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| a surprise at the entrance to the Reserve this week |
A visit to Ballachurry was not initially in my plans for Monday but having checked the weather forecast at lunchtime and seen the doom and gloom they were predicting for later in the week I decided to " make hay while the sun shines" and arrived at 2 p.m. Where there was shelter it was positively hot, but near the noticeboard and Ginnie's Bench there was a strong breeze which was very pleasant. As last week there were very few birds about but the Speckled Wood butterflies were absolutely everywhere. The numbers given for them are on the conservative side to avoid any possibility of recording the same individual twice. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC209694 ( path junction) male Blackbird on the path.
SC209694 ( hide) 2 x Mallard (females or eclipse); juvenile Moorhen.
SC208694 male Blackbird flying over the meadow; Woodpigeon heard not seen; Chiffchaff heard not seen.
SC208695 Blue Tit.
Butterflies & Moths:
SC208694 Common Blue.
SC208695 Red Admiral.
SC208695 Speckled Wood.
SC208694 Speckled Wood x 6.
Sc208694 2 x unidentified Whites flying.
SC209694 Red Admiral x 2.
SC209694 Speckled Wood x 15.
SC210694 Small Copper.
Sc210694 Common Blue.
SC209694 Udea Lutealis Moth.
SC209694 Rush Veneer Moth.
Other:
SC210694 7-spot Ladybird on Nettle.
SC209694 7-spot Ladybird on Cushag ( Ragwort)
SC208694 7-spot Ladybird in low meadow vegetation.
SC209694 Common Darter behind Ginnie's bench.
SC209694 2 x Common Darter over main pond.
SC208694 2 x Common Darter having dispute near boardwalk.
SC209694 Great Pied Hoverfly.
SC208695 Green Shiedbug nymphs x 3 on Bracken and Bramble.
SC209694 5 x Froglets at the water's edge of the dragonfly pond.
SC209694 3 x Tadpoles with Peter Pan Syndrome ( don't want to grow up!)
SC209694 about 10 Pond Skaters.
SC209693 "Footballer" Hoverfly.
SC209694 Agaricus fungi on path.
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| Synchronised swimming by Mallards |
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| up they come together - perfect timing |
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they were dabbling - "uptails all" * |
* Ducks' Ditty by Kenneth Grahame from "Wind in the Willows":
All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!
They certainly were on Monday.
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| Blackbird near the path junction |
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| Speckled Woods were everywhere |
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| Rush Veneer moth |
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| Common Blue |
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| the same Common Blue on Cushag ( Ragwort) |
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| 7-spot Ladybird |
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| 7-spot Ladybird near Ginnie's Bench |
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| Common Darter despite bluish tinge ( elderly!) |
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| Common Darter on the Boardwalk |
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| another nearby - they had a tussle |
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| this froglet appears to have a mite near its right eye |
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| they are about the size of my little finger nail |
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| this one had left the pond and was heading for the long grass |
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| there are still tadpoles that show no sign of becoming frogs |
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| Pond Skater |
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| tiny pond snails |
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| a Green Shieldbug nymph |
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| another in the bracken |
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| a "Footballer" Hoverfly |
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| Great Pied Hoverfly |
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| neatly chiselled Hazelnut has fed a Woodmouse |
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| still some fungi on the path |
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| fresh fungi since last week |
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| coppicing willows has let in light and encouraged Angelica to flower |
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| the Phragmites Reeds are now in full flower too |
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| a clear blue sky - very different from last week |
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| I think the reeds are shorter this year |
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| a sunny glade beyond the dead hedge |
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| view from the hide ramp |
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| usual views through the shutters |
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| from inside the bird hide |
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| Mallards and distant Moorhen together on the water |
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| Loosestrife starting to go over now in the meadow |
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| view across the meadow |
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| meadow near the boardwalk |
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| I crossed the bridge into the Willow Copse |
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| hardly any water coming down at present |
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| shady path |
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| leading to a sunlit glade |
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| heading for the boardwalk |
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| fixed point photo from boardwalk |
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| the 2 Common Darters were near here |
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| back into the shade |
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| through the ashes |
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| I was surprised to see this bench had been moved |
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| it's now between the 2 entrances to the old beehive loop |
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| I sat down and enjoyed the view towards the start of the gorse boundary |
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| over the mini bridge |
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| and along the main path |
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| Ah ha! This is why the old bench had been moved! |
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| a smart new one in it's place, in memory of Neil Costa |
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| I sat down and watched the pond |
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| the water level had risen but it's still not full |
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| the pond itself was in shade so no dragonflies there today |
A very pleasant afternoon spent at Ballachurry Reserve.
With thanks to Pete Hadfield for help with the "elderly dragonfly" identification, and Ian Scott with the Rush Veneer Moth.
Please click on photos to enlarge them
And for the year of Manx language, Blein ny Gaelgey 2026, here are some of the species seen this morning:
Birds Ushagyn
Blackbird Lhon Doo; Mallard Thunnagh Feie; Moorhen Kiark Ushtey.
Woodpigeon Calmane Keylley; Chiffchaff Beealerey; Blue Tit Drean Gorrym.
Butterflies : Foillycanyn
Common Blue Gorrymag Chadjin; Red Admiral Ard-marragh Jiarg ; Speckled Wood Breck ny Keylley.
Whites Baneagyn ; Small Copper Cobbyrag Veg.
