Sunday Concert reminder - ticket sales benefit Manx Wildlife Trust

Still time to get your ticket, enjoy the music, and help wildlife.

Thank you!

Ballachurry Reserve, 24th & 27th March 2017

A quick walk round the reserve on Friday afternoon when on my way home from Port Erin revealed the following:

Birds:

SC208694 ( compost corner) Wren; Goldfinch; Chiffchaff heard but not seen from different direction whilst seeing a Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler.
SC208695 ( beehive loop) Wren; Goldfinch;
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) female Blackbird;
SC209694 ( path junction) 2 x Great Tit; Mallard flying over
SC209694 (from hide) 2 x Great Tit; Chiffchaff/Willow warbler; Magpie flying over; 2 x Mallard flying over

Other:

SC209694 ( gorse boundary) 1 Peacock butterfly flying; 2 x Small Tortoiseshell courtship.
     

Small Tortoiseshell butterflies courting

Then on Monday evening there was a site visit by Southern Group Committee members and a couple of volunteers to determine how best to proceed with various matters relating to the hide. I  arrived  20 minutes early in order to enjoy a walk round in the evening sunshine and noted the following:

SC209694 ( path junction) Goldcrest

SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Grey Heron perched on top of a hawthorn tree

SC209694 ( pond) Mallard

SC208694 ( near the reed bed) Robin; 2 x Great Tit; Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler

SC208694 ( near the dam) Stichwort in flower. I have not noticed it in this location in previous years so will take a closer look on my next recording visit.

An Urban Reserve?

When the Urban Birder visited the Reserve last September I was a little surprised to hear him describe Ballachurry as being in an urban environment. I had always thought of it as rather rural with its views of the hills and the surrounding pasture with grazing sheep. However, my last couple of visits have made me think again. Beautiful birdsong, yes, but periodically drowned out by aviation overhead, the bleep of reversing vehicles on the nearby building site, the steam train hooting, the bleep of crossing barriers coming down, gardeners making the most of the fine weather to get their grass cut with motor mowers and there seemed to be a proliferation of motorbikes along the road too. So yes, David, maybe you have a point!

Is it a bird? Is it a 'plane?

Ballachurry Reserve, 23rd March 2017.

View across the reserve to the hills

Almost a week late with this report - very busy + a spell of nice weather always means I'm outside catching up on the outside jobs rather than inside on the computer. However, it's damp and drizzly this afternoon and the hill fog is down too, so no excuses accepted for not signing in.

I heard a Chiffchaff calling from the reserve as soon as I opened my car door last Thursday and was delighted to hear my first Willow Warbler of the season as I walked along the path parallel with the road. I managed with some difficulty to spot it singing in the willows . The only photo I managed was blurred and it flew off towards the gorse boundary before I could try again. I had hoped to catch up with it later but none of the warblers I  managed to photograph  during the rest of the afternoon were singing and my birding skills are not such that I can readily distinguish between silent CCs and WWs despite some coaching by various Manx Ornithological  Society Committee members. I'm grateful to Neil Morris of Manx Birdlife for sorting a couple out for me from the photos on this occasion. Here is the report:

Birds:

SC210694  ( near entrance) Chiffchaff heard but not seen; Robin;
SC209693  ( willows parallel to road) Willow Warbler;  Goldcrest;
SC209694  ( path junction) Chiffchaff
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Wren; Robin ; Song Thrush; Goldfinch;  Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler; Pheasant & Chaffinch heard but not seen
SC209694 ( from hide)   2 x Blackbird ( pair) Great Tit; Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler + Chiffchaff heard elsewhere at the same time.  Mallard flying over.
SC208694 ( willows ) Great Tit; Blackbird; Goldfinch;
SC208695 ( old beehives loop)  Goldcrest; female Blackbird; Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler; 2 x Goldfinch; Great tit;
SC209695 ( near entrance to orchard) Goldcrest
SC208695 ( between end of boardwalk path and start of beehive loop) Chiffchaff ;Wren heard but not seen.

 SC208694 As I walked along the willow path I heard a din overhead and witnessed a dogfight ( if birds can have dogfights?) between what I think was a Sparrowhawk and some sort of large Corvid. If any of my birding friends can ID the corvid from its sihouette please let me know. It was the corvid making all the noise but it wasn't a call I'd heard before. Appropriately it almost sounded like an ack- ack gun! The Sparrowhawk must have called up some help as its mate suddenly arrived and joined in the affray but I lost sight of the drama as they headed off beyond the fir trees. I couldn't really see what I was photographing as it was extremely bright looking up and my eyes were soon streaming. I just kept clicking, with mixed results. Composite photo below.

Not strictly the Reserve: adjoining thicket viewed from the road SC209692 Wood Pigeon; Blue Tit.

Other:

SC208694 4 x Gorse Shieldbugs in gorse bush near the dam
SC208694 Wolf spiders on the boardwalk
SC209694 and SC208695 Honey bees in the gorse and in the willows
SC209694 ( near Ginnie's bench) Small Tortoiseshell butterfly in the nettles.
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) 7-spot Ladybird in gorse.
SC208695 Hogweed in flower
SC209694 Unidentified Hoverfly
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) 20 + Gorse Shieldbugs counted.
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) primroses and celandines flowering together in the bank

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Spring flowers

7-spot Ladybird

Honey bee on willow

Honey bee on gorse

Goldcrest

Goldcrest

Early |Hogweed flowering

Unidentified Hoverfly

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Goldfinch

3 Gorse Shieldbugs

Marsh Marigold now has multiple flowers

Robin

Small Tortoiseshell

Wren

Pigeon in the adjoining thicket, photographed from road

along the boundary, heading for home

This was a morning visit, but I also called in very briefly on Friday afternoon and Monday evening but that's another story.

Concert in Aid of Manx Wildlife Trust

Just a couple of weeks away now! An afternoon of wonderful music, and a major fund raiser for the MANX WILDLIFE TRUST.

Click to enlarge.

Ballachurry Reserve, 20th March 2017: Work Party.

Ballachurry Rainbow

I'm very pleased to say that, at the fifth attempt, we were finally able to hold a Work Party at the Reserve today. We needed to do a couple of tasks before the birds start nesting and I was getting rather anxious about this when we had to cancel week after week because of the weather and ground conditions.

Obviously by holding the event on a week-day many of  our regular volunteers were unable to come along. However, we mustered 7 volunteers who got stuck in with a will and did a grand job. A big thank you to all concerned. Thanks too to Margaret for baking a cake, even though she was unable to come along herself and to Adam who did the honours during the refreshment break.

The sun mostly shone and the few drops of rain we did experience  gave us the wonderful sight of a rainbow over Ballakillowey. There was a heavy shower about twenty minutes after we had all gone home, so our timing was perfect!

So, what did we do?

• We raked off two recently strimmed areas which will now be allowed to grow long until late summer/ early autumn. 
• Moved a large dock growing in the middle of a path. 
• Moved a Hemlock Water Dropwort plant which was growing where we are trying to eliminate them in the wild flower glade.
• Cut back arching brambles which were fording the ditch.
• A bit more strimming near the boardwalk, which then required some sweeping.
• Adjusted a large tree tie which Storm Doris had disturbed.
• Put up the "Nesting Birds" signs which will now remain in situ until August.
• Enjoyed some welcome refreshments at half time. 

Wildlife: SC208694 Large frog; Great Tit.

               SC209694 Male Pheasant flying in

               SC209693  3 x Mallard flying over.

Haven't we done this before........?

 Setting off to collect the pot of gold perhaps?

Raking off the strimmed grass to lower the fertility of the plot.

Where's that barrow gone?

More raking 

We did the area near Ginnie's bench too

Strimming near the board walk

Sunny picnic

Welcome refreshments

Who said the new shelf was for binoculars and telescopes? 

Back to work, brambles this time.

We take our work very seriously!

Has anyone seen Wendy?

The arrival of Chiffchaffs this week
prompted us to put up the notices.

A polite reminder near the gate
( and please buy a ticket for the concert, which is raising money for the Wildlife Trust)

               

A handsome frog taking an interest

Ballachurry Reserve, Work Party, Monday 20th March 2017.

Monday

Some rain may develop for a short time first thing. However, any rain will soon clear away, leaving sunny intervals and only scattered showers, these mostly likely during the evening. Winds will continue brisk, fresh to strong from the west, with the best temperature 9 or 10 Celsius.

This looks good for our Work Party on Monday, so we'll start at 2.30 ( by popular request!) We have 7 volunteers at present but all welcome. 

Principal task is raking off strimmed grass/rushes but shouldn't be as onerous as last time. Bring a rake if you have one please. 

If we have time to do more, then secateurs/ loppers etc. will be useful. A spade or fork might also be handy as we need to dig out a couple of brutes growing in the wrong place. 

Wellies and work gloves needed, of course. Refreshments provided as usual. 

Thanks in advance,

Ballachurry Reserve, 16th March 2017.

Reserve seen from the road

Well, I didn't expect to be updating the Blog quite so soon after my visit last Monday. My recording visits are generally just once a week, but I've learnt that it is always prudent to have my binoculars and camera handy when I drop in to the Reserve just to put up notices or check on conditions ahead of Work Parties etc. On Thursday I was doing just that, checking the strimmed areas etc. ahead of the (now cancelled ) Work Party.

The rain had just stopped and, just like me, everything was suddenly out and about again. No butterflies, ladybirds etc. of course, but there seemed to be birds everywhere. Here is the list:

SC209694  ( path junction) Dunnock; 2 x Great Tit.
SC208694 ( path through willows) male Reed Bunting; 2 x Goldfinch; Robin;  2 x Chiffchaff;  3 x Blue Tit; 2 x Great Tit; Wren.
SC209694 ( from Hide) Chiffchaff; Great Tit; Wren; Water Rail; Wood Pigeon. Mallard flying over.
SC208695 ( old beehive loop) Chiffchaff; Wren.
SC209695 (near stream inlet) Blackbird.
SC210694 ( near entrance) Chaffinch heard but not seen.

I couldn't believe my luck - all within 45 minutes! How wonderful to see the Chiffchaffs back! They seemed very tame,  flitting through the willows very close to me but not stopping long anywhere. The Reed Bunting was a bonus too, but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with the camera. The Water Rail appeared from along the stream but headed into the vegetation before reappearing briefly in the reeds at the back of the pond. Not the best of photos but good to see it nonetheless.

A brief view of the Water Rail before it vanished into the reeds.

Chiffchaff in willows

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

The Marsh Marigold bud photographed on Monday had opened

Blue Tit having a stretch

Wren walking on water!

Wren: when I grow up I want to be a Water Rail