Point of Ayre, Ballaghennie, Smeale & Blue Point
Directions
Point of Ayre: From Ramsey, take the coast road north towards Bride. At Bride Church roundabout turn right. This road takes you all the way out to the Point. Best point for sea watching is from the smaller lighthouse to the east.
Ballaghennie: At the Bride roundabout turn left, follow the road and turn at the first tarmaced right. Continue on that road till the end.
Smeale: Follow the directions for Ballaghennie but do not take the first right. Instead take the next available Tarmaced right. Again follow the road down and park at the end.
Blue Point: Follow the directions for Smeale but take the next right after the Smeale junction. Park in the car park at the end of the track.
Car Parking: Plenty of off-road parking spaces & small tarmaced areas.
Habitat:
Point of Ayre: Low, heather and gorse heath, pebble shore, large rubbish tip and Working gravel pits. Walled garden around main lighthouse can be good for migrant passerines (view from seaward side). There is a large quarry, but there is no public access.
Ballaghennie/Smeale: A large area of low heather and gorse heath bordered to the west by sand dunes and a gently sloping, sandy beach and to the east by a golf course and grazed farmland. There is a small pine plantation to the south-western edge of the reserve. Extensive flood pools form during very wet weather but, on the whole, the area is very dry.
Blue Point: Dunes, sandy shore, grazed farmland, elevated viewpoint.
Year round species: Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Peregrine, Kestrel, Snipe, Raven, Yellowhammer. Razorbill, Guillemot, Black Guillemot and Shag offshore,
Summer Visitors: Spotted Flycatcher, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Wheatear, Arctic, Little and Sandwich Terns, Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Storm Petrel, Common Sandpiper.
Passage Migrants: Tree Pipit, Whimbrel, Knot, Greenshank, Godwits, Whinchat, all four Skuas (mainly Autumn)
Winter Visitors: Sanderling, Grey Plover, Great Northern, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Fieldfare, Redwing, Crossbill, Siskin.
Recent Highlights: Southern Grey Shrike, Velvet Scoter, Surf Scoter, King Eider, Mediterranean and Sooty Shearwaters, Leach’s Petrel, Sabine’s, Mediterranean, Little and Iceland Gulls, Long-tailed and Pomarine Skuas, Greenland White-fronted Goose, Black Redstart…..
Plants/insects/mammals of interest: Interesting plants (if there is such a thing) are represented by various Orchids, ground growing Usnea Articulata (lichen), Isle Of Man Cabbage and Moonwort (rare fern). Interesting moths are; Mother of Shipton, Pyrausta Sanguinalis, Sand Dart, Portland and Silver Hook, plus many more! Butterflies are Dark-green Fritillary, Common and Holly Blues and Grayling in particular.
Mammals are poorly represented with Hedgehog, Rabbit and Brown Hare being the most obvious and Atlantic Grey Seal, Common Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise, Basking Shark, Minke Whale and even Killer Whale being seen offshore (obviously!). There is also a healthy, but elusive, population of Common Lizards.
More info can be found at
Http://www.iombirding.co.uk
Pete.
Directions
Point of Ayre: From Ramsey, take the coast road north towards Bride. At Bride Church roundabout turn right. This road takes you all the way out to the Point. Best point for sea watching is from the smaller lighthouse to the east.
Ballaghennie: At the Bride roundabout turn left, follow the road and turn at the first tarmaced right. Continue on that road till the end.
Smeale: Follow the directions for Ballaghennie but do not take the first right. Instead take the next available Tarmaced right. Again follow the road down and park at the end.
Blue Point: Follow the directions for Smeale but take the next right after the Smeale junction. Park in the car park at the end of the track.
Car Parking: Plenty of off-road parking spaces & small tarmaced areas.
Habitat:
Point of Ayre: Low, heather and gorse heath, pebble shore, large rubbish tip and Working gravel pits. Walled garden around main lighthouse can be good for migrant passerines (view from seaward side). There is a large quarry, but there is no public access.
Ballaghennie/Smeale: A large area of low heather and gorse heath bordered to the west by sand dunes and a gently sloping, sandy beach and to the east by a golf course and grazed farmland. There is a small pine plantation to the south-western edge of the reserve. Extensive flood pools form during very wet weather but, on the whole, the area is very dry.
Blue Point: Dunes, sandy shore, grazed farmland, elevated viewpoint.
Year round species: Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Peregrine, Kestrel, Snipe, Raven, Yellowhammer. Razorbill, Guillemot, Black Guillemot and Shag offshore,
Summer Visitors: Spotted Flycatcher, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Wheatear, Arctic, Little and Sandwich Terns, Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Storm Petrel, Common Sandpiper.
Passage Migrants: Tree Pipit, Whimbrel, Knot, Greenshank, Godwits, Whinchat, all four Skuas (mainly Autumn)
Winter Visitors: Sanderling, Grey Plover, Great Northern, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Fieldfare, Redwing, Crossbill, Siskin.
Recent Highlights: Southern Grey Shrike, Velvet Scoter, Surf Scoter, King Eider, Mediterranean and Sooty Shearwaters, Leach’s Petrel, Sabine’s, Mediterranean, Little and Iceland Gulls, Long-tailed and Pomarine Skuas, Greenland White-fronted Goose, Black Redstart…..
Plants/insects/mammals of interest: Interesting plants (if there is such a thing) are represented by various Orchids, ground growing Usnea Articulata (lichen), Isle Of Man Cabbage and Moonwort (rare fern). Interesting moths are; Mother of Shipton, Pyrausta Sanguinalis, Sand Dart, Portland and Silver Hook, plus many more! Butterflies are Dark-green Fritillary, Common and Holly Blues and Grayling in particular.
Mammals are poorly represented with Hedgehog, Rabbit and Brown Hare being the most obvious and Atlantic Grey Seal, Common Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise, Basking Shark, Minke Whale and even Killer Whale being seen offshore (obviously!). There is also a healthy, but elusive, population of Common Lizards.
More info can be found at
Http://www.iombirding.co.uk
Pete.
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