Ballachurry Reserve, 13th -16th August 2020.

On Thursday afternoon I and other Committee members met Dawn, Manx Wildlife Trust's Education Officer, at  Ballachurry to learn how to set up small mammal traps on the reserve. We want to monitor exactly what we have scurrying about at night that we rarely get to see during our daytime visits. The plan is to bait the traps with tempting food for a week with the traps unset, in order to get the small mammals used to visiting them. Then, one evening next week, Dawn will set the traps which will still contain food and hay bedding to keep the creatures safe and comfortable until early next morning when she will return to see what (if anything) has been caught and to release them once more.

Dawn shows us the 2 parts of the Longworth trap

Red flags to mark position of traps so we can find them again

School was never like this before....

baited trap in positon

Red flagged so we can find them again later.

The traps have been placed  throughout the reserve and I have been visiting them daily to top up the food and check the bedding is dry. Already I know that some of them are in regular use so I am very excited at the prospect of accompanying Dawn  to see what mammals we have on the reserve.

Later, Dawn and I were in the bird hide and noticed a large gingery brown Dragonfly flying round and round the pond. I reported this to Pete Hadfield ( see previous post) and it seems that this too could be an interesting newcomer to the Reserve. If any of the photographers manage to get shots ( even blurry ones apparently) of dragonflies on the reserve it would be great if you could post them on the Manx Dragonflies and Damselflies Facebook page for identification.

Other sightings on 13th:
SC209693 Holly Blue Butterfly
SC209694 Speckled Wood Butterfly
SC208695 Speckled Wood Butterfly
SC209694 Juvenile Moorhen; Mallard.
SC209694 Silver Y moth.

We also watched 3 or 4 Swallows swooping over the water, something I've not seen there before this summer.  Dawn pointed out what I had taken to be grass seeds caught on the rush flowers but which are, in fact, moth pupae. Yet another new record for Ballachurry, (SC209694 and SC209693)

white moth pupae on rush flower

Here are the records I have noted while at the reserve baiting the traps:

Friday 14th August 20:

SC209694 ( hide) 2 x Mallard; 2 x juvenile Moorhen; Woodpigeon; brief glimpse of Water Rail
SC208694 Wall Brown butterfly; Speckled Wood butterfly.
SC209695 Meadow Brown butterfly; Speckled Wood butterfly; 7-spot Ladybird
SC210694 Speckled Wood butterfly; 2 x Swallows flying over;
SC209694 Speckled Wood butterfly
SC209693 Speckled Wood butterfly

Saturday 15th August 20:
SC209694 ( hide) 2 x Swallows flying over; 2 x Mallard' 2 x Juvenile Moorhen; Blackbird;

Pete Hadfield ( see previous post) was also at the hide hoping to see dragonflies and saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker fly from the churchyard trees across the reserve. I was not so lucky as to see it!

Sunday 16th August 20:

SC210694 Red Admiral; Speckled Wood
SC209693 3 x Speckled Wood
SC209694 Speckled Wood
SC208695 Speckled Wood
SC209694 Chaffinch f.
SC209695 Ring Tail Hen Harrier
SC209694 7-spot Ladybird
SC209694 2 x juvenile Moorhen; Mallard, Woodpigeon ( I think this is feeding young as repeatedly returns to same bush)