PYEFLEET PUP

A warm sunny day had lots of butterflies out at Reeveshall in East Mersea on Sunday 13th. This colourful peacock above, was one of several fresh looking specimens seen along one of the hedges and also both sides of the seawall.
Thousands of meadow brown butterflies fluttered along the seawall and the adjacent grasslands. Several small clumps of creeping thistles had over a hundred meadow browns on them each. Mixed in with them were several small heaths, small and Essex skippers, small whites and lots of hedge browns.

This male hedge brown pictured above was photographed on a bramble bush beside a field gate - providing proof of its alternative name - the gatekeeper! Conditions were perfect for the butterflies with lots of them fighting over feeding rights on the various flowers. Some of the popular flowers were slender birds-foot trefoil, common mallow, creeping thistle, catsear, white clover, sea lavender and bramble.

Walked round the seawall to this point where there is a good view up and down the Pyefleet Channel. (Local birders refer to this point as the "Montagu's gate", because the gate here had the honour a few years ago of having a rare Montagu's harrier perch briefly on it.)

It was ideal conditions for checking waders along the Channel as the tide was on its way out. Through the haze there were 2 greenshank, 5 spotted redshank, 200+ redshank, 45 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, 15 dunlin, grey plover, turnstone, a few curlew, 25 lapwing and about 25 oystercatchers.

The most interesting waders were two ruff feeding on the Reeveshall pool, both with pale necks but speckled black on their bellies. Ruff are surprisingly scarce on Mersea and I think these birds are the first ones seen this year on the Island. These birds didn't stay around long and soon headed off into the Pyefleet. Also on the pool were green sandpiper, little egret and the shelduck family still with 8 ducklings.

The marsh harriers were to be seen in all directions both on the Island and on the mainland on the Langenhoe marshes. Was able to confirm that the marsh harriers have bred successfully on the Island again, following the sighting of two newly fledged youngsters. The mother flew into the reedbed carrying a small mammal, resulting in the appearance of two dark brown youngsters with orange caps. The mother flew to a nearby bush top while the youngsters flew around the reedbed, before one perched up too. A male was seen over Reeveshall but not near the reedbed, while over on Langenhoe a further 7 or 8 birds were seen.

Scanning the full length of the Pyefleet mudflats using the telescope, I spotted a couple of common seals basking on the mud opposite Maydays marsh. Closer scrutiny revealed a small pup with them, which humped its way round to its mum and appeared to have a go at suckling. Mum with her orange-stained head, lay on her side while the pup investigated her belly. A fourth seal was also out basking on the mud on the Mersea side. Common seals have bred in the Pyefleet in recent years as the area is normally free from disturbance.

The other interesting wildlife record was the loud laughing sound of marsh frogs carrying across the Pyefleet Channel from Langenhoe. The marsh frogs unexpectedly took up residence on the army ranges a few years ago but the slight northerly wind today, helped enable the sound to be heard on the Island for the first time.

Other birds seen were 500 swifts over the Island, 3 singing corn buntings, 3 kestrels, sparrowhawk, reed warbler and yellow wagtail while over Langenhoe a high flock of 500 rooks and jackdaws spiralled high on a thermal. In the Pyefleet 4 great crested grebes, little tern and a shelduck family with 4 young.


As I left the seawall I stumbled across this pair of mating six-spot burnet moths. This poor female hasn't had any time to enjoy being a colourful daytime flying moth, before a male has pounced on her fresh from the papery cocoon on the grass stalk.