk/news/2016/06/26/all-buzz-about-ballachurry

Speeches followed from both sides, duly recorded by Howard Caine from Manx Radio with his roving microphone.

Formalities over, happy groups stood around chatting and drinking tea. A small school party from Rushen Primary School appeared along the path, setting the seal on Stan and Pam's wish for community involvement and enjoyment of the facility.  It was lovely to see the children already benefiting from this new reserve, right on their school doorstep.

Last word  must go to the wildlife, of course! For the benefit of that roving mike, I had already  managed to find some caterpillars and ladybirds to talk about and now, as people began to drift away, a small party of us set off  to find some "baby Shieldbugs" - the various instars (or life stages ) of  the Gorse Shieldbugs  I had recorded earlier in the week. Hard to spot at first, we all gradually "got our eye in", and as a bonus also found Shieldbug eggs on a gorse pod. The eggs had tiny orange blobs attached, something I hadn't seen before. My first thought was some sort of parasite but when enlarged on the computer at home these "blobs" turned out to be hatching Shieldbugs! The lids of the egg cases were clearly thrown back and the tiny creatures were emerging. A very fitting start for the next "instar" of Ballachurry Reserve!

Cutting the cakes

Delicious sponges

Handy barrow

A photo for the Press

Richard Higgins, Tim Graham, Stan & Pam Clucas

Tim, Stan and Pam with some of the invited guests

Historic moment!

Stan Clucas making the handover speech

Tim Graham thanking Stan

Adding a few words

A welcome cup of tea

Formalities over, time to chat.

Some of the guests

Two of our regular volunteers

Informal chat

A lovely social afternoon

Chatting with Tim

Chatting with Stan & Pam

General view of the guests

Taken & posted with the kind consent of
 Rushen Primary School

One of four  Mallard ducklings spotted on the pond

One of several  7-spot Ladybirds in the nettles

Mating ladybirds in the nettles

First instars emerging from Gorse Shieldbug eggs

A big thank you to everyone for making this important day so memorable and enjoyable.

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25th June, 2016.

Ballachurry Reserve, 25^th June 2016. Flies identified by Steve Crellin ( dipterist, IOM) during  MWT Bug Hunt with Dawn Dickens. This list added retrospectively, January 2018.

Dolichopididae                Dolichopus popularis                                  SC209694

Rhagionidae                     Chrysopilus cristatus                                   SC209694

Sepsidae                           Sepsis cynipsea                                           SC209694

Sepsidae                           Sepsis fulgens                                             SC209694

Stratiomyidae                  Chloromyia formosa                                   SC209694

Syrphidae                         Episyrphus balteatus                                  SC209694

Syrphidae                         Eristalis arbustorum                                   SC209694

Syrphidae                         Eristalis horticola                                         SC209694

Syrphidae                         Eristalis pertinax                                          SC209694

Syrphidae                         Eristalis tenax                                               SC209694

Syrphidae                         Eupeodes latifasciatus                                SC209694

Syrphidae                         Eupeodes luniger                                         SC209694

Syrphidae                         Helophilus pendulus                                   SC209694

Syrphidae                         Meliscaeva auricollis                                   SC209694

Syrphidae                         Myathropa florea                                        SC209694

Syrphidae                         Platycheirus granditarsus                          SC209694

Syrphidae                         Riponnensia splendens                              SC209694

Syrphidae                         Syritta pipiens                                             SC209694

Syrphidae                         Syrphus ribesii                                            SC209694

Tabanidae                        Haematopota pluvialis                               SC209694

Tephritidae                      Xyphosia miliaria                                         SC209694

Ballachurry Reserve, 17th June 2016.

Hogweed and Red Campion

I've been off-Island on holiday, so was anxious to visit Ballachurry Reserve on Friday to see how things had changed during my absence. The fine weather had certainly brought out the flowers! Here is my report:

Birds:

SC210694 family of Great Tits moving through the willows parallel to the road. I only glimpsed one, but there were at least three from the calls.

SC209694 Reed Bunting, male.

SC208694 Goldfinch

SC208694 Sedge Warbler heard but not seen

SC208694 Willow warbler

SC209695 Jackdaws x 5

SC209694 Whitethroat

SC209693 flock of 10 Goldfinches flying over

SC209694 Whitethroat seen again in different part of  Reserve, although the Grid Reference is the same.

Caterpillars:

SC210694 Although the Garlic Mustard I planted under the noticeboard has now gone to seed, it has at least 6 caterpillars feeding on it.Orange Tip butterflies-to-be.Unfortunately, Orange Tip butterfly caterpillars are cannibalistic and will devour each other if they happen to meet! 

SC208694 Hemlock Water Dropwort has Depressaria daucella moth caterpillars.

SC208694 Orchard Ermine Moth caterpillar webs on Blackthorn still visible but I didn't spot any caterpillars.

SC209694 Orchard Ermine Moth caterpillar webs on Hawthorn but couldn't get close enough to look for caterpillars.

Butterflies

SC209694 Speckled Wood x 2 having a territorial dispute and nectaring on hogweed. Also, unidentified white flying

SC210694 Speckled Wood near entrance

SC208694 Unidentified White flying; Small Tortoiseshell

Shieldbugs:

SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug  adults, eggs and various instars along gorse boundary.

SC208694  Gorse Shieldbug adults and early instars on gorse near the dam.

Damselflies:

SC209693  Male Common Blue damselflies x 3,  together in rushes + 1 x female

SC209694  Common Blue damselflies - mating pair flying coupled

Hoverflies & other flies: (with thanks to Steve Crellin for IDs)

SC208695 Marmalade Hoverflies; unidentified fly.

SC209693  "The Batman Fly" Myathropa florea ( & other unidentified flies) on Hemlock Water Dropwort 

SC210694  Various flies on Ox-eye daisies by noticeboard.

Plants:

SC210694 The Stinking Iris has fought its way through the nettles to flower; Yellow waterlily in bloom on the pond; Burdock starting to be visible near gate.Wild roses in flower throughout reserve. Tufted Vetch in flower. Hemlock Water Dropwort and Hogweed now in full flower throughout the reserve. Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale),  which I noticed recently in the nettles as a new record for the Reserve, is also growing near the gate. (SC210694) Purple Loosestrife now in flower.SC208694  

Other:

SC209695 The  sycamore sapling I called "the spider tree" last year had one very small spider and one slightly larger one.

SC209695  There was also a small snail on one of the leaves.

SC210694  Garden snail on wall and another on stone gate post.

SC209693  Carder bee on clover

SC208694  Bees on the Hemlock Water Dropwort have pink ( rather than yellow) pollen baskets.

SC210694  Leaf Hopper (or should it be frog hopper?) on Garlic Mustard near entrance.

SC208694  Wolf Spider with egg sack on boardwalk.

Notes:

The Rushen Brownies visited the Reserve with Education Officer, Dawn Dickens, on Thursday evening. They were rather unlucky with the weather but seem to have enjoyed themselves anyway, as their notes on the blackboard show!

male Reed Bunting on Alder

Willow Warbler

A distant view of a Whitethroat

Two views of a Whitethroat

Moorhen

Adult Gorse Shieldbug - note red antennae

Gorse Shieldbug eggs

Some early instars of Gorse Shieldbugs

Three stages (instars) of Gorse Shieldbugs together

Male Common Blue Damselfly

Female Common Blue Damselfly

Bee with pink pollen baskets on Hemlock Water Dropwort

Carder Bee on Clover

Marmalade Hoverfly on bramble flower

Another Marmalade Hoverfly

"The Batman Fly" Myathropa florea. (Thanks to Steve Crellin for ID)

Depressaria daucella moth caterpillar on Hemlock Water Dropwort

Orchard Ermine Moth caterpillars cover Blackthorn with webs

First time I have seen Orchard Ermine Moth caterpillar webs
on Hawthorn at the Reserve.

Orange Tip Caterpillar on Garlic Mustard

Speckled Wood

Another Speckled Wood

Small Tortoiseshell

Tiny unidentified snail

Garden Snail, well hidden in wall

Larger Garden Snail

Leaf Hopper on Garlic Mustard

Very small unidentified spider

Another unidentified spider

Wolf spiders are carrying their egg sacks at this time of year

Ox-eye daisies with Hoverfly and another unidentified fly

Common Valerian

A sea of Hemlock Water Dropwort

Ginny's Bench from across the meadow

The Hide viewed from the Bridge

Hedge Mustard - a new record for the Reserve this year

Stinking Iris fighting through the nettles

Stream viewed from bridge

Wild roses in bloom throughout the Reserve

Purple Loosestrife in the Wild flower meadow

Yellow Waterlily in bloom

View from the entrance gate