Ballachurry Reserve, 29th October 2021.

 stream flowing fast into the pond

   Not having visited the Reserve for 2 weeks, I was keen to visit on Friday if only to see how it had fared during the recent period of stormy weather. After a week of torrential rain I was almost expecting the hide to be floating like Noah's Ark! It was certainly wet underfoot with water flowing along the ditches as well as gushing down the usual stream. The pond water level was higher than I've seen it for years and I was very pleased that we'd been able to do the necessary clearance of weed and silt earlier in the autumn.  I could also see why our old boardwalk had rotted as the area where it used to stand was over ankle deep in water. It is for this reason that it's replacement will be raised up to avoid a similar problem occurring in future. The afternoon could not have been more different from the morning! The rain stopped, the sun came out and I enjoyed my squelch round the reserve.  Here is what I recorded:

Birds:

SC209694 Lesser Redpoll eating Meadowsweet seeds near the hide; Robin; Great Tit; Blue Tit; Goldcrest; Heron flying over pond

SC208694 Long Tailed Tits heard  from the willows but not seen; Kestrel hovering overhead; 9 x Woodpigeons flying over

SC208695 2 x Chaffinch

SC209693 Robin

Other:

 SC209695 Red Admiral butterfly on the grass.

SC210694 Red Admiral butterfly on the Ivy flowers 

SC208694 7-spot Ladybird in gorse

SC208694 Large Pinkgill species toadstool on path  + 2 other species of unidentified fungi

SC208694   Wood Pinkgill  fungi under willows .

SC208694 Unidentified fungi underwater on the path

SC208695 Deceiver Fungi with Rosecomb mutation; unidentified fungus nearby.

SC209693 unidentified fungi adjacent to path.

Great tit

Robin

this Robin was up and down between the Hazel and a puddle, finding insects.

close up of the  female Redpoll

she was feeding near the hide

taking Meadowsweet seeds

I had a prolonged view of her

 If you follow the Blog via Email you will probably have to switch to the Blog itself to view the following  video ( www.ballachurryreports.blogspot.com)

the stream in spate after the morning's torrential rain

it was certainly gushing along

fortunately we had cleared this area  in September

high water levels in the pond

the rushes in the foreground are normally high and dry these days

7-spot Ladybird. I wasn't expecting to see many invertebrates after the bad weather,

but there was even a Red Admiral

this one was enjoying the Ivy flowers

this ditch runs parallel to the road and is rarely wet

a new "pond" by the barrows

I disturbed some Chaffinches along the old beehive loop

good to see the fallen apples are being enjoyed by the wildlife

perhaps a Blackbird made those bill marks

the usual view of the hide

stream on the right, old boardwalk area on the left

old boardwalk area under water

another view of the flooded area

bridge is closed for the time being

the stream had been going over the bridge, as evidenced by all the silt

the ink has run on the notices but it is still legible

 stream brimful, this was dug out by volunteers in September

unidentified fungi alongside the meadow

many were actually under the water!

this large Pinkgill species had fallen over

or perhaps been beaten down by the weather

looking rather like a large eggshell, this is the volva out of which the stipe grew

 A new species nearby for the reserve  - currently being ID'd by the experts.

also nearby - Redlead Roundhead 

under the willows on the old Beehive loop - a Deceiver

these particular ones have a Rosecomb mutation which makes them frilly

 Wood Pinkgills under the willows

water rushing past

the meadow area - possibly now too wet for mowing

and the usual view from the ramp

you could be forgiven for thinking this was a stream

but in fact it's the path - the water was visibly flowing

reeds looking a little bashed by the weather

under the willows near the road

and  looking in the opposite direction

 colourful birches in the late afternoon sunshine

An interesting afternoon at "The Wetlands"

(With thanks to Liz Charter and Bob Moon of the IOM Fungus Group for ongoing IDs of the fungi)

Please click on photos to enlarge them

Ballachurry Reserve, 15th October, 2021.

a clear blue sky at Ballachurry Reserve on Friday

 

 Friday, 15th October was a lovely autumn's day with plenty of sunshine - perfect for my weekly recording visit to Ballachurry Reserve.  I had other commitments in the morning but made it down there by 2 p.m.  What I hadn't taken into account is that at this time of year the sun is very low, even at that time of day, and that the trees and hedges have grown up considerably over the years casting their long shadows and making the paths quite shady! It was always the intention that the Reserve should become woodland with a few open glades and sure enough I was indeed walking in deep shade in some areas! I stood in the sunshine wherever possible feeling the warm sun on my back and I think the wildlife was doing likewise. Here is what I saw:

Birds: 

SC208694 Blackbird  & Robin heard not seen

SC209694 Magpie; Robin; male Chaffinch; Wood pigeon flying over; Blue Tit; Dunnock. Goldcrest; Song Thrush; Chiffchaff.

SC210694 Robin

SC209695 Blue Tit; Wren; Robin heard.

Other:

SC210694 7 spot ladybird

SC209695 Gorse Shieldbug

SC209694 3 x Gorse Shieldbug

SC209693 Green Shieldbug and Gorse Shieldbug  on Hazel

SC209693 last week's white fungus had opened up and looked quite different - see photo

SC208694 Wood Pinkgill fungi + another unidentified species

SC208694  Pinkgill species fungus + another unidentified species.

SC210694 ivy flowers attracting many Common Wasps and unidentified flies

 SC209693 and throughout reserve - gossamer from ballooning spiders very apparent in sunlight

SC209694 gossamer from ballooning spiders also inside hide from side to side as shutter and door had been left open, probably overnight.

Chiffchaff

Green Shieldbug

 I think this one is Gorse Shieldbug despite being on Hazel

Gorse Shieldbug

Common Wasp visiting Ivy flowers

Unidentified Fungi under the willows

this is the pure white toadstool I photographed last week

it had been kicked over but I stood it up again for the photo!

one or two of these along the path through the Blackthorn - Pinkgill sp.

and this lemon coloured one was close by

back under the willows in the gloomiest part - Wood Pinkgills

the undersides look like this

some of them are splitting in interesting ways

sunshine picking out the lichen tree but cloud building up in the hills

I tried to photograph the gossamer

this web was across the shutter in the hide

bracken  looking autumnal now.

I enjoyed my afternoon stroll but in future will try to visit during the morning on sunny days! A friend reported a Brambling from the reserve about an hour after I left - it really is a question of being in the right place at the right time. 

please click on the photos to enlarge them