Ballachurry Reserve on Saturday was a hive of activity as 9 Volunteers assembled to spruce up the reserve ahead of the forthcoming Open Afternoon on 22nd August. ( Scroll back a few posts to read the poster) . The main task was to cut back vegetation where it had collapsed onto the paths and also trim back the willows which blow down to hit your head on windy days! A job for our tallest volunteer, Steve.
Richard N. meanwhile, in what might be called full P.P.E., was strimming small areas for chairs and tables to go on Saturday in the places where some of the activities are to take place. I raked off these areas afterwards and then Richard strimmed them once more. Which created more raking for me, of course! Richard later strimmed the path edges too.
My own personal mission though was to cut a way round to the back of the Hide and clear a small space in front of the tool shed so that we could open the doors more easily and not trap grass inside when closing them. This unfortunately revealed some litter which also had to be cleared. A perk of this particular job though was to spot several Harvestmen in the grass and on the woodwork. I also removed some seeding docks from the Meadow and the Noticeboard areas as these are places where we are encouraging the wild flowers to grow.
After such a flurry of activity we were all glad to take a break and enjoy our drinks, this time brought from home to avoid crowding in the hide during the pandemic, but supplemented by a delicious cake provided by Sheila S. to which we were able to help ourselves outdoors. ( Thank you, Sheila!) We dutifully socially distanced unless currently living together under one roof! Then back to work to finish the job.
It was hard not to notice the wildlife as we worked - butterflies were everywhere and most noticeably on the Cushag ( Ragwort) near the noticeboard, as the previous Thursday too. It is obviously very nectar rich just at present. Once everyone had left I couldn't resist taking a final walk round the Reserve and taking a few photos. One photo I couldn't get, however, was of a large blue dragonfly flying round and round near the Noticeboard area. It failed to settle but it could well have been a Migrant Hawker again such as was seen on the Reserve last year.
A huge thank you is due to all the Volunteers who worked so hard on Saturday (sorry if I didn't manage to say goodbye and thank you all individually) including Volunteer Number 10, Ian, our Invisible Man on this occasion. Although he was unable to join us that morning, his trailer and bins miraculously appeared on site before we arrived so we were able to make good use of them. He collected them just as we were leaving and kindly took the woody debris and brambles to the Civic Amenity Site for us. The softer vegetation and any wildlife it may have contained remained on site and was taken to the two compost heaps. So a very good morning's work altogether!
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| Bending |
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and stretching - very good exercise
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working along the boundary path
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| brambles! |
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doing a jolly good job
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Gill likewise
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and Richard W. with secateurs at the ready
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Richard N. strimming near the bridge
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then time to relax for a while
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good to sit down for a bit
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we all enjoyed the sunshine and cake!
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and a few photos of the wildlife seen that morning
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this Common Blue was quick to enjoy the strimmed area
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Green Veined White on the Hemp Agrimony
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Likewise a Small Copper
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Common Blue on the Cushag ( Ragwort)
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and a Meadow Brown too
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another view of the Meadow Brown
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Small Copper
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Angelica in flower near the reed bed
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this is the nest of a Nursery Web Spider
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and here is the spider close by, keeping an eye on things
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a rather ragged Wall Brown
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and a Silver Y moth
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Harvestman on the hide
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Just as I was leaving a movement in the grass caught my eye and I was very pleased to see a brown Field Grasshopper in the grass. I studied the vegetation to see where it had gone in the hopes of taking a photo. Then I suddenly realised there was another on the wall just in front of me but this one was PINK! Not the first pink grasshopper I've seen, I've photographed one before near the Chasms, but certainly the first I have recorded at Ballachurry Reserve. A bit of Googling suggests it's a genetic mutation which unfortunately makes the individual less camouflaged and therefore more likely to be predated. Hence they become more rare. Also on Google, quite a number of media headlines round the UK about pink grasshoppers being found and even making the BBC news! So we have a bit of a celebrity living on the Reserve, it would seem. Perhaps the children will find it again during the Bug Hunt on Sunday. |
an unusual pink Field Grasshopper
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another view of it on the wall
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In summary:SC210694 2 x Field Grasshoppers, 1 pink form.
SC209694 Small Copper; Wall Brown; Meadow Brown; Common Blue; Silver Y Moth. Blue Dragonfly ( Migrant Hawker?); 4x Harvestmen. Moorhen; 3 x Mallard ( including 2 hybrid)
SC208694 Green Veined White; Common Blue; Small Copper.
SC209693 Nursery Web Spider ( Pisaura mirabilis) with nest; Angelica in flower.
Later in the week Rushen Commissioners' contractor, Steve, kindly cut the paths and also the grassy area near the noticeboard where one of the tents is to go on Sunday. Thanks to Richard N. for going down and raking it off later - a one man work party!
Fingers crossed now for some good weather next Sunday so
our Open Afternoon can go ahead in the sunshine. Perhaps see you there?
please click on photos to enlarge them
