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the reserve is looking very lush
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I have been "across" on holiday, hence no visits for a couple of weeks. Wednesday afternoon I needed a break from the post holiday chores so headed down to the reserve just after 2 o'clock. I wasn't expecting to see a great deal as that is generally a quiet time for birds and I thought it might be a bit windy for butterflies. Indeed, some of those I saw were sheltering on the path Everything had grown terrifically and was looking very lush ( I believe it was quite wet in the Isle of Man while I was away). Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 Chaffinch heard not seen; Blue Tit;
SC209694 Chiffchaff heard not seen; Willow Warbler (very pale -ManxBirdlife says may be just a pale individual or possibly a northern"acredula" type); Blue Tit; Moorhen; female Mallard bathing;Pheasant heard not seen.
SC208694 2 x Sedge Warbler heard not seen from reed bed; Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff heard not seen;
Butterflies and Moths:
SC208695 Silver Ground Carpet Moth; unidentified White flying; Small Tortoiseshell.
SC209693 Speckled Wood
SC208694 Peacock; Small Tortoiseshell; Unidentified White flying;
SC209694 unidentified Micromoth; Speckled Wood; unidentified White flying
Other:
SC210694 Sow thistle
SC210694 Common Wasp
SC209693 Empis tessellata Fly
SC208694 Wolf spiders on timber and slate, some with egg sacks
SC208694 unidentified fungi
SC208695 Nursery Web Spider
SC208695 Yellow Dung Fly
SC208695 Eristalis species Hover Fly and a Muscid fly
SC209695 Wolf Spider with egg sack
SC208695 Click beetle with cuckoo spit( Philaenus spumarius nymph)
SC209694 Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) on dry part of new pond; numerous Daphnia in water
SC209695 6 Water Crickets in stream
SC209694 Gorse Shield bugs including one laying eggs.
SC210694 Sloe Bug ( aka Hairy Shieldbug ) laying eggs ( I felt very privileged to see this)
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female Mallard
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enjoying her bath
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it took some time
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Moorhen keeping its feet dry!
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then heading back to the reeds
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Willow Warbler( with thanks to Neil Morris, MBL,for ID)
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| Peacock |
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Speckled Wood
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Speckled Wood sheltering on the path
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Small Tortoiseshell
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Another Small Tortoiseshell
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unidentified Moth on gorse - checking
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the stream has almost disappeared under the vegetation
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making the notice necessary
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Water Crickets beneath the inlet pipe
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closer view
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a very lush meadow after all the rain
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the ash walk
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with a casualty of Ash die-back disease
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path through the greenery
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Eristalis species Hoverfly
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Muscid fly
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Empis tessellata fly
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Depressaria daucella moth larva on Hemlock Water Dropwort
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Honey Bee on Dandelion
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Could this be an aphid? Maybe a Capsid nymph?
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Yellow Dung Fly
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Osmia bicornis - a Red Mason bee
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Common Wasp taking wood for making nest
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Click beetle - hunting the nymph inside the cuckoo spit?
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Wolf Spider carrying egg sack
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Nursery Web Spider
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large web in gorse - but where is the spider?
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as the water recedes in the new pond the vegetation is returning
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I think these creatures in the water are Daphnia
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close up view
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Gorse Shieldbug laying final egg
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close-up of eggs
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job done!
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Sloe Bug egg laying
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unidentified fungus
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I think this one is different. Note it has a ring round stipe.
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Oak galls may be caused by Andricus curvator wasp
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beheaded by Peacocks or Pheasants earlier, the Garlic Mustard has put out new flowers
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Meadowsweet in bud
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Nettles in flower
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New Oak saplings look healthy and survived earlier drought
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Ox-eye daisies back near the path junction
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Plantains in flower
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they are good for wildlife
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Rowan still in flower here and there
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Sloes coming on the Blackthorn
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Sorrel in flower - food plant for Small Copper Butterfly larvae
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a solitary Sow thistle near the gate
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buttercups and dandelions
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Sycamore flowers
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"snow" on the Hawthorn.....
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is willow seed from above
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freshly mown grass
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hide seen from the meadow
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and taken from the usual spot
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it can hardly be seen behind the Hemlock Water Dropwort
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The Sedge Warblers started singing right on cue as I arrived here
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Of course I was very keen to see how work on the new boardwalk had progressed. There was a cat walking along it as I approached. A catwalk ?
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I love the gentle curves
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the new bridge and handrail are now in place too
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there will be a ramp here eventually
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There has clearly been a lot of hard work over the past couple of weeks! A big thank you to all concerned. The end is finally in sight, I think!
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time to go home....
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with thanks to Steve Crellin for fly and bee identification
please click on photos to enlarge them
