 |
mid October, Ballachurry Reserve
|
Unusually for me, I was at the Reserve by 8.30 on Thursday morning. The first thing that greeted my eye was a large, discarded bunch of dead flowers lying where the wood chip had been earlier this year. They are now in my compost bin because, as well as looking unsightly, we definitely don't want people dumping their rubbish on the reserve. There is also the risk with cultivated flowers of their seeds germinating on the reserve and introducing unwanted species. Not a good start but next up was a bright eyed Blackbird taking berries from the hedge which cheered me up considerably. Here is what I recorded on a bright autumn morning:
Birds:
SC210694 male Blackbird; 3 x Goldfinch flying over; Chiffchaff ( no photo this week )
SC208694 female & male Chaffinch seen separately; Robin; Buzzard heard not seen; Magpie flying over; 3 x Goldfinch flying over; 2 x Woodpigeon flying over.
SC209694 ( hide) female Mallard; Moorhen; juvenile/ female Blackbird; Robin; a Rook landed in a churchyard tree and started cawing loudly. It quickly became apparent it was calling for reinforcements as 2 Magpies and several other Rooks all flew in at the same time and together they flushed out a Buzzard from the tree! Great Tit preening; 2 x Goldfinch.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Magpie heard not seen; Robin; 2 x Blackbird.
SC209693 Robin heard not seen; Rook flying over.
Butterflies & Moths:
SC209694 Speckled Wood flew up from path.
SC209693 Speckled Wood.
SC209695 3 x small moths on Cushag/ Ragwort.
Other:
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug x 2 in nettles.
SC209694 7-spot Ladybird under Raspberry leaf.
SC209694 Snake Millipede under Raspberry leaf.
SC209694 unidentified spider in brambles.
SC209694 (main pond) unidentified Hawker and Common Darter over water.
SC209695 Harvestman in brambles.
SC208695 more large fungi with decurrent gills, as last week. Last week's going over.
SC209693 Hare's Foot Inkcaps coming through wood chip on path.
SC209694 ( near hide) unidentified fungus.
SC208694 ( under willows) various unidentified fungi.
SC210694 Jelly Ear fungus on Elderberry tree .
 |
Ballachurry Blackbird
|
 |
male, near the gate
|
 |
and a female/ juvenile taking blackberries
|
 |
seen from the hide
|
 |
female Mallard
|
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
tiny moth
|
 |
hopefully it can be identified
|
 |
Spider in the brambles
|
 |
| Harvestman |
 |
also in the Brambles
|
 |
not in the gorse, but it's a Gorse Shieldbug
|
 |
7-spot Ladybird
|
As might be expected in the Autumn fungi are appearing everywhere. Here are a few photos of what I spotted. Unfortunately I can't identify most of them.
 |
Coral Spot perhaps?
|
 |
Hare's Foot Inkcap?
|
 |
two more nearby
|
 |
remains of Inkcap along the path
|
 |
Jelly Ear near the gate on the Elderberry tree
|
 |
possibly a Roll Rim
|
 |
or are they Funnels?
|
 |
another new record for the reserve - White Coral?
|
When I first began recording at Ballachurry in 2010 it was very rare to see fungi!
 |
a tranquil scene
|
 |
usual view of the dragonfly pond
|
 |
the bench had many flies keeping warm
|
As well as these dumped flowers, the shutters had been left open in the hide letting in the weather. There was some litter and, rather mysteriously, a car number plate! Have you lost yours?
 |
heading for the bridge
|
 |
and then the boardwalk
|
 |
the usual view from the boardwalk
|
 |
the reeds have been flattened by the weather
|
 |
usual view of the hide
|
 |
usual view from the ramp
|
 |
bendy path through the reeds
|
 |
the "mini meadow" after its autumn cut
|
 |
autumn tints but still leaves on the trees
|
A few weeks ago this QR code appeared in the Reserve. Ah ha, I thought, if I scan this I'll get some interesting information about the reserve and its wildlife. But no. It seems to be just part of someone else's treasure hunt/ orienteering exercise. Nothing to do with the Manx Wildlife Trust, as far as I can see.
Has the Reserve moved into the digital age?
It's always interesting to see what other people have seen at the Reserve. I wondered if these "white storks" could have been Little Egrets? I saw one there myself a few years back.
 |
but no Egrets today and time to go home for lunch.
|
please click on photos to enlarge them
