Ballachurry Reserve, Rushen, IOM.: Ballachurry Reserve, 3rd October 2016.

Thursday, 6 October 2016

Ballachurry Reserve, 3rd October 2016.

Good old Dandelions! 3 Hoverflies enjoying a feast.

I started my walk round Ballachurry Reserve on Monday with the sun warm on my back, but by the time I left the strengthening wind was really chilly and I had been glad to sit in the Hide to warm up for my final half hour at the Reserve.

Birds:

SC209694 Juvenile Moorhen

SC209694 Water Rail heard but not seen

SC209694 Goldfinch

SC209694 Robin heard but not seen

SC208694 Great Tit

SC209694 Wren

Flying over: House martins, Wood pigeon & corvids

Butterflies:

SC209694 Red Admiral

SC208694 Small White

SC208695 Red Admiral on brambles

SC209694 Small White on dandelion

Moths & Caterpillars:

SC209694 Silver Y moth

SC209693 Buff Tip Moth caterpillars on Hazel x 2

Ladybirds:

SC209693 7spot Ladybird x 2 on Hazel

SC209693 2spot Ladybird on Hazel

(Some of the ladybirds on Hazel were sharing curled leaves with spiders in cocoons)

SC208694 7spot Ladybird on Blackthorn.

Shieldbugs:

SC209694 2 x Hawthorn Shieldbugs on Rowan

SC209694 2 x Gorse Shieldbugs on Hazel

SC208694 Gorse Shieldbug

SC209695 11 x Gorse Shieldbugs on gorse

Flies:

SC210694 2 x Marmalade Flies + 1 unidentified Hoverfly on same dandelion flower.

SC208694 2 x unidentified Hoverflies

SC209694 Marmalade Fly on dandelion

SC210694 Noon Flies on notice board

SC208694 Noon Fly on tree stake

Dragonflies:

SC209694 Lots of dragonfly activity over pond. Pictures are long distance from hide so poor quality but hoping they are good enough for ID purposes.

Large blue dragonflies across water and especially in the Iris Stop Press: Natural History Curator, Kate Hawkins,advises they could either be a male Common Hawker or male Migrant Hawker, closer view needed to determine which.
Conjoined Common Darters - males dipping females into water + some singles. Brief view of male on hardboard by hide. Kate advises that there is very slight chance these could ,in fact, be migrant Red Veined Darters but again, closer view required.
Many thanks to Kate for help.

Plants still in flower include:

Dandelions, Hogweed, Sneezewort; Red Campion, Water Forget-me-Nots, Creeping Buttercups, Ivy

Other:

Yet another wasp nest being constructed just off the path through the willows - I think that is now 6 in all ( + 3 removed from Hide)

SC209694 Wasps on ivy flowers in hedge

SC208694 Wasp on willow leaf

SC209694 Several cocoons on Hazel leaves, some with spider visible ( and Ladybird sharing, see above)