 |
| Marsh Marigolds making a bright splash near the boardwalk |
Saturday dawned bright and sunny so my husband and I decided to pay a visit to Ballachurry. We went separately as Richard was dropping off Manx Wildlife Trust newsletters on the way but when he caught me up 15 or 20 minutes later I had still only just reached the Noticeboard! I had been counting & photographing all the 7-spot Ladybirds between the gate and the board ( 8). We enjoyed strolling round together in the warm sunshine listening to the Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers which are now the soundtrack of the reserve. Here is what we recorded:
Birds:
SC209694 male Chaffinch; Chiffchaff;
SC209693 Chiffchaff; Robin.
SC209694 Pheasant; 2 x Goldfinch; Willow Warbler; 2 x Long Tailed Tits mating in hawthorn bush;Chaffinch; Coal Tit; 2 x Great Tit
SC209694 ( hide) Goldfinch; Great Tit; 3 x Mallard drakes; Chaffinch heard but not seen; Woodpigeon flying over.
SC208694 Long Tailed Tit; Chiffchaff; Willow Warbler; Robin; Great Tit; Chaffinch heard but not seen
SC209695 Woodpigeon; Song Thrush; 2 x Great Tit; male Chaffinch; Dunnock;
SC208695 Pheasant; Goldfinch; 2 x Chaffinch; Wren heard but not seen
Butterflies:
SC209695 Peacock
SC209694 Peacock
SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell
Ladybirds:
SC210694 8 x 7-spot Ladybirds
SC208694 7-spot Ladybird
SC208695 2 x 7-spot Ladybird
SC209694 11 x 7-spot Ladybirds
(Total 22)
Other:
SC209694 4 x Gorse Shieldbug; Sloe Shieldbug
SC209695 20 + Water Crickets
SC209693 here and throughout reserve, Honey bees in gorse
SC210694 here and throughout reserve, Wolf Spiders in grass
SC208694 Various flies including Hover flies
SC210694 I released a fly which seemed to be trapped inside the noticeboard
SC209694 Various flies on Hogweed flowers
SC209694 & SC208694 Stitchwort in flower
SC208694 small hole in compost heap suggests home for something furry!
 |
this Chaffinch sang from the same tree for 2 hours!
(grid ref. should be SC209694 - apologies!) |
 |
| Coal Tit |
 |
| Same Coal Tit singing its heart out |
 |
| Goldfinch |
 |
| Goldfinch |
 |
| Bees in the willow |
 |
| flies on the Marsh Marigolds |
 |
| another elsewhere |
 |
| Honey bee exploring a daffodil |
 |
| Yellow Dung Fly on first Hogweed flower of the season |
 |
| another species on gorse |
 |
| and again on Dandelion |
 |
| possibly small St. Marks fly? |
 |
| meanwhile back at the Hogweed.... |
 |
| Hover fly, possibly Eristalis pertinax? |
 |
| and another? |
 |
| fly trapped behind glass on the notice board |
 |
| Hoverfly on dandelion |
 |
| flies love the bright yellow Marsh Marigolds |
 |
| Marsh Marigolds near the stream |
 |
| White Spanish "bluebells" near the gate - garden escape |
 |
| Stitchwort |
 |
| des.res, in the compost |
 |
| Gorse Shieldbugs have red antennae |
 |
| Shieldbugs and Ladybirds are often seen together in gorse |
 |
| 3 Gorse Shieldbugs together |
 |
| 7-spot on nettles near the gate |
 |
| another on grass |
 |
| 7-spot in the gorse |
 |
Sloe Bug
( also known as Hairy Shieldbug) |
 |
| Small Tortoiseshell on Dock |
 |
| Peacock on Primroses |
 |
| a closer view |
 |
| can you see the proboscis sucking nectar from the flower? |
 |
| it was there some time |
 |
| a clear blue sky for our visit |
 |
| looking back along the gorse boundary |
 |
| and a final look at March before wiping the board clean for April |
(
don't forget that you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them and then move through them as a slide show)
