AFTER THE DELUGE

More rain fell during most of Friday 5th making it another very wet and windy day. However it brightened up at the end of the afternoon and it was good to get out for a walk at the country park after the deluge. It had been another spring tide and the strong wind had whipped the waves up onto the beach.

A wheatear had the beach to itself, feeding at the bottom of the cliff. The only bird of note in the river Colne was a common tern flying past the Point.
The flock of 50+ goldfinches continued to feed and fly around the thistles in the grazing fields.

By the park pond there was a small group of warblers feeding in bushes in the lee of the strong wind. Most interesting was a spotted flycatcher - the second of the autumn at the park, was seen continually darting out to catch flies. Also present were a common whitethroat, lesser whitethroat and a female blackcap. Some of the goldfinches from the nearby fields, dropped by with about 25 perching up on top of a bush.

There wasn't much duck activity on the pond although closer scrutiny revealed lots of mallard hiding amongst the clumps of reedmace. Also noted were gadwall, shoveler and teal along with the usual coots, moorhens and little grebes. A little egret was holding on tight to a branch high up in a willow tree that was swaying in the wind.

It was bit windy for butterflies but common darters and southern hawkers were seen. As suspected the female wasp spider was seen guarding her papery egg case amongst the long grass.