 |
May Day and fresh leaves on the trees
|
A holiday and other commitments have kept me away from Ballachurry for two weeks so I saw quite a change in the reserve on Wednesday morning. The grassy areas had received their first cut of the year, there were more leaves on the trees and much more bird song. Whilst away I had heard the excellent news that 3 Tree Sparrows had been seen at the reserve. Tree Sparrows are a red-listed species in the Isle of Man - that is to say a wild bird of the greatest conservation concern. Much work is being undertaken to try to halt their decline. So I was delighted to be able to see one for myself and even get a distant photo. Here is what else I recorded:
Birds:
SC209693 Robin; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Blackcap heard not seen; Willow Warbler; Sedge Warbler.
SC209694 Tree Sparrow (NEW RECORD a couple of weeks ago); Goldfinch; male Chaffinch; House Sparrow; Female Chaffinch carrying insects; male Blackcap; Sedge Warbler heard not seen; Willow Warbler heard not seen; female and male Blackbirds; Chiffchaff heard not seen.
SC209694 ( hide) Woodpigeon on hide roof; Sedge warbler; 2 x Moorhen; Blackcap heard not seen.
SC208694 Willow Warbler heard not seen; Sedge Warbler; male Chaffinch; Woodpigeon; Blackbird alarm call heard; Robin; 2 x Blue Tit; Great Tit; 2 x Goldfinch.
SC208695 Chaffinch & Blackcap heard not seen; Goldfinch.
SC209695 Chaffinch heard not seen; Great Tit; Blackcap heard not seen; Goldfinch heard not seen;
Other:
SC209694 Helophilus species Hoverfly.
SC210694 Unidentified fly on ivy.
SC209694 Pond Life: Lake Orb Mussels x 3; Caddisfly larva; numerous Pond Snails; Pond Skater; Tadpoles.
SC209693 Cuckoo Flower/ Ladysmock in flower.
SC209693 male Orange Tip Butterfly.
SC209694 male Orange tip x 3 together.
SC209694 Garden Snail inside hide.
Sc209694 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.
SC208694 Peacock Butterfly on Cuckoo Flower.
SC208695 Pisaura mirabilis ( Nursery Web Spider)
SC208694 5 x Wolf Spiders on Boardwalk
SC208695 Oulema beetle.
SC208695 Tremella fungus on dead ash tree trunk.
SC209695 2 x mating pairs Green Shieldbug.
SC209695 2 x Gorse Shieldbug.
SC209695 St. Mark's Fly.
SC209695 Carder, & Honey bees on same dandelion.
SC209694 Solitary bee/ wasp on dandelion.
SC208694 5 x Wolf spiders on boardwalk.
SC208694 Oulema beetle.
SC208694 male Orange Tip butterfly.
SC208694 Noon Fly.
SC 208695 Speckled Wood Butterfly.
SC209694 2 x Small White Butterfly.
SC209694 Apple Blossom, Ragged Robin and Garlic Mustard in flower
SC208694 Marsh marigolds, Stitchwort, Cuckoo Flowers blooming
SC209695 Sorrel in bud; Rowan flowers opening;
SC210694 Garlic Mustard in flower.
 |
Sedge Warbler warbling
|
 |
a pause for breath
|
 |
a flight after an insect and a change of tree
|
 |
then back to the original tree once more
|
 |
Blue Tit
|
 |
male Chaffinch and cherry blossom
|
 |
male Blackcap singing
|
 |
one of my favourite birds
|
 |
female Chaffinch already has a family to feed
|
 |
Great Tit
|
 |
Woodpigeon on the hide
|
 |
House Sparrow
|
 |
and a Tree Sparrow - "spot" the difference!
|
 |
hopefully it can be encouraged to stay
|
 |
male Chaffinch
|
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
one of two today
|
 |
here is the other one
|
 |
feeding near the reeds
|
 |
you can see how shallow the water is at present
|
 |
You can see the reed bed is drying out
|
 |
quite a rare sight at Ballachurry
|
 |
another Sedge Warbler by the boardwalk
|
 |
this one was ringed
|
 |
another Sedge Warbler near the Hide
|
 |
an amazing repertoire of whistles, rattles and clicks!
|
 |
Willow Warbler
|
 |
trying hard to make itself heard above the Sedge Warbler!
|
 |
Honey Bee visiting the Marsh Marigolds
|
 |
Helophilus species Hoverfly
|
 |
familiarly known as a Footballer because of its striped jersey!
|
 |
Dandelions are wonderful for wildlife!
|
 |
this is some sort of solitary bee or wasp
|
 |
very tiny
|
 |
I'm hoping to get it identified
|
 |
male Orange Tip Butterfly
|
 |
and another elsewhere in the Hawthorn
|
 |
can you see the delicate underwing pattern?
|
 |
Peacock Butterfly in the meadow
|
 |
It was nectaring on the Cuckoo Flowers
|
 |
and the Marsh Marigolds
|
 |
a Speckled Wood
|
 |
and a Small White
|
 |
2 pairs of mating Green Shieldbugs and a Gorse Shieldbug too
|
 |
This Garden Snail was inside the hide
|
 |
unknown fly on the ivy
|
 |
Noon Fly photographed just after Noon!
|
 |
A St. Marks Fly - first I've seen this year
|
 |
Wolf Spider on the Boardwalk
|
 |
the lower one is male , I think. Note its "boxing gloves" palps!
|
 |
Nursery Web Spider, sometimes called a Tent Spider
|
 |
Oulema species beetle
|
 |
they can be a serious pest on cereal crops, I believe.
|
 |
looking over the dead hedge to the pond
|
 |
looking attractive in the sunshine
|
 |
and looking the other way
|
 |
Bog Bean in flower
|
 |
pond life in spring
|
 |
I'm so pleased we have these tiny Orb Mussels
|
 |
Pond Skater
|
 |
| Tadpole |
 |
this tree succumbed to Ash Die Back
|
 |
but is already being recycled by fungus
|
 |
Apple Blossom looks & smells beautiful at present
|
 |
Cuckoo Flower - an Orange Tip caterpillar food plant
|
 |
Garlic Mustard - also a food plant for Orange Tips
|
 |
Marsh Marigolds, sometimes called Kingcups
|
 |
first signs of Ragged Robin
|
 |
Rowan coming into bloom
|
 |
Sorrel in bud
|
 |
Stitchwort still flowering
|
 |
start of the old Beehive Loop
|
 |
| view from the bridge - lots of Hemlock Water Dropwort |
|
|
|
 |
you can no longer see the dam for the Dropwort
|
 |
usual view from the boardwalk
|
 |
and the boardwalk itself
|
 |
stream fast vanishing behind the Dropwort
|
 |
Ginnie's Bench with her memorial cherry tree in bloom
|
 |
the Gorse boundary
|
 |
distant view of the hide
|
 |
the damp meadow
|
 |
one of 3 new bird boxes - one already has signs of a nest, I'm told
|
 |
Ash still looking bare -Oak out before the Ash means we'll only get a splash?
|
 |
alerting notice about stream
|
 |
very necessary as the stream vanishes beneath the Dropwort
|
 |
looking through the hide shutters
|
 |
and in the opposite direction
|
 |
and the usual view of the hide
|
And to finish, here is a video of the Sedge Warbler with its raucous song
and of the Blackcap with its more melodious notes
A lovely May Day visit.
please click on photos to enlarge them
