Ballachurry Reserve, 16th September 2019.

looking towards the far corner of the Reserve
 "the Beehive corner" 

The sun was a long time breaking through on Monday and I hung on until 3 p.m. before heading down to the reserve to do some recording. There are always more insects, especially butterflies, if the sun is shining. After a pleasant chat with some ladies just leaving the reserve, out came my notebook and I began looking round to see what could be seen. Here is my full list:

Birds:

SC210694  Robin
SC209693  Robin ( possibly the same one)
SC208694  Song Thrush; 2 x Chaffinch
SC208695  Dunnock; Warbler preening (to be identified) ; Blackbird
SC209694  Robin; Woodpigeon flying over

Butterflies & Moths:

SC210694 Speckled Wood
SC209693  Speckled Wood
SC209694  Red Admiral;  Speckled Wood
SC208694  Red Admiral; Speckled Wood
SC208695 3 x Speckled Wood
SC209695  Speckled Wood
SC210694 very camouflaged Micromoth on nettle ( to be identified)

Ladybirds:

SC209694  3 x 7-spot Ladybirds on thistles

Other:

SC210694 about 12 small spiders sunning themselves on nettles - juvenile Pisaura mirabilis?
SC209693  Dead Longtail on the path with stomach ripped out ( sorry!) Numerous flies and wasps feasting on it.
SC209695 numerous wasps in the grass - couldn't see what was attracting them or any signs of a nest; Wolf spiders.Calliphora species fly - possiby  Pollenia
SC208694 Various flies - Sargus species ( Soldier fly) ; Helophilus species; Calliphora species ; Eristalis pertinax and other Eristalis species.
SC209695 Water Crickets in stream
SC209694 3 x Gorse Shieldbugs along gorse boundary
SC210694 Chrysomelid  beetle
SC209695 Garden spider with Shieldbug nymph caught in web
SC210694 Grasshopper ( to be identified)
SC209695  Various flies,  including male  Eristalis and Helophilus species; Solitary Bee  (either Lasioglossum albipes or calceatum)  and caterpillar ( to be identified)
SC209694  2 x Noon Flies
SC208694 Spider on Sneezewort ( to be identified)

Robin

Warbler - to be identified

is the orange streak berry staining?

dunnock

7-spot Ladybird

7-spot Ladybird

Speckled Wood

and another nearby

Common Blue

very camouflaged micromoth on nettle

Hoverfly    -  Helophilus species

 Sargus species Soldier fly.

Calliphora species Fly 

same fly, different angle

 Possibly a Pollenia species ( calliphorid ) 

Helophilus species Hoverfly  

male Eristalis species Hoverfly 

and from a different angle

Male Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly 

Male Eristalis species Hoverfly 

Helophilus species Hoverfly 

Noon Flies on the apples.
We are hoping the apples may attract Waxwings &
members of the Thrush family later in the season. The fallen fruit
also provides food for butterflies, especially Red Admirals
as well as small mammals and various other invertebrates.
So please do not scrump!

fly  - unable to be identified from photo

Solitary Bee - either Lasioglossum albipes or calceatum

same bee, different flower

the flower was only the size of a 5p coin
unidentified caterpillar

Grasshopper

on wall near the gate

Gorse Shieldbug

large garden spider

probably a juvenile Nursery Web spider

Spider on Sneezewort taken with smartphone

same photo with my camera

autumnal look to the reserve suddenly

water visible in stream again

although not a great deal of water coming through

one of about 6 Water Crickets

season of mellow fruitfulness

A very pleasant afternoon at the Reserve.

Click on photos to enlarge them

With thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identification.

Ballachurry Reserve, 14th September 2019: Work Party.

The September Work Party is always one of the most strenuous of the year but also one of the most important. We have a very narrow window between the close of the bird nesting season and the end of September when we are allowed by DEFA to dredge silt from the streams that run through the Reserve. In the course of 12 months a great deal of silt is carried down the streams, added to which the late summer vegetation starts to collapse and die back, more often than not falling in to the water  where very often it traps the silt, restricting the water flow through to the reed bed and the pond.

So the main task last Saturday facing our 11 volunteers was to cut back the vegetation along both streams then to dredge out the silt where it had accumulated, especially near the two bridges. Everyone got very muddy but no one got thoroughly stuck this year, I'm glad to say. Once or twice I could feel the mud sucking at my wellies as I tried to move, but fortunately I didn't have to leave them behind!

Eleven thirty saw the arrival of our most popular Volunteer Number 12! Sheila S. arrived bearing the most delicious chocolate cake! The rest of the volunteers needed no second bidding to down tools, wash hands and tuck in. It was good to sit down too and straighten up our backs! Once again the weather had been kind to us and it was lovely to sit in the sunshine and hear how everyone had passed the summer.

However, the job was not quite finished so we were soon back at work once more until the water was flowing without restriction down both streams. This task always leaves the Reserve looking rather worse for wear with piles of dying vegetation along the banks and thick black mud piled high too. However, you will be surprised how quickly it all melts away and greens over.

Once everyone had gone home to a well deserved lunch I walked round again to take some photos and was delighted to see a Wren picking over the mud for insects ( SC209694). I was even more  delighted though on reaching the boardwalk to see a Grey Wagtail working it's way along the muddy bank, also looking for invertebrates. (SC208694) We rarely get Grey Wagtails on the Reserve so our efforts had been well worth it just to have attracted this bird to a temporary new habitat. Unfortunately I only had a phone camera with me so was unable to take its photo.

During the morning we'd seen some Speckled Wood butterflies again, and a few swallows overhead too. Once the water cleared a little we could see fresh water shrimps jetting around near the boardwalk and up where the stream enters the reserve we could once more see the water crickets.

Here are a few photos from our morning.

we spread out along the stream,
 tackling the vegetation first

shears and secateurs at the ready 

rakes came in handy

a couple of volunteers assessing what's needed
where the stream enters the reed bed

that's looking better

Some of us started at the opposite
end of the stream

the plan was to meet in the middle
- they finally came into sight!

 

at last it's possible to walk right down the stream
unimpeded by vegetation

the ladies standing up.....

and the gentlemen sitting down!
this tea is good yessir!

and so is the cake!

back to work

all done at last
 looking back from the boardwalk

and seen from the opposite end

looking back from the pond

and towards the pond from the same spot

water flowing better under the bridge now
and into the reeds

So a job well done by all concerned! A great big thank you to all our volunteers today, including our cake baker, and a warm welcome to our new recruit, Jan, too. 

September is the wet one. October the brambly one! See you then.

My next post will be a recording visit to the reserve.

Click on the photos to enlarge them