SUNNY SHOP LANE

Plenty of sunshine on Friday 29th made it a warm walk along the seawall to the north of Shop Lane at East Mersea. Various insects enjoyed the sunny weather including the first four-spotted chaser dragonfly of the year to be seen. It was flying around the dyke pictured above, then rested every so often on the tops of reed stalks or on the edge of the bank.
Other insects seen along the seawall included a couple of painted ladies, common blue and small heath butterflies.

The tide was coming in along the Pyefleet Channel and very little of interest other than lots of black-headed gulls and a few shelduck. A couple of cormorants and a common tern were seen along the Channel.

On the Reeveshall pool there were 14 shelduck, 2 gadwall, 2 redshank, pair of lapwing, mute swan, 4 mallard, greylag geese, and a pair of little grebes. A male marsh harrier flew over Reeveshall and then crossed over the Pyefleet as it headed to Langenhoe, where a female harrier was also noted. No sign of any hobbies - Martin Cock seeing one on Langenhoe on Wednesday.

In Shop Lane a blackcap and chiffchaff sang while a young great spotted woodpecker, recently fledged, flew across the road and landed briefly on a telegraph pole. Two corn buntings were still perched up on bushes along the East Mersea road.