SNAKE ENSNARED

Received this grass-snake on Thursday 14th from a lady who lived in Empress Avenue in West Mersea. The snake was being blamed for eating the toads and fish in her garden pond. In fact she ensnared it in the pond netting, whilst it was in the middle of trying to swallow a huge toad.

This lively large female made a lot of hissing noise when a hand went near it but calmed down and nearly played dead when actually handled. Having been placed on the ground, photo above, it slid away into cover and was quickly lost to view. It will hopefully settle in to the new surroundings at the park and meet up with some of the other very elusive grass-snakes already in the park.
The grass-snake was delivered to the park in a small plastic tank with some water, where it was pictured, below.


I had already wondered about photographing snakes today - such as one of the three adders at their usual spot in the park but the one under the tin sheet was too wary whilst the other two were hidden amongst grass. In the sunshine during the morning, two common lizards were seen in different locations sunning themselves. A park visitor commented in the afternoon how he had been pleased to have seen three lizards during his walk-about.

A nice sunny summer's morning and the park beach is nearly deserted. A handful of sand martins were flying above the cliff where the nests are located. The very vocal and young sparrowhawk recently fledged was flying back and forwards in the evening between the different tree plantations. Thirteen whimbrel passed over the park calling as did four common terns.

A few warblers were noted in some of the bushes with two families of common whitethroats on either side of the pond totalling about 10 birds. Also female blackcap and three willow warblers in different corners of the park. On the pond a little egret roosted in a tree whilst on the water a young dabchick was a recent addition for the second pair of dabchicks. The Bromans Lane turtle dove was heard singing whilst at dusk the male tawny owl was calling by the park entrance.

Common blue butterflies have been very scarce this year so it is good to see this pair making sure there is another generation to follow them. The bigger and blue one is the male on the right-hand side.

The buddliea bushes are at their flowering peak at the moment and 8 red admirals were counted on two bushes, also peacock, comma, a lone painted lady first seen two days ago, small white and large white. The usual meadow browns, hedge browns, a few speckled woods and a small heath.
Several migrant hawkers and ruddy darters noted, also southern hawkers too.

Managed to locate three more wasp spiders close together, near a spot where a female was seen last year.

On Tuesday evening Martin Cock and I stopped our cars along the East Mersea road to watch a male marsh harrier passing low over the road and nearby wheat fields. Martin later saw two sandwich terns along the Pyefleet but not many other waders on the Reeveshall pool.