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a beautiful winter's day at the Reserve
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It is truly amazing how changeable the Manx weather can be! Monday was really appalling with rain "heavy and persistent", as our meteorologists love to call it, but Tuesday was all blue skies and sunshine with hardly a breath of wind. I was walking round the Reserve by 9.30, enjoying the warm sun on my back. The Mallards on the pond obviously thought spring had come at last as they were mating! As I opened the shutters a movement along the bank at the back of the pond had caught my eye. It was very hard to see what the bird was through all the vegetation but eventually it turned its head and I could see it was a Snipe. Almost immediately another dropped vertically out of the sky into the iris right in front of me. Look as I might, I could not find it through the binoculars but about 15 minutes later there was some movement and I counted no less than 3 of them together. The one at the back of the pond was still there and didn't join them. Highlight of the day though was the Gadwall, a new record for the Reserve on my personal list. Having mated, had a wild 30 seconds splashing about and then bathing and preening, the Mallards then headed for the Iris choosing the very spot where the Snipe were sitting, forcing them to move off through the vegetation.
Here is the complete list for my Tuesday morning:
Birds:
SC 210694 2 x Robin; male and female Chaffinch; 3 x Long Tailed Tit; Goldcrest; Chiffchaff; 2 x Rook
SC209693 2 x Blackbird; Magpie flying over; juvenile Blackbird; Water Rail heard close to road/ entrance
SC209694 ( near hide) Robin; Great Tit; 4 x Snipe; Gadwall; 2 x Mallard; Water Rail heard; Wren;
SC209694 ( near Dragonfly pond) Robin; 2 x Magpie; male Blackbird
SC208694 Blackbird; Water Rail heard; Robin; Blackbird heard not seen;
SC209695 2 x Magpie;
SC208695 Blackbird; male & female Chaffinch; Robin heard not seen; Woodcock; 2 x Long-tailed Tit; Great Tit; 2 x Blue Tit
Ladybirds:
SC208695 2 x 7spot ladybirds on trunk of oak sapling
Other:
SC209695 5 x Gorse Shieldbugs
SC209694 3 x Gorse Shieldbugs
SC209694 large green caterpillar inside hide
SC209694 Spider caught fly on noticeboard
SC209694 Stinking iris seed heads continue to open
SC209694 Hemlock Water Dropwort leaves already through
SC208694 White legged Snake Millipedes and possible beetle pupa under timber
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female Chaffinch near the entrance
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and another at the opposite end of the Reserve
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over-wintering Chiffchaff
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Great Tit
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Long Tailed Tit
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the same bird
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I saw them in two locations
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Wren near the bird hide
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Robin singing
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there seem to be several Robins on the Reserve at present
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I heard more than I saw
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Blackbird, possibly a first winter male
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spot the Snipe?
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three more in front of the hide
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very camouflaged among the Iris
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until they started moving I couldn't see them
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beautiful cryptic plumage
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Gadwall - a new record for the Reserve
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you can see how Duckweed is transferred from pond to pond
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it spent most of the morning feeding among the Iris
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a closer view
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it was still there on Wednesday when my husband called in the Reserve
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Two Mallards arrived a little later
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the Gadwall came out to join them for awhile
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after much mutual head bobbing the Mallards decided to mate
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after which they had a mad five minutes and enjoyed bathing
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A couple of videos of the wildfowl on the water....
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pellet from unknown bird, contains sinews but no bones or beetle cases
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a Water Rail was calling loudly from this area at one stage
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the stream was flowing well after all yesterday's rain
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work in progress - foundations for the ramp
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one of the new Oak saplings catching the light
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there were 2 x 7-spot Ladybirds sunbathing on its trunk
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| both had vanished the next time I walked by |
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Gorse Shieldbugs were also enjoying the winter sunshine
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I counted 8 in total
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they can often be found close together - 3 in this shot
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the only fungi I saw - same spot as the last few weeks
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Caterpillar in the bird hide
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White legged snake millipedes
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a few honey bees were in the gorse
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this looks like a beetle pupa
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I was just in time to see this spider catch a fly
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Stinking Iris seed heads opening very slowly
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fresh leaves on the Hemlock Water Dropwort already
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Hawthorn berries and Lichen together
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Lichen covered Hawthorn glowing in the sunshine
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a sunlit Gorse Boundary
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the tussocky meadow
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the usual view of the hide
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the oak leaves are now dry and crispy
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sunshine round the old beehive loop
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usual view from the hide ramp
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hard to remember how the stream vanishes under summer vegetation
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bare trees against an interesting sky
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another sunlit corner
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Water Rail territory
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the Woodcock flew up from thick brambles adjoining this area
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looking back towards the pond
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the barrow storage area is partially flooded
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we heard a Water Rail from this flooded area near the entrance too.
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the new pond full of winter rain
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looking the other direction
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looking back into this excellent little Reserve
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True Confessions!
While watching the birds from the hide I was joined by a friend / fellow birder that I had not seen in awhile. I was able to point out the Snipe and what I supposed was some kind of hybrid duck. After a pleasant 15 minutes or so watching together I decided to move on and walk round the rest of the Reserve. Unfortunately I was on auto pilot and bolted the door as I left!!!! I have been called down to the Reserve on a couple of occasions in the past to rescue others who found themselves similarly trapped. This prompted me put up a notice in the hide reminding people to check there was no one inside before bolting the door! That notice seems to have vanished recently, so that is my only excuse! Fortunately, my friend was able to phone his wife who gallantly came to the rescue. They saw the funny side but I felt terrible!
This was not the end of my blushes, however. I later found out that my "hybrid duck" was a Gadwall, something we've not to my knowledge seen on the Reserve before. I hastened back to the hide to look at it with fresh eyes ( and reverence) and to change my record on the white board!
Two senior moments in one morning.......
Every time I tried to leave the reserve on Tuesday something new appeared ready to be watched, noted and photographed if possible! It was nearly 2 p.m. when I finally made it home for lunch but it was a really excellent visit. I took 214 photos! I have spared you most of them!
With thanks to David Kelly and Neil Morris for help with IDs and with apologies to Steve and Gill!
please click on photos to enlarge them
