Thursday 29 September 2016

Ballachurry Reserve - 20th , 27th & 28th September.

Long lenses at the ready

I have been down to Ballachurry Reserve on a couple of occasions recently to do some cutting back of nettles and brambles etc.from the paths , so there are some incidental records, but on Tuesday I did my recording visit so here are the records for all 3 dates:

20th September - Common Darter. SC208694

Common Darter Dragonfly sunning itself on a stone.

27th September 

BIrds: SC209693 Water Rail heard from reeds at same time as another was calling from pond area 
          SC209694 Water Rail both heard and seen
          SC209694 Juvenile Moorhen
          SC209694 Robin
          SC209695 Dunnock
          SC209694 5 x Jackdaw
          Flying over: Magpie, Herring Gulls, Wood Pigeons.

Butterflies: SC209695 Red Admiral

Caterpillars: SC209693  2 x Buff Tip Moth caterpillars on separate Hazel trees.

Flies: SC209695 Marmalade Hoverfly
          SC210694 Noon Fly on dead Elder branch

Fungus: SC209695  Unidentified brown toadstool

Shieldbugs: SC208694 Just one Gorse Shieldbug seen
                    SC209695 Just one Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph found

Other: SC210694  several common earwigs on noticeboard
           SC210694 small spider on noticeboard
           SC209693 Hazels have catkins
           SC209694 Alders have catkins
           SC209694 Alder is heavily laden with cones
           SC208694 The solitary sloe is ripening on the Blackthorn
           SC208694 One or two new Hogweed  plants flowering
           SC209695 Oak saplings have Spangle Galls on underside of leaves - a little                                            research suggests these are caused by gall wasp Neuroterus 
         quercusbaccarum. They do not affect the health of the tree. 
            SC209694 Yellow Snail

The Reserve was noticeably quiet with less insect life than usual. It was lovely to see a succession  of visitors during the afternoon, all hoping to see our Water Rails. Most were lucky, making their trips from Foxdale and Laxey worthwhile.

Hoping for a sight of the Water Rail ( taken with visitors' permission) 

No - it's "only" a juvenile Moorhen!
 
Patience rewarded! It's a Water Rail!

Robin near the pond
Common Earwig

Small unidentified spider

Noon Fly

Alder laden with cones - contain food for our bird life.

Buff Tip Moth Caterpillar

Buff Tip Moth caterpillar

Solitary Sloe now ripening

Hawthorn Shieldbug nymph on Rowan berries

Spangle Galls on underside of Oak leaf

Unidentified fungus

Unidentified yellow snail

28th September:  SC210694 2 x Crane Flies on wooden bridge ( different from the usual ones seen)                               
                           SC210694 Peregrine Falcon flying over chasing flock of small birds. Flew                            off over Ballakilley. ( Thanks to Brian Liggins for alerting me to the drama,  as I had my head down           working and would have missed it.)
                          SC209694 Blue tit.
                           SC209694 Water Rail heard but not seen.

Notes: Birder/Photographer Brian had chosen to spend part of his lunch break at the reserve in the hopes of seeing a Water Rail. Just as he left another gentleman arrived, also hoping to see a Water Rail! It's certainly become a local celebrity!

"Daddy Long Legs"

Autumnal look to the Reserve



Monday 26 September 2016

Ballachurry Reserve - A personal list of all species recorded at the reserve since 2010.

This is a copy of the list that hangs in the Bird Hide at Ballachurry Reserve, recording my own observations. It has just been updated to show 2015 and 2016 to date. I'll put the list back in the hide once re-furbishment is complete.

Ballachurry Wetlands Reserve

Seen at or from reserve since 2010. Except where stated these are personal observations only, other people may have seen different things.

Unidentified species have been photographed and ID is on-going.

AMPHIBIANS: Frogs & copious amounts of frogspawn

BATS: Pippistrelles and Little Pippistrelles recorded by Manx Bat Group in adjacent orchard
           (Bat Walks 2015/16)
          Daubenton’s Bat ( water bat) flying over water in daylight 31st October 2013

BEES:– various  unidentified bumblebees (possibly including white/buff tailed and carder)
   honey bees
   wild bees nest in tree on adjacent land, visible from Reserve.

BEETLES & BUGS:

LADYBIRDS: ladybird eggs found on nettles ; 7-spot larvae; Harlequin pupa

 10 spot ladybirds    (Just one, Chequered form, to date 2016. None  2015. Total reported for 2014 = 18)
 11 spot ladybirds)              (None to date 2016. None 2015. Total reported for 2014 = 4;)
 2 spot ladybird                                  ( 3 reported to date 2016. Total reported for 2015 =1; 2014 = 35)
 7 spot ladybirds.        ( 26 reported to date 2016. Total reported for 2015 = 64) 2014 = 197. 2013 = 77 )
 Harlequin spectabilis   (1 in 2015)
 Harlequin succinea      ( 1 in 2015)
 Larch                                                     (First record 2016)
 Possible  Rhyzobizius Litura  ( 2011)

Grand total reported  2015 67 ladybirds (2014 = 254 ladybirds) (2016 on-going 30 to date)

SHIELDBUGS
                                Forest Bug
                                Gorse Shieldbugs  + eggs + nymphs ( various instars)
                                Hawthorn Bug +  nymphs ( various instars)
                                Green shieldbugs + nymphs (various instars) 
                                Sloe Bug ( aka Hairy Shieldbug)

 OTHER BUGS:
                                Common Green Capsid Bug
                                Common Nettle Caspid bugs
                             Licoris tripustulatus Bug
                                Marsh Damsel Bug
                                Unidentified green  & brown Capsid bugs
                                Unidentified  Capsid bug on stinking iris
                                Unidentified Capsid bug

OTHER BEETLES:   
                                                                                 
                               2 species unidentified Weevils 
                                    Chrysomelid beetles  (chrysolina?) 
                                    Common Burying Beetle
                                    Devil’s coach horse beetle eating caterpillar
                                    Flea beetle damage on daffs
                                   Large black unidentified  beetle,  red legs 
                                    Leaf Beetle (Oulema malanopa)
                                Small unidentified bright orange beetle
                                   Smaller unidentified bronze beetle
                              Soldier beetles
                                   Tortoise beetle (cassida rubiginosa  + nymphs
                                   Unidentified  large black beetle
                                   Unidentified  tiny black beetles on nettles
                                   Unidentified black ground beetle
                              Unidentified bronze beetle
                                   Unidentified gingery brown beetle 
                                   Unidentified green beetle
                                   Unidentified large green beetle under carpet square
                                   Unidentified long beetle
                                   Unidentified orange beetles on thistle
                                   Unidentified Rove beetle 
                                   Very small irridescent green beetle on rush
                                   Very small unidentified brown beetles under carpet squares
                                   Very small unidentified green beetles


BIRDS: Birds in italics seen by Manx Ornithological Society Committee members , but not by myself

             Blackbird
             Blackcap
             Blue tit 
             Carrion/Hooded Crow hybrid
             Chaffinch                               
             Chiffchaff                                                                                          
             Chough ( flying over)
             Coal Tit
             Collared Dove
             Curlew
             Domestic white hen ( from next door)
             Duck – white farmyard variety ( flying over)
             Dunnock                                        
             Fieldfare                                                                                      
             Goldcrest                                                                                                                                                  
             Goldfinch                                                                                             
             Grasshopper Warbler
             Great Tit 
            Great Black-backed gull ( flying over) 
            Greenfinch                                                                                                            
             Grey Heron 
             Grey Wagtail                                                                         
             Hen Harrier  
             Herring Gulls                                                                 
             Hooded Crow
             House Martins
             House Sparrow
             Hybrid Duck 
            Jackdaw
            Kestrel (flying over)                                                                                               
            Lapwing (flying over)
            Lesser Redpoll
            Linnet
            Long Tailed Tit
            Magpie
            Mallards
            Meadow Pipit
            Mistle Thrush
            Moorhens
            Mute Swan
            Peacock, Peahen, peachicks (from house next door) 
            Peregrine falcon                                     
            Pheasant
            Pied Wagtail 
            Raven ( flying over)
            Redwing
            Reed Bunting      
            Robin                                                                                                       
            Rook 
            Sand Martin
            Sedge Warbler
            Siskin                                                                                  
            Snipe
            Song Thrush
            Sparrowhawk 
            Starling            
            Swallow                                                                                                       
            Swift                                                                                 
            Teal                                                                                                  
            Tree Creeper
            Water Rail
            Whimbrel
            White Wagtail
            Whitethroat 
            Willow Warbler                                                                                 
            Woodpecker  - Great spotted                                                                                               
            Wood Pigeon
            Wren  
                                                                                                                                             
                 (68 species to date)

                                                                  
            
BUTTERFLIES:

 Clouded Yellow 2011                      
 Common Blue 
 Green Veined White
 Large White
 Meadow Brown                                                                                 
 Orange Tip
 Painted Lady
 Peacock
 Red Admiral
 Small Copper
 Small Heath
 Small Tortoiseshell
 Small White 
 Speckled Wood                                                              
 Wall Brown
                                                                                                                        
15 species to date (out of a possible 19. Those not seen are Holly Blue, Grayling, Comma &  Dark Green Fritillary. There is a slightly controversial number 20 –  Brimstone)
                                                       
                                                                                                                           
DRAGONFLIES/DAMSELFLIES:

Large Red Damselfly  m&f
Black Darter Dragonfly
Blue tailed damselfly
Common Blue damselfly m&f
Common Darter Dragonfly m&f
Unidentified brown dragonfly over pond
Some larger blue unidentified dragonflies over the water.


MOTHS: ( mostly identified from trapping in 2015 /16 by Ian Scott, Louise Samson and Duncan Bridges)

Agapeta hamana
Angleshades
Beautiful Golden Y
Beautiful plume
Bee moth
Bright line brown eye                                      
Brimstone moth
Brown house moth
Brussels lace
Buff ermine
Canary Shouldered Thorn           
Clay
Clouded border
Common carpet
Common emerald
Common footman
Common rustic
Common wainscot
Coxcomb prominent
Crescent dart
Dark Arches
Flame Carpet                                    
Flounced Rustic                               
Foxglove pug
Ingrailed clay
Iron prominent
July highflyer
Large Yellow Underwing              
Least yellow underwing      
Lesser broad bordered yellow underwing
Lesser yellow underwing             
Light Brown Apple Moth              
Light emerald
Mother of pearl
Mottled beauty
Peppered moth
Pink Barred Sallow                          
Plain Golden Y
Riband wave
Rivulet
Rosy Rustic                                        
Ruby tiger
Rush veneer
Scalloped Oak
Shaded broad-bar
Silver ground carpet moth 
Silver Y                                                 
Six spotted Burnet moth
Small fan-footed wave
Small Square Spot                           
Small Wainscott                               
Square-spot rustic
Swallow-tailed moth
True lovers knot
Udea lutealis                                     
Unidentified micromoths
                                               
                                                    
CATERPILLARS:  (moth caterpillars indicate that species also found on reserve)
                                                                                                        
Bright green caterpillar on dock flower
Brightly striped caterpillars on Willow & Common Valerian 
Brown Hairy Caterpillar;
Buff-tip Moth caterpillars on Willow
Depressaria daucella  Moth caterpillars on Hogweed & Hemlock Water Dropwort
Fox Moth Caterpillar
Ginger coloured caterpillar
Green caterpillar on discarded poop scoop bag
Orange Tip Butterfly caterpillars on Garlic Mustard
Orchard Ermine Moth caterpillars on Blackthorn
Poplar Hawkmoth caterpillar on Willow
Red |Admiral Caterpillars on nettles
Small green caterpillar on hide door
Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillars on nettles                                                                          
Unidentified green caterpillar being eaten by beetle
Unidentified sawfly caterpillars on willow
Unidentified caterpillars on Garlic Mustard (possibly Green Veined White butterfly?)

                                                                                                                          
PLANTS & FLOWERS: (not comprehensive list)

 Alder catkins
 Angelica
 Ash
 Archangel- yellow
 Blackberry
 Blackthorn blossom
 Bluebells (Spanish) both blue and white
 Bracken
 Brooklime
 Burdock
 Buttercups - meadow and creeping
 Cats ear
 Campion- red
 Celandine lesser
 Cherry Ornamental ( memorial tree)
 Chickweed
 Clover -red
 Convolvulus
 Dandelions
 Daffodils -cultivated varieties 
 Daisies- lawn 
 Docks             
 Elderberry      
 Ferns -Harts tongue
           -Common polypody
 Flowering currant (originally planted for bees on site)
 Forget-me-nots - water
 Fuchsia 
 Garlic Mustard (introduced 2015)
 Gorse
 Groundsel
 Hawthorn
 Hawkweed
 Hazel
 Hedge Mustard Sisymbrium officinale
 Hemlock water dropwort
 Hemp-Agrimony (introduced 2015)
 Hogweed
 Holly saplings
 Horsetail
 Iris  - yellow and purple
 Iris – stinking
 Ivy 
 Knapweed   
 Ladysmock
 Loosestrife - purple          
 Marsh marigolds
 Marsh thistle
 Marsh Woundwort
 Meadowsweet
 Meadow vetchling
 Mouse ear - sticky
 Muscari
 Nettles
 Oak saplings               
 Oxalis
 Ox-eye daisy
 Plantain - greater
 Poppy- opium?
 Primroses
 Palm- fan ( removed by Work Party as inappropriate)
 Ragged Robin
 Ragwort ( cushag)
 Raspberry canes
 Redshank
 Rowan
 Rushes - various
 Rue – wall
 Scarlet Pimpernel
 Self Heal (introduced 2016)
 Sneezewort
 Snowdrops
 Snowflake
 Sorrel
 Sow thistle
 Speedwell - thyme leaved
 Spleenwort - Maidenhair
 Stitchwort
 Sycamore (over-hanging  from orchard)
 Thistle - spear
            - marsh
Tormentil       
Trefoil  - greater
            - lesser
Valerian - common
Veronica- herbacious, garden escape
Vetch – tufted
           - common
Water lily- native yellow?
Wild roses- various
Willow
Willowherb-  great

GRASSES, RUSHES ETC. (kindly identified by Veryan Conn)
Sweet Vernal Grass
Yorkshire Fog
Cocksfoot
Meadow Foxtail
Perennial Rye Grass
Rough Meadow Grass
Jointed ( or Sharp Flowered ) Rush

SPIDERS, HARVESTMEN AND MITES:

                Araneus diadematus  Common Cross/ garden spiders –
                Enoplognatha Spider ( I think the common name is Comb-footed spider)
                Harvest mite?
                Larinoides cornutus
                Metallina probably segmetata 
                Mitopus morio; and  Leioburnum ( probably. Rotundum ) Harvestmen
               Nemastoma bimaculatum Harvestman
                Numerous “money spiders”  ( Linyphiidae)
                TinySpider on noticeboard
                Tiny brown spider in rolled willow leaf
                Orb web spiders on nettles ( Zygiella?)
                Pisaura mirabilis ( Nursery Web spider)
                Salticus Jumping Spider
                Tetragnatha spider  probably  extensa 
               Tegenaria gigantean Wolf spider in hide?
                Unidentified  spider in cocoon
                unidentified crab spider
                Unidentified small green spiders on nettles; 
                Unidentified small red spider in hide ( spider mite?)
                Walckenaera sp. Money spider
                Wolf spiders in grass, small. ( pardosa species)
                Xysticus probably cristatus – Crab spider  
                Zygiella probably x-notata   on hide shutters
                                
                  
INVERTEBRATES, INSECTS ETC:

Ants – unidentified black & red
Aphids –  various, including campion, brachycaudus klugkisti, black on thistles
                Great Willow Aphids, Tuberolachnus salignus  2014 (not seen since)
Common Earwig
          
Hoverflies:-–  various unidentified
                               -  Rhingia campestris
                               -  Scaeva pyrastri
                               -Episyrphus baleatus ( Marmalade Fly)
                               “Footballer”  Helophilus Hoverfly 
                                Leucozoma lucorum?
                                Myathropa florea “Batman” Hoverfly
                                Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly


      Other flies:
                        “ House” flies
                        “Green bottle” flies
                        2 x types of very small  unidentified fly
                       Caddis fly , unidentified plain brown 2012
                       Calliphora sp. Fly
                    Calliphorid  Pollenia sp
                       Chrysotus sp. ( Doli) – a tiny fly with pink wings
                       Crane flies various, including Folded Wing Crane Fly (Ptychoptera sp,)
                                                       Tipula paludosa or oeracea
                      Fruit flies - Tephritis bardenae on burdock + Similar but non burdock fly
                      Horse fly
                      Moth flies ( Pericoma sp.)
                      Muscid or Anthomylid sp. flies
                      Noon Flies – Mesembrina meridian ( muscid)
                      Soldier fly - Sargus sp.  ( Stratiomyid)  - a small fly with big blue eyes
                     St. Marks Flies
                     Tachina grossa parasitic fly
                      Unidentified black flies on sycamore leaves
                     Unidentified irridescent flies
                     Unidentified wasps/flies
                     Very small unidentified flies ( or moths?) on dandelion
                     Xyphosia miliaria fly?
                    Yellow Dung flies, (Scathophaga stercoraria?)
        
Grasshoppers: Field Grasshoppers 



Millepedes-       pill
                          white-legged snake
                          flat backed – Polydesmus angustus

Various:      lace-wing
                     Leaf hopper – brown
                    - cuckoo spit leaf hopppers
                      Midges & gnats
                     Woodlice in hide;


Water Creatures

                             Caddis fly larvae probably agapetus
                             Hydropsyche or rhyacophilia caddis fly larvae
                             pond skaters
                             Pond Snails
                             Ribbon leeches + egg sacks
                             water boatman  x 2 species
                             gammarus  pulex, fresh water shrimp?
                             water crickets   - Velia capria
                             Water Hog Louse


  Wasps –      common garden
                      signs of gall wasp on oak
                      unidentified parasitic wasps 
                                 
          
 Worms:    Unidentified earthworm
                  Unidentified white worm
                  Kontikia ventrolineata ? ( alien flatworm? Under investigation)
                  Brandling worms Eisenia fetida



MAMMALS: Various Domestic Cats; rat; rabbit; Pygmy shrew; Hedgehog

    

MOLLUSCS:
Black slug   arion ater?
Brown slug  arion ater?
Common hairy snail Trochylus hispidus
Dark lipped banded snail
Garlic Snail (blue bodied)  Oxychilus alliarius
Large brown Garden snails – cornu aspersum
Plain yellow Snail   Cepaea sp.?
Unidentified small slugs & snails 
White lipped Banded Snail

MISCELLANEOUS:
Artichoke galls (Andricus fecundator) on oak saplings                             
Unidentified lichen on orchard tree branches, memorial cherry tree and on bridge rails
White lichen on floor of hide
Unidentified moss on concrete bridge near entrance
Various unidentified pupae on vegetation

Fungus

Alder Tongue galls caused by fungal pathogen, Taphrina alni
Auricularia auricularia-judae  - Jelly/ jew’s ear fungus
Coral spot on tree stake?                                    
Psilocybe semilanceata
Naucoria bohemica
Mycena ( pura?)
Panaeolus semiovatus? (egg head mottlegill)
(possibly) coprinus toadstools
King Alfred Cakes ( in stream, washed down)
Woodchip fungus being ID’d.

             
With many thanks to everyone who helps with ID.including, Veryan Conn, Steve Crellin, Garry Curtis, Dawn Dickens, Andree Dubbeldam, Kate Hawkins, Neil Morris, Helen Roy, Louise Samson, Ian Scott, Richard Selman, & Joe & Tristan @ British Bugs.

List will be updated at the end of the year.