Ballachurry Reserve, Rushen, IOM.: Ballachurry Reserve, 6th July, 2017.

July at Ballachurry Reserve

On 6th July I unexpectedly found myself with a couple of hours free - should I go to bed and nurse my heavy cold, clear the huge pile of ironing that was building up at home, or go to Ballachurry? No contest, really! So here is my report:

Birds:

The reserve seemed very quiet from a birding point of view. For the first hour and a half I saw nothing at all and only heard the odd Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff in the distance. Towards the end of my visit I did see a Goldfinch, Blue Tits and a Great Tit as follows:
SC209693 Great Tit; Blackbird heard not seen. Willow Warbler heard but not seen
SC209694 ( hide) Willow Warbler heard not seen.
SC208694 ( reed bed area) Magpie heard but not seen; Chiffchaff heard but not seen; unrecognised call needing investigation, sounded like "here mamma, here mamma, pip, pip, pip"; Pheasant heard not seen.
SC208695 ( beehives loop) 2 x juvenile Blue tits
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Goldfinch. Sedge Warbler heard but not seen.
SC209695 ( near Private area) Wood Pigeon heard but not seen.

Ladybirds:

In contrast to the birds, there were 7-spot ladybirds everywhere, mostly feasting on black thistle aphids.
SC209693 ( parallel to road) 7 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC209694 ( near hide) 4 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) 7-spot Ladybird
SC208694 ( near boardwalk)18 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC208695 ( beehives loop) 2 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC209695 (stream inlet) 7-spot Ladybird

( Total: 33 Ladybirds. Given that these are just the ones I managed to spot from the paths, there are probably many more on the reserve at present)

Butterflies:

SC210694 Red Admiral; Meadow Brown
SC209693 Meadow Brown
SC209694 ( hide area) Red Admiral
SC208694 ( willows) Speckled Wood
SC208695 ( beehive loop) Speckled Wood
SC208694 ( boardwalk area) Unidentified White flying; Meadow Brown
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Meadow Brown

Other:

SC209694 ( near Hide Bridge) 2 x Common Capsid bugs
SC208694 ( willows) 2 x Common Capsid bugs
SC208694 ( near boardwalk) several unidentified Capsid bugs
SC208694 ( near boardwalk) Unidentified Moth
SC208694 ( near boardwalk) Parasitic wasp?
SC209695 ( hawthorn "island in mown area) Wolf spiders
SC208695 ( beehive loop) very active Depressaria daucella caterpillar on Hogweed
SC209695 ( near Private entrance) Wolf spider with egg sack
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) just 2 Gorse Shieldbug nymphs*
SC209694 ( near hide) Unidentified moth
SC209694 ( near hide) Male and female Common Blue damselflies
SC210694 Soldier Beetles here and throughout the reserve
SC209693 some of the Hazel bushes have hazel nuts forming for the first time
SC209693 Unidentified Hoverflies
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Common Hairy Snail.
SC209695 ( near stream inlet) Banded Snail
SC209694 ( gorse boundary) Wolf spider with egg sack
SC208694 ( near boardwalk) Unidentified fly
SC209693 ( parallel to road) Unidentified fungi
SC208695 ( old beehive loop) Leucozona lucorum fly

* Although there were plenty of Gorse Shieldbug eggs earlier in the year, these are the only 2 nymphs ( both different instars) that I have seen. Usually the gorse is awash with them, so were they eaten by predators, washed away in recent storms or are they simply "running late" this year?