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| flowering meadow, June 2025. |
Wednesday promised to be a fine day and to make the most of this I hoped to visit two Manx Wildlife Trust Reserves, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Accordingly I was at Ballachurry just after nine o'clock, binoculars, camera and notebook at the ready. Here is what I recorded:Birds:
SC209693 Dunnock; Willow Warbler heard not seen; female Blackbird.
SC209694 ( hide) 2 x Reed Warblers in the reeds and Hemlock Water Dropwort seeking insects; female Chaffinch "walking on the water" of the pond.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Sedge Warbler; Chaffinch heard not seen; Wren; Willow Warbler.
SC208694 2 x Willow Warbler heard but not seen at the same time; 3 x Goldfinch flying over; Chaffinch singing from top of tree; Swallow flying over; 2 x juvenile Robin; Wren; 3 x Blue Tit; 3 x Jackdaws flying over; Song Thrush heard not seen; Sedge Warbler; Chiffchaff singing from top of tree; male and female Blackbirds seen separately.
SC208695 Wren family of 4; 2 Juvenile Robin.
Butterflies, Moths & Caterpillars :
SC209694 2 different species of Grass Moth.
SC209694 Speckled Wood.
SC208694 Painted Lady on boardwalk.
SC209695 Speckled Wood.
SC208694 2 x small unidentified moths.
SC209694 numerous Peacock butterfly caterpillars.
SC209694 unidentified caterpillars on Dock.
Other:
SC209694 Bumblebee "resting" on bramble flowers.
SC208694 3 x 7-spot Ladybirds and 2 x pupae in meadow.
SC209694 7-spot Ladybirds x 12 + 2 pupae.
SC210694 7-spot Ladybird + 2 x Larvae + Pupa.
SC209694 14-Spot Ladybird.
SC209693 Honey bees in Hemlock Water Dropwort.
SC208694 2 x Bluebottle flies on bridge handrail.
SC208694 Small moth or fly on Hogweed.
SC208694 Noon Fly and 4 x Wolf Spiders on boardwalk.
SC208695 there are wasp nests in two bird boxes.
SC209694 large blue Hawker dragonfly briefly checked out the pond.
SC209694 Blue-tailed damselfly.
SC209694 several Greater Water Boatmen, Pond Skaters, a Water Cricket and a Water Beetle seen.
SC209694 Clump of fungi directly outside bird hide - Pleated Inkcap.
SC208694 Marmalade Hover Fly.
SC209694 Nursery Web Spider.
SC210694 Field Grasshoppers x 3.
SC209694 Grypocoris stysi Bugs x 4
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| juvenile Robin |
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| it followed me round - was I the first human it had seen? |
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| ringed Sedge Warbler |
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| ringed Sedge Warbler elsewhere, possibly the same one? |
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| Reed Warbler |
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| female chaffinch appeared to be walking in the pond |
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| presumably the weed is now high and dry |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Willow Warbler on the Gorse Boundary |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| there were less Speckled Woods than usual |
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| Painted Lady |
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| two unidentified Grass moths |
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| another moth still to be identified |
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| is this the same species? |
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| looks like a moth but could be a fly? |
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| tiny caterpillar on cocoon on Dock leaf |
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| another was munching away nearby |
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| Peacock Butterfly caterpillars |
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| there were quite a few in the nettles |
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| 7-spot Ladybird Larva in the meadow |
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| there were more on nettles near the noticeboard |
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| the larvae then pupate |
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| before becoming an adult Ladybird |
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| look for them near the noticeboard and the gate |
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| and in the meadow |
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| please don't squish me in your garden - I'm very beneficial! |
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| 14-Spot Ladybird - they are very tiny |
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| they are a species of Capsid Bug |
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| Wolf Spiders are carrying their egg cases around at this time of year |
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| maternal dedication! |
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| Wolf spider on boardwalk |
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| wasps have appropriated the new bird boxes |
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| well, it's all wildlife! |
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| picture wing fly? They semaphore with their wings |
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| Noon Fly |
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| Hoverfly |
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| Honey Bee on Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| Field Grasshopper - possibly still a nymph |
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| Blue Tailed Damselfly |
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| Water Cricket |
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| I think these may be Pleated Inkcaps |
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| the spores quickly turn to "ink" |
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| I'll check the identification |
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| the Ash Walk |
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| start of the old beehive loop |
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| looking back along the boardwalk |
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| usual view from the boardwalk |
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| near the compost heap |
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| usual view of the dragonfly pond |
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| the flag Iris is in flower |
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| Dropwort is starting to go over near the hide |
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| but is still in full flower elsewhere |
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| usual view of the medow |
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| and from a slightly different angle |
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| Meadowsweet flowering near the boardwalk |
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| the new glade |
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| through the hide shutters |
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| pond? what pond? |
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| this used to be water! ( and may be again one day) |
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| usual view from the hide ramp |
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| usual view of the "reedy bend" |
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| looking towards the boardwalk from the bridge |
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| usual view of the hide - only just visible at this time of year |
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| path through the willow wood |
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| brambles now in flower |
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| Purple Loosestrife in the meadow |
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| Meadowsweet |
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| Phalaris reeds are flowering |
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| they make a colourful contrast with the Dropwort |
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| Vetch in flower |
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| the reserve is very pretty at present - why not make a visit yourself? |
There were other visitors to the Reserve during the morning including a school party from the local primary school. It was lovely to see their enthusiasm and when asked at the end of the visit who would like to make a return visit all the hands shot up!
That goes for me too!
(With thanks to Garry Curtis for identifying the Peacock Butterfly caterpillars)
please click on photos to enlarge them
