Ballachurry Reserve, 24th July 2017. Visit by U3A Natural History Group.

U3A Natural History Group - their first visit to the Reserve.

It was a real pleasure today to show 9  members of the U3A Natural History Group around Ballachurry Reserve. Clear blue skies and sunshine, tempered by a brisk north westerly breeze, made for very pleasant conditions for our visit. We saw very few birds but this was made up for by several species of butterfly being on the wing. Members of the group also spotted froglets,  ladybirds and various flies & Hoverflies, as well as showing an interest in the colourful flowers now lighting up the Reserve.

I  spent some time  at the Reserve today both before and after the U3A visit, so the list below includes wildlife that the group may not have seen.

Birds:

SC210694 Jackdaw sitting on the wooden post at the entrance where the  Reserve signage is intended to go.
SC209695 juvenile Robin
SC209694 male Blackbird.
SC208694 5 x Swallows overhead
SC208695 Blue Tit.

Butterflies:

SC209694 ( near Ginnie's bench) Small Tortoiseshell; Red Admiral.
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Meadow Brown
SC209695 2 x Meadow Brown together
SC208695 ( old beehive loop) Small Tortoiseshell; Meadow Brown; Speckled Wood.
SC209693  Green Veined White; Meadow Brown.
Several unidentified Whites flying throughout the Reserve.
Several other Meadow  Browns seen flying but grid references not noted.

Ladybirds:

SC208694  7-spot on thistle. Seeing this enlarged on screen suggests it may have been parasitised by the Dinocampus  coccinellae wasp. Some golden thread like webs visible around it.
3 other non parasitised 7-spot ladybirds near the board walk thistles.
SC208694 7spot ladybird in gorse near dam - wings still showing.
Various other 7-spot ladybirds seen but grid references not noted.

Other:

SC209693 3 x Froglets  ( 2-3 cm long) among Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC209694 Silver Y Moth
SC208694 Very small unknown larva
SC209694  various  small spiders in the gorse.
SC209694 Common Capsid bug on thistle
SC208694 nymph of cassida family Tortoise beetle?
SC208695  White legged snake millepede
SC209694  & SC208695 Various flies and hoverflies
SC208694  3 x Gorse Shield Bugs
SC209695  various instars of Gorse Shield Bugs
SC209694  various instars of Gorse Shield Bugs

I was particularly pleased to see the Gorse Shield Bug nymphs in various instars. They have been very scarce this year.

Small Tortoiseshell

Rather ragged Red Admiral

Rather ragged Meadow Brown

Speckled Wood

Silve Y  moth - they are immigrants
Y marking clearly visible.

7-spot Ladybird with wings still showing

7-spot, probably parasitised by Dinocampus Coccinellae wasp

Unknown larva on Blackthorn

Possibly a Tortoise Beetle nymph

Gorse Shield Bug - late summer adult

Gorse Shield Bug - still in early summer "livery"

Early Instar of Gorse Shield Bug nymph

Later Instar of Gorse Shield Bug nymph

Unknown Hoverfly

Unknown Hoverfly

I call these Green Bottles

Hemp Agrimony in the foreground,
 Purple Loosestrife in the background

I would like to thank the U3A Group, on behalf of the Manx Wildlife Trust, for the very generous donation they made to the Trust before leaving Ballachurry Reserve today. The gesture was much appreciated.