LATEST MIGRANTS

More sunshine at the country park on Sunday 26th, with this clump of bluebells catching the eye amongst the trees on the cliff-top. The nightingale was singing again in this south-west corner of the park, as was the one near the park entrance. The latest migrant back from Africa to the Bromans Lane area near the park entrance was a turtle dove, singing from some overhead wires.

Other migrants well settled into the park during April include chiffchaff, blackcap, common whitethroat, lesser whitethroat with swallows hunting over the fields and one or two sand martins showing more of an interest in the sandy cliff again.

In the grazing fields a greenshank fed in the flooded section along with a very noisy pair of redshank and up to 6 pairs of lapwing. The first lapwing brood appears to be down to three chicks, having lost one youngster within the first week. In the clump of reeds at the east side of the fields the first reed warbler of the spring was heard and a sedge warbler also sang from the same area.

On the saltmarsh pools near the Point a pair of avocets were seen as was a brightly marked male wheatear perching on the pillbox on the beach. A common tern flew out of the river but little else seen here.

This sloe carpet pictured above, was found in the moth trap on Sunday morning, a nationally scarce moth but with a local distribution in the south-east of England. It's scarce enough in Essex to be listed as a red data book species.

The first of the bright yellow brimstone moths pictured above was found in the trap. This will be a regular visitor in small numbers to the trap over the next few weeks.

Martin Cock visited Reeveshall on Sunday and noted a pair of little terns and 2 common terns along the Pyefleet. Also the barnacle goose was on Pewit Island with some brent geese and a pair of Mediterranean gulls were also seen . On Reeveshall 4 whimbrel and 3 wheatears were seen in the fields but not much on the pool. A reed warbler sang from one of the ditches.

Andy Field and Richard Hull visited nearby Langenhoe and had a good count of 11 Mediterranean gulls amongst the black-headed gull colony on Rat Island.