SUN-SHINES AGAIN

After recent wet, cold and northerly winds, the last day of May was a return to the sunny spring.
Having not really seen any adders at the park for a few weeks, managed to see four today. This very brown coloured male was snuggled under a corrugated metal sheet until I peeked underneath. Later in the day I had to check my footing on one of the paths when I noticed a second adder crossing just a few paces in front of me.

This is the peak of the wild rose bushes in flower with many of these dog-roses sporting a deep pink colour. There is wonderful fragrance in the air when you walk along certain parts of the park especially where the fast growing bushes force their way onto the paths, making you having to brush past them.
Enjoying the sunshine was the pretty green hairstreak, seen resting on some oak leaves near a path. Holly blues, common blue, red admiral, speckled wood, several small heaths and small copper were also noted. On the short grass in the car park I picked up a dead cream-spot tiger moth and put it in long grass only to find it was alive and only trying to remain motionless so as not to attract attention.

Early in the day the brightly marked male sparrowhawk with its peach coloured upper chest, hurtled through the back garden, to the consternation of the local blackbirds. A whimbrel flying past was the only wading bird of note seen during the day.

It was pleasing to see these pretty pink flowers of the ragged robin, pictured below, growing by the side of the park pond. This is the only place on the Island where it grows and it is the first time for about four years that it has reappeared here. The lack of its favourite wet meadows, marshes and damp woodlands have restricted it on Mersea. The straggly pink petals look as if they've got frayed and shredded by the wind.
The sunny weather brought a few dragonflies out and the first big emperor was seen dashing back and forwards over some long grass. There was also a black-tailed skimmer seen and lots of blue-tailed damselflies and azure damselflies basking on vegetation along the sheltered paths.
The two mute swan families are doing well so far with their broods of cygnets. Both families have six young each and these ones pictured above, are tucking into the duckweed and algae in the central ditch in the grazing fields. They'll have been relieved that ditches are once again at a nice high level after recent rains, which will help feed the cygnets for longer this summer.

A check of the wet pools and creeks for breeding waders seemed to indicate there was just the one pair of redshank and one pair of lapwing as both rose anxiously into the air calling. The thick spread of dock plants this spring has meant it's impossible to see any birds on the ground. However there was the bright outline of a little egret seen standing by one pool of water.

Although there are some cattle in the fields, the grass continues to grow at a rapid rate and one of the most eye-catching colours at this time of year is the pink of Yorkshire Fog. Normally grass does its green colours very well, but occasionally it can surprise us with other striking colours too.

Driving along the East Mersea road I had to slow down while a pair of yellow wagtails finished catching some insects. A barn owl was seen out quartering an overgrown grass field near the East Mersea pub at 8am - three hours after dawn!

In the evening, there were the usual pipistrelle bats hawking along the various lanes ahead and above the car. What was noteworthy was the sight of two larger bats near the Fox pub hunting along the road at dusk, their wingspan and body size noticeably larger than the widespread pipistrelles. It is possible these two bats could be serotine bats as I believe a small colony were found not far from here several years ago.