Ballyronan Wood
As I arrive at Ballyronan Marina, I am met with a quiet but industrious scene. A man is working at his boat, families are lunching at picnic tables, several caravaners are caravanning and two ladies are walking with their dog towards Ballyronan Wood, my intended destination. It is a small area of woodland on the western shores of Lough Neagh, shared by people and wildlife. Having already glimpsed the human activities, I now hope to see something of the natural inhabitants of this Local Nature Reserve.
Near to the wood there stands a large bird hide that overlooks the reedy edges and still waters of the lough. An information panel explains the plight of the tree sparrow, a species that is under threat but which is fortunately thriving in the wet woodlands around Lough Neagh. I look for them, but can only see pied wagtails and swallows. Both birds are expert at catching insects – they just use different methods. The wagtails leap up from the ground to snap at airborne insects, while the swallows swoop fast and low over the water with their beaks open to scoop up flies just above the surface. Entering the woodland, I see a brown bird attempting to hover in mid air. It is a spotted flycatcher, which has a different technique again for catching dinner. It sits upright on a branch, then repeatedly darts out after unsuspecting flies, twisting and turning with a blur of wings before returning to its original perch.
The presence of damp-loving plants such as hemlock water dropwort, yellow flag iris and alder and willow trees, reveal that much of the ground at Ballyronan is wet. The trees around me are alive with bird activity. Families of blue tits and chaffinches seem to be everywhere, as are blackbirds. Ballyronan Wood is unusual in the sense that one moment I am listening to a chiff-chaff high in the canopy, the next I hear the screaming of terns as they go fishing in Lough Neagh. I can see the terns from one of the viewing points right on the shore. Out on the water are several great crested grebes. Along with Lough Erne in Fermanagh, Lough Neagh is one of the main breeding places for these birds in Northern Ireland. It is too late in the year for their elaborate courtship displays, however, but I imagine that this would be a prime place for watching this fascinating behaviour in early spring.
Ballyronan Wood has a good path system, with boardwalks to accommodate raised water levels during winter. Cookstown District Council manages the site, and has its work cut out when it comes to invasive species. I see a few clumps of giant hogweed leaves lurking ominously among the undergrowth. More obvious and widespread is Himalayan balsam. Although this plant has a pretty pink flower which attracts bees and other insects in late summer, it is without doubt a problem species. Originally introduced as a garden plant, it has spread rapidly along rivers and watercourses, smothering the native flora as it goes. At Ballyronan, it covers large tracts of the woodland floor, particularly under the tall ash trees in the drier areas of the wood towards the road. I am visiting in early June and already some of this year’s stems are head high. One of the most effective ways of removing this plant is to pull it up by hand, for it comes out of the ground with the roots attached quite easily. It is work that local groups of volunteers can help with and I have noted a rise in the number of ‘balsam-bashing’ events being organised across the province. Despite the prevalence of balsam at Ballyronan other plants do grow on the woodland floor: Lords and Ladies for one. The stems of this member of the arum family are topped with green berries which will ripen to a juicy-looking red by autumn: they should not be eaten however, as they are poisonous.
It does not take long to walk through Ballyronan Wood, even if you include, as I do, the route along the thin peninsula that forms part of the sheltered marina. This path is fringed with hawk’s-beards and fine grasses, and young willows in which lurk house sparrows, dunnocks and robins. From it, I look back at Ballyronan Wood just as the sunlight lights up the foliage that overhangs the shoreline: it is a delightful place, well worth a visit.
Listed on the council’s website is another Local Nature Reserve at Traad Point, a mile or two from Ballyronan. I drive northwards following the map, until I reach a locked gate. There is no official public access to this area, but I squeeze through the fence and go exploring. Most of the grounds near Traad Point are occupied by the University of Ulster’s former limnology laboratory. The buildings lie dormant, although the surrounding lawns are clearly regularly mown. There is an slipway, and as I stand beside it gazing out to the water, a mute swan suddenly comes labouring over the surface towards me with a great deal of bluster. I think it is trying to intimidate me: the sound of flapping wings and trundling feet are certainly more than a little daunting. Thankfully the bird pulls up while still some distance off shore, and sinks slowly back on to the surface with a final ruffle of its feathers. Traad Point has great potential as a Local Nature Reserve, but work remains to be done with regard to public access and signage. For the moment I leave it to its defensive mute swans and the ever present swallows.
