Ballachurry Reserve, 11th August 2020.

August at Ballachurry

I arrived at the reserve just before 10 on Tuesday and within a few minutes the rather cool misty weather changed into warm sunshine. I was soon glad of the breeze and my sunhat! The warmth brought out the butterflies and other insects too and I thoroughly enjoyed  the next few hours wandering around in a leisurely fashion recording all I saw.

Birds:

SC209693 Raven flying over croaking
SC209694   (from hide) Sedge Warbler parent feeding juvenile; 4 x Blackbirds, some juveniles taking Rowan berries. Woodpigeon; 2 x Mallard.  2 x juvenile Moorhen.
SC208695 Blackbird m.

Butterflies & Moths:

SC210694 Speckled Wood; Large White.
SC209693 2 x unidentified Whites flying
SC208694  2 x Common Blue; Small Copper; Wall Brown
SC208695 2 x Peacock;
SC209694 Red Admiral;  2 x Speckled Wood.
SC208695 Udea lutealis  moth
SC209694 Carpet moth sp.

Ladybirds:

SC210694 2 x 7-spot
SC209694 1 x 7-spot

Other:

SC209693 Crane Fly
SC209693 Various spiders. One carefully cut petal free which had lodged in web.
SC209694 unidentified pupa in nettles
SC209695 & SC208694 Water Crickets
SC209694 Froghopper
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug

SC210694  Cluster fly  - Pollenia species

 SC208694 Eristalis species Hoverfly
SC210694 Noon fly
SC208694 Rhingia campestris fly
SC209693 Unidentified  fly/ wasp
SC209693  Possibly Nephrotoma flavipalpis Cranefly NEW RECORD ?
SC209693 Unidentified spider
SC209694 Several small Cross Spiders
SC208695 Migrant Hawker Dragonfly NEW RECORD*  see note below

The photographer in the hide proved to be one of our volunteers

view through the shutters

this young Sedge Warbler had just been fed by parent which then dropped down into vegetation below it

Rowan berries across the pond being pillaged by Blackbirds

this bunch of berries didn't last very long

young Blackbird

 

juvenile Moorhen

a male Wall Brown butterfly

Speckled Wood

Small Copper

it moved to the bramble flowers

where it was nectaring for quite a while

Large White butterfly

Peacock butterfly  - look almost black when wings are closed

 A Carpet moth ( I think! )

Udea lutealis moth

7-spot Ladybird

and another

the stream now clearly visible after our work party on Saturday

now full of Water Crickets

Froghopper

Gorse Shieldbug

Pollenia species fly  - Cluster fly

 Eristalis species Hoverfly Grid ref should be SC208694

Noon Fly

Rhinghia campestris fly took off just as I pressed the shutter!

possibly a Nephrotoma flavipalpis Crane Fly?

Unidentified crane fly

 Melanostoma species fly feeding on pollen from Plantain flower - see video below

underside of Cross spider

 unidentified spider

Small Cross Spider

Migrant Hawker - a new record for the Reserve

 I was walking round the reserve reflecting rather sadly that I had not seen any dragonflies, and very few damselflies, at Ballachurry this year when round the corner came this large, predominantly blue dragonfly which landed right in front of me on the brambles. I really could not believe my eyes!  It eventually flew off into the area designated for our new dragonfly pool which I took to be a good omen.

I posted the above photo on the Manx Dragonflies and Damselflies Facebook Page in the hope of getting it identified by an expert. It wasn't long before I received some additional questions from Pete Hadfield, the Island's Odonata Recorder. It seemed we had something potentially quite exciting! This was indeed confirmed later: Migrant Hawker! These have been recorded at only three other sites on the Island ( The Calf, The Point of Ayre Gravel Pits and the Arragon Estate, Santon)   I wondered if it was just "passing through" but Pete told me that from its colouring it was only about 2 days old and would have emerged from Ballachurry's own pond.  So Ballachurry does it yet again!

View to the hills from the gorse boundary

An excellent visit to Ballachurry Reserve

Please click on photos to enlarge