Ballachurry Reserve, 22nd & 23rd April 2021.

View from the bridge

  I am late reporting my visit on Thursday 22nd April because a Southern Group work party at the reserve closely followed by a committee meeting have been taking up my time. However, this report is "two for the price of one" as I returned on Friday to check on paint brushes and rollers etc. ahead of the work party. I was able to spend half an hour there before going on to another commitment  at 12 o'clock. Here is what I recorded on both days:

Thursday 22nd April

Birds:

SC210694 Chaffinch and Willow Warbler heard but not seen; sign of a kill probably by Sparrowhawk

SC209694 Willow Warbler;  Mallard drake flying out of reserve; pair of Mallard on water; Moorhen.

SC208694  Willow Warbler x 2 one of which another bird watcher on the reserve described as an Eric Morecambe bird - "all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order"! Not heard again since. Chiffchaff heard but not seen; Great Tit; male Blackbird collecting worms.

SC209695 Chaffinch; Goldfinch; Robin;

SC208695 Great Tit; Chaffinch;

Other: 

SC208695  female Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly on bramble  and  male Syrphus fly on Daffodils

SC208694 another  female Eristalis pertinax  on the path and  Platycheirus albimanus fly on daisy.

SC208695  7-spot Ladybird on Hogweed

SC210694 2 x 7-spot Ladybird on nettles

SC209694 2 x Gorse Shieldbug

SC208694 Stitchwort in flower

SC210694 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly; Speckled Wood Butterfly. 

SC209693 Bird Cherry in flower here and elsewhere.

SC208694  Marsh Marigolds in full flower

It was good to see a small group of children and their teachers from Rushen Primary School exploring the reserve. My thanks to one little boy for finding a Ladybird which I had failed to see!  Thanks also due to Committee Secretary, Janet, for the splendid notice by the log pile.

Unfortunately, some sad person had not only defied the "no dogs notice"  ( at the worst possible time of year when birds are nesting) but also discarded their dog poo bag near the barrows. Not my favourite job disposing of that, especially as I don't have dog of my own!

 our growing log pile and an explanation of what it is for

Mallard drake just leaving Reserve

off it goes

but there was a pair on the pond - alert to danger from above

the Moorhen was feeding in the weed

closer view

Willow Warbler. There were several on the Reserve

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Robin

"the Eric Morecambe" Willow Warbler!

usual view but notice the Blackbird

he obviously has a family to feed at present

obviously lots of worms to be had from our damp meadow

Marsh Marigolds ( Kingcups) in the background

listening intently for worms

another Willow Warbler - the sound of summer

very little water in the stream but lush vegetation

daffodils mostly over now

but Stitchwort flowering

spot the stream!

Gorse Shieldbug

7-spot Ladybird on Hogweed

one of two 7-spot ladybirds near the gate

Platycheirus albimanus fly on lawn daisy

 female Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly

 male Syrphus species Hoverfly

 two spiders - they met briefly and the one on the right  beat a hasty retreat

close-up of the left hand spider

 another Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly ( female)

 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

This Willow Warbler was feeding in the Rowan tree

it was very acrobatic

finding lots of insects

a bit of a stretch sometimes

I was standing right beneath the tree

not the conventional view of a Willow Warbler!

my thanks to Karen Griffiths for identifying this as a Bird Cherry

Marsh Marigolds ( Kingcups)

Friday 23rd April

Birds: 

SC209694 Dunnock; Willow Warbler; Chaffinch; male Blackcap; Blue Tit; Robin. 2 x Mallard; Moorhen;

SC208694 Wren

SC210694 2 x Goldfinch

Other:

SC210694 Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Orangetip butterflies

SC209693  Male Syrphus species Hoverfly on dandelion

 

Willow Warbler

Robin in full voice

Moorhen

handsome male Chaffinch

Dandelions are full of nectar for insects - here a male Syrphus species

Mallards in the Brooklime

 

My next post will be  Saturday's Work Party.

Please click on photos to enlarge them ( with thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identification)

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Ballachurry Reserve, 9th April 2021

My first April visit to Ballachurry Reserve

It's over a week since I visited the Reserve so I'm very late posting this account of my visit - blame the good weather!

  As I entered the Reserve on Friday ( 9th )  I could see a bright red spot in the nettles ahead of me.   Sure enough it was a 7-spot Ladybird. As I took its photo I was listening to a Chiffchaff and other birdsong. An auspicious start to my walk I thought! Then there was a sudden mewing overhead and the birds fell noticeably silent. Sure enough no less than 5 Buzzards were circling  above the reserve for a few minutes before moving back from whence they came. The birdsong resumed. My bird book tells me they have a wide range of prey including rodents & carrion but they even eat earthworms and frogs. Although Rabbit is their favourite dish, they will also take young birds. So this begs the question, why do they announce their arrival by calling? As they left I continued my walk and noted the following:

 Birds:

SC210694 5 x Buzzards overhead on arival 2 Buzzars overhead as I left later; Chiffchaff heard but not seen.

SC209693 female Chaffinch

SC209694 ( hide ) 2 x Moorhen; Duck and Drake Mallard with 10 ducklings; 2 x Blue Tit

SC209694 3 x Great Tit together;

SC208695 Dunnock; Song Thrush; Wren

SC208694 Chiffchaff heard but not seen; Robin; Great Tit; 2 x Wren; 3 x Woodpigeon; 

SC209695 Blue Tit;  Robin

Other:

SC210694 7spot Ladybird

SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug 

SC208694 7 spot Ladybird

SC208695  male Blowfly ( Callipohora species)  on daffs

SC208694 Unidentified Hoverflies on gorse

SC210694 Unidentified spider;   Female Syrphus Hoverfly.

SC208694  Possibly Anthomyiidae flies x 10 on Bridge Handrail 

SC208695 Unidentified Bumblebee on Flowering Currant bush

SC209693 2 x  Platycheirus species flies on Dandelion flower

SC208694 First Hemlock Water Dropwort flower of the year

SC208694 tiny Hoverfly on gorse - female Meliscaeva auricollis   NEW RECORD FOR RESERVE

SC208695 Yellow Dung Fly - Scathophaga stercoraria

Although sunny it was very cold on the Reserve and I got caught in a sudden heavy downpour. I was quite surprised that it was rain and not sleet or hail. The sun continued to shine and there was a low rainbow over the hills although I failed to capture it  very well with my camera. Fortunately there was no one else on the Reserve at the time so I was able to shelter in the hide for the 5 minutes or so that it lasted.

"Wanton destruction" is a bit of a cliche but it was the phrase that came to mind when I realised that someone had  vandalised the daffodils. At first I thought a couple of fighting Pheasants had beheaded them but as I walked on there were armfuls picked from the base and discarded near the private gate, around the bench and strewn along the path. Some were even in the stream. So not just "nicked" to take home to a vase but left to wither on the reserve. Pointless. Some clumps are going over now but these were still at their best. There was also evidence of a "social gathering" in the hide in defiance of current Covid regulations but it may not be the same group as destroyed the daffodils of course. The Police have been informed.

three of the five Buzzards circling above the Reserve

this one appears to have a feather missing

I'm sure I've seen the same one over my house too

huge, majestic birds

 

on a much smaller scale - female Chaffinch

Father Duck - drake Mallard

Mother Duck and 10 ducklings

Great Tit

Moorhen

 it was feeding while its mate collected nesting material nearby

I watched this Wren for some time

often singing its heart out

then pausing to look around

tiny bird with loud voice

Blue Tit

will our bird boxes be taken this year?

Marsh Marigolds now flowering - I helped plant these so a good feeling

first Hemlock Water Dropwort flower

looking towards Reserve boundary

 

there were 10 of these small flies on the bridge hand rail ( possibly Anthomyiidae)

7-spot Ladybird

unidentified Bumblebee

male Platycheirus  flies on Dandelion

 Dung fly - Scathophaga stercoraria

 male Blowfly - Calliphora species

Gorse Shieldbug

possibly a Nursery Web spider

 Meliscaeva auricollis Hoverfly

another view of the same fly

 female Syrphus species Hoverfly

Willows now looking green

the daffs near the gate were not growing

but picked and discarded

others had been strewn round on the grass

several more had just been beheaded

this area was about to be mown

a path is cut round the edge but the central area left to grow

the Buzzards returned just before I left

raindrops on the pond

can you see the low rainbow?

areas of silt in the stream -sometimes these attract Grey Wagtails

the mud will also help returning House Martins with nest building

rainstorm finished

so I resumed my walk

 

freshly cut grass

 As I left the Reserve Steve, the Contractor for Rushen Commissioners, arrived with his ride-on mower to give the grass it's second cut of the season. We are very grateful to the Commissioners for continuing this service for a second year. The reserve smelt of new mown grass and there were 2 Buzzards circling above - a good lasting impression to take home with me. 

Please click on photos to enlarge them ( with  thanks to Steve Crellin for fly identification)