Ballachurry Reserve, Rushen, IOM.: April 2018

Ballachurry Reserv 21st April 2018

Another evening stroll...........

an inviting bench in the evening sun

I had to drive past the reserve at 5 o'clock this evening and stopped to take another walk around for an hour. This time I was lucky and heard at least one Sedge Warbler from the reed bed near the hide. Here is the complete list:

Birds:

SC209693 Sedge Warbler heard but not seen; Wren; Robin; male Blackcap
SC209694 female Blackcap
SC210694 male Blackcap sitting on bridge hand rail; 2 x Blue Tit
SC208694 male Blackcap
SC 209695 Willow Warbler
SC208695 2 x Chaffinch ( pair)

Other:

SC209694 5 x Small Tortoiseshell butterflies together having territorial dispute
SC209694 Peacock butterfly basking on concrete below Ginnie's bench

this should have been a perfect shot but I think I was too excited!
Black cap

not much better!
composite shot of male Blackcap in willow tree

female Blackcap

years ago I watched Ginnie's family lay this slab to put the
memorial bench on and predicted that the butterflies would love it!

one of 5 Small Tortoiseshell

noisy Wren landed nearby while I was listening to Sedge Warbler

I think this one is a Willow Warbler

again a cloudless April sky

we hope this area might be a damp flower meadow one day

A lovely evening stroll round a beautiful reserve.

Ballachurry Reserve 20th April, 2018.

late afternoon stroll at Ballachurry

About half past ten on Friday morning I received a text message from my husband saying he had heard both Sedge Warblers and a Grasshopper Warbler at Ballachurry Reserve. How annoying! I couldn't go down there to join him and it was 4 p.m. before I managed to walk round the reserve. I did hear a brief snatch of Grasshopper Warbler, but no sounds from the Sedge Warblers. Nevertheless it was lovely to walk round in the late afternoon sunshine and I recorded the following birds:

Birds:

SC208694 Swift over head - first I've seen this year; male Blackcap in the willows; Willow Warbler seen singing
SC208694 ( near boardwalk) 2 x Long Tailed Tits; Wren. Grasshopper Warbler heard.
SC209694 3 x Swallows came down and dipped into the pond + Wren ( seen from hide) Willow Warbler seen singing; Chiffchaff?
SC209693 Robin; pair of Blackcap
SC208695 Dunnock?

Other:

SC 209694 Peacock Butterfly; Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly
SC209695 Water Crickets

Chiffchaff ?

Dunnock, I think, but the angle is a bit odd and not the best light

female Blackcap

several shots follow of a Long Tailed Tit
It was ringed

Swift

Peacock Butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell

Water Crickets

not a cloud in the sky

Ballachurry Reserve, 18th April 2018.

my first Ballachurry butterfly sighting of 2018
Peacock

Once the thick mist lifted on Wednesday we were treated to a sunny afternoon and I was off down to Ballachurry Reserve to see what was about. Not just birds either - I was hoping for a butterfly as they have been in short supply this spring. Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209693 2 x Willow Warbler/ Chiffchaff; Robin; Great Tit; Wren; female Blackcap; Blackbird heard but not seen
SC209694 ( path junction) Willow Warbler/ Chiffchaff
SC208694 ( Willows/ compost area) Willow Warbler singing; Chiffchaff singing; Robin
SC209695 ( near private entrance) Willow Warbler/ Chiffchaff ( probably CC) ; Great Tit; male Chaffinch
SC208694 ( boardwalk) female Reed Bunting ( flew down and perched near me while I was taking a photo of insects on Marsh Marigolds nearby!) Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler; Great Tit; 3 x Mallard flying over;
SC208695 ( old beehive loop) Great Tit; 9 x Wood Pigeon; 3 x Long Tail Tit; female Chaffinch; Jackdaw
SC209694 ( hide) 3 x Mallard; Blue Tit; 2 x Magpie; 2 x Goldfinch; Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff; Pheasant heard but not seen.

Ladybirds:

SC209695 "Old Faithful" 7 spot still in the gorse bush by the Bowman Memorial Bench and another in the gorse bush near the stream.

Butterfly:

SC209694 A friend entered the reserve just as I reached the area near Ginnie's Bench and I explained that I was also hoping to see butterflies on such a lovely warm afternoon. As I said the word "butterflies" a Peacock Butterfly flew up right under my nose! Uncanny. It went to sunbathe on the wood chip, which is nice and warm. Later I saw either another or more likely the same one, a little further down the path on the gorse boundary, nectaring on a dandelion.

Other:

SC209693 Common Green Shieldbug in Hemlock Water Dropwort. I would not have seen this had I not taken a closer look at what I though was a caterpillar on the plant (turned out to be a hazel catkin but the Shieldbug was nearby!) Dung fly on Hemlock Water Dropwort.

SC208694 Unidentified bee on Marsh Marigold; Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on Marsh Marigold; unidentified bumble bee on the ground.
SC209693 Willows are full of honey bees and Bumble Bees. Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on Daffodil. Yellow Dung fly ( Scathophaga stercoraria?) on Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC209695 Unidentified fly on Dandelion
SC209695 a couple of Water Crickets in the stream; unidentified fly on celandine; Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on gorse; unidentified small black fly on gorse; unidentified fly on daffodil
SC208695 tiny unidentified fly on ash tree trunk; unidentified fly on dandelion; unidentified fly on another dandelion;pair of mating Yellow Dung flies ( Scathophaga stercoraria?) on Hogweed; unidentified bug on nettles
SC208694 Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on Dock leaf