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| rather gloomy weather giving an autumnal look |
Very behind with Blog posts because I have been too busy with the preparations for the Open Afternoon that we held at the Reserve on 31st August. I've decided to keep to the chronological order of my visits, starting with this one on 22nd August.
I had arranged with Dawn Dickens, Manx Wildlife Trust's Education Officer, to meet at the Reserve during the afternoon to take delivery of some Hedgehog tunnels which we set up together round the reserve. Dawn explained to me that I must bait them nearly every day for a week with special Hedgehog food, then the day before the Open Afternoon add some white paper and also paint some strips with a special paint made from carbon and vegetable oil. The idea is that the Hedgehog pops in for a snack, treads in the paint and then leaves footprints on the paper. Other small mammals might also leave footprints of course but this is all useful information. By the day of the Ballachurry Event we should know whether we still have Hedgehogs on the reserve. I shall keep you in suspense on this - you will have to wait until I post on the Blog about the Open Afternoon at the Reserve to learn the outcome of this experiment!
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| Hedgehog tunnel |
Both before and after Dawn's visit I walked round the reserve to do some recording and take photos.
Birds:
SC209693 Wren; Blue Tit; 2 x Great Tit; unidentified Warbler in reed bed.
SC208694 Wren; Robin; Blackbird heard but not seen.
SC209694 Single Swift seen overhead + Swallow.
Butterflies:
SC209693 Speckled Wood
Ladybirds:
SC209694 7-spot x 2
Other:
SC210694 Common Earwigs and woodlice behind glass of Noticeboard
SC208694 Small male Eupeodes species Hoverfly on bridge handrail
SC209694 Unidentified Hoverfly on Autumnn Hawkbit flowers
SC208694 Unidentified fly on Hawkbit - not possible to identify from the photo
SC208694 Unidentified fungus on post by bridge and on planks by compost heap
SC208694 Blueing Bracket Fungus on rotting planks by compost heap
SC208694 Nursery Web Spider's tent
SC209694 Nursery Web Spider 's tent
SC208695 numerous horizontal spider webs in gorse and across trees
SC208695 White legged Snake Millipede on Rowan Berries
SC208695 Early instar Common Green Shieldbug nymphs on Rowan berries
SC209693 Early instar Common Green Shieldbug nymphs on Hazel
SC208694 Lauxanid fly ( possibnly Minettia) which always walked sideways
SC209694 Unidentified Moth
SC209694 Leaf hopper inside hide
SC209695 male Episyrphus balteatus Hoverfly
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| Wood lice |
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| one of two 7-spot ladybirds in the thistles along the gorse boundary |
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| male Eupeodes species Hoverfly on the bridge handrail |
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| Common Earwig on noticeboard ( the earwigs and woodlice are busy re-cycling the cardboard!) |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| one of many spiderwebs in the gorse.... |
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| and in a nearby tree |
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| Nursery Web Spider's tent |
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| New fungus on post by bridge |
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| seen here from a different angle |
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| fungi ( or is a slime mould?) on old planks stored near compost heap |
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| White legged Snake Millipede on Rowan berries |
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| Very young Common Green Shieldbug nymph...... |
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| on Rowan berries |
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| and another, this time on Hazel |
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| and yet another |
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| very hard to get a clear view of this bird in the reeds |
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| some kind of warbler |
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| this small fly was walking about on a leaf - Lauxanid species |
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| it always walked sideways, like a crab! possibly a Minettia |
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| Tiny fly on the Hawkbit - not possible to identify from photo |
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| male Episyrphus balteatus Hoverfly on Hawkbit |
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| Blackberry leaves showing signs of Violet Bramble Rust |
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| a sure sign of Autumn approaching |
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| Wren near the Loosestrife |
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| a blurry photo of a tiny leaf hopper in the Hide |
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| unknown moth |
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| looking back towards the road |
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| next year's Alder Catkins developing already |
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| willow is getting going along our hurdles now |
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| first audition for the Ballachurry Christmas Card? |
(click on photos to enlarge)
With thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identification
With thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identification
