15th September 2016. BBC Radio 4 visits Ballachurry Reserve with David Lindo, the Urban Birder!

David Lindo, The Urban Birder,  with Helen Lennard,
 BBC Radio 4 Producer for "Open Country",
 at Ballachurry Reserve.

Recently BBC Radio 4  Producer, Helen Lennard, contacted Manx Birdlife's Managing Director, Neil Morris, to arrange a visit to the Isle of Man to make recordings for the programme "Open Country". With naturalist, writer and broadcaster, David Lindo, (known to many as the Urban Birder) they spent most of the day on the Calf of Man, with the sea mist rolling in and out but with a few sunny intervals in between. They also visited Eary Cushlin in search of Hen Harriers before kindly fitting in a flying visit to Ballachurry Reserve before leaving to catch their plane back to Manchester.

Whilst waiting for the visitors to arrive I took my usual stroll around the Reserve and noted the following:

Birds:

SC209694 juvenile Moorhen

SC209694  Water Rail heard squealing but not seen.

SC209694 Grey Heron flying over

SC209694 Robin.

SC209694 Whitethroat

SC209694 Hirundines flying over - not identified; Wood pigeon flying over

SC209694  1 male & 1 juvenile Blackbird taking rowan berries.

SC209693 2 x Peregrine falcon flying over reserve, calling.

SC209694 Blackcap heard but not seen.

Butterflies:

SC208694 2 x Speckled Wood

SC209695  2 x Speckled Wood

SC209694 Speckled Wood

SC209694 Unidentified White

SC209693 Speckled Wood; unidentified white

SC209694 ( path junction) 2 x Speckled Wood; Small White

Bugs and beetles:

SC209693 7-spot Ladybird

SC209694  adult Hawthorn Shieldbug on Rowan

SC209695 & SC208695 usual Hawthorn Shieldbug nymphs (various instars) on Rowans.

SC208694 usual Gorse Shieldbugs ( adults) in gorse

Spiders:

SC208694  Garden Cross spider

SC210694  Very small spider on Noticeboard - markings/stance give it comical  clown like appearance. Do zoom in to see its "face" and raised arms!

Flies, Bees and Wasps

SC208695 new wasp nest being excavated

SC209694 new wasp nest being excavated

SC210694 Noon Fly

SC210694 Rhingia campestris Hoverfly

SC209693 Marmalade Hoverfly

SC209693 Unidentified wasp/ fly ? 

SC209694 Moth fly on Cushag; Marmalade Hoverfly; unidentified bee ( buff tailed/ white tailed?)

SC208694 "Footballer" Hoverfly

SC209694 Unidentified Hoverfly

Other:

SC209694 Unidentified brownish dragonfly over pond

SC209694  Fungus growing in woodchip path near Rowan. Spore print obtained to help ID. 

One of two Peregrines flying over the Reserve

Juvenile Blackbird taking Rowan berries

photo taken from Bird Hide, so rather distant

Juvenile Moorhen

This tiny spider appears to be giving
 the photographer a rude gesture!

Cross spider

7-spot Ladybird

Hawthorn Shieldbug on Rowan berries

Fungus growing in the woodchip

Bumble bee enjoying the Cushag ( Ragwort) 

Moth Fly

Speckled Wood

Another Speckled Wood

Unidentified Hoverfly

to be identified - click for larger image

another view of the same insect

a new wasp nest being excavated - note neatly cut grass

"Footballer" Hoverfly

"Marmalade" Hoverfly

I was very pleased to both hear and see the pair of Peregrines and this proved a good ice-breaker for our meeting. On arrival David was promptly recorded talking about them, having confirmed the ID from the photo I had taken. Although the Water Rail was seen while we were elsewhere in the reserve, it resolutely refused to show itself to the visitors, living up to its elusive reputation.  As it was for radio, rather than TV,  this disappointment did not matter unduly and they did manage to make a sound recording of its characteristic squealing.

It was a pity that there was no time for a more leisurely walk around the reserve to perhaps see more in the way of bird life, which is David's special interest.  You can learn more about him on  www.davidlindo.com  and see his great photos. 

Open Country is off-air at the moment, so this will be for the next series. Hopefully they will let us know when it is on, so we can listen. I imagine only a  few minutes will be devoted to Ballachurry, if at all, as the programme is only 25 minutes long and most of the day was devoted to the wildlife of the Calf. However, it was an interesting experience, they were very nice people, and it puts both the Isle of Man and Ballachurry Reserve on the map!

It is, of course, impossible to appreciate the Island's wildlife in the course of a few hours, but it would be nice to think that his time here had perhaps whetted David's appetite for a return visit. How nice it would be for him to visit the Ayres with its nesting tern colonies, introduce him the fantastic birding at Langness and perhaps re-visit Ballachurry Reserve where it is quite possible to see 6 species of Warbler in one day.  And who knows, our elusive Water Rail might even deign to put in an appearance!

To finish, here is a photo of the Calf taken from near Port Erin while the visitors were over there!

Wildlife? What wildlife?