SENSING SPRING

Sun shone all of Saturday 14th and the beach at Cudmore Grove was strangely appealing and attractive. Maybe it was because the beach was unusually deserted early in the morning. Blue skies, calm sea, high tide gently lapping on the sandy beach with the only sound being the happy song of a skylark high above the park. On the park all your senses were telling you that spring was in full swing.

The full sunshine must have helped power the solar batteries of several other songsters as both nightingales were in full flow during the morning. The latest arrival in from Africa was a lesser whitethroat near the car park singing its loud rattling type song.

A pair of sparrowhawks seen in the park together bodes well for the coming breeding season. After last year's success when two were raised, it will be good to have them back again.
A brightly marked male yellowhammer unexpectedly flew out of some long grass to perch on a tree. It's bright yellow head really catching the eye in the sunshine.

In the last few years the speckled wood butterfly has become a common sight not just in the park but all across Mersea and even in many gardens. They love to sunbathe in a sunny spot sheltered from any breezes by nearby trees.
Also seen sunning itself near the pond was one of the regular foxes, lying out in the long grass.

There are no big bluebell woods or extensive carpets of bluebells on the Island but there are small pockets of them such as in the country park. Sadly the bluebells that grew under the original Cudmore Grove have succombed to coastal erosion and there are now just a few clumps left, struggling to compete with brambles and long grass.

An early evening walk at the west end of the Island along the Strood seawall was very productive. This small copper butterfly seemed to be a very early individual, as it obligingly rested just below the top of the seawall out of the breeze. It is such a dainty and small butterfly but it makes up for this with an intense orange colour on its wings.

Small white and peacock were also seen on the walk.

A bit more variety this week along the mud of the Strood Channel with 3 whimbrel whistling to each other, 2 greenshank nervously surveying the scene, 5 knot busily feeding as were a couple of avocets. Although avocets have become a familiar sight in recent years, they have been rather elusive here in the last few months.

This apple tree laden down with blossom seemed rather out of place along this reed-filled dyke. Nearby the first sedge warbler newly arrived for the season sang from the thick cover as did a second bird further along.

Also getting ready for the breeding season were a handful of corn buntings very much in evidence. One group of four tussled with each other, the jangling song could also be heard whilst another flew over calling as it headed over to the mainland.

Near Firs Chase the resident pair of moorhens were tending to their four young chicks at the toad pond, while in the evening the tawny owl was heard calling - the first time for 2 or 3 months.