BACK TO THE BRENT

Having been away from the Island for the last two weeks, it is noticeable that virtually all the summer migrants have now gone from the park. In their place along the Colne estuary are several hundred brent geese newly arrived for the winter here from Siberia. The typical winter sound around the coast of the brent calling, can be heard again after a break of six months.

It was a sunny and relatively still day on Tuesday 13th with the tide calm both on the morning high tide as pictured through the Cudmore Grove above, and also on the early evening one too.
As the tide came in at the end of the day, 15 little egrets headed off to St Osyth to roost, while offshore a Mediterranean gull was seen with lots of other gulls feeding. A bull grey seal was seen tussling with a large fish before it managed to swallow it as some gulls circled above it. Not much on the sea other than 6 great crested grebes and a few cormorants.

At the Point a common tern was the only summer visitor seen during the day, while 2 stonechats, 3 reed buntings, 15 linnets and the first rock pipit of the winter was seen. On the mud were 50 avocets along with a good variety of other waders including 26 sanderling and 300 golden plover.

On the grazing fields 150 teal were gathered on the pool along with a snipe. Sixty curlew were also present with a few lapwing while sparrowhawk, kestrel, little egret and a pair of stock doves were noted here.

At the park pond 50 mallard, 6 gadwall and a pair of shoveler were present while nearby 3 green woodpeckers were noted while 2 siskin were seen flying overhead, calling as they passed north-east.

Over the last week birds of note seen around the Island included a firecrest seen at the park by Martin Cock on the 10th and an immature gannet on the 11th flying out of the river Colne by Andy Field. An immature bird has been seen a couple of times several days earlier up the river Colne at Wivenhoe and at Fingringhoe and maybe the same bird hanging around. A wheatear was seen at the Point on the 11th.

From the Esplanade at West Mersea on the 6th Martin noted 2 great skuas, gannet, common scoter and a red-throated diver. The yellow-legged gull was seen by the Strood earlier in the week. A little stint was seen in the Pyefleet while 4 pintail were present on the park pond.


The grass around the park is turning green again after the very dry August while many of the bushes around the park are doing the opposite by turning brown. Only the one butterfly seen, the red admiral, although lots of common darter dragonflies and a single southern hawker too.

The moth trap was put out over Monday night on a still and mainly cloudy evening. The 60 moths of eighteen species caught is about the same tally as mid October last year.

This pretty flounced chestnut has not been seen at the park before. The various shades of brown and chestnut markings on it, make it quite a colourful moth on closer inspection.


The green-brindled crescent pictured above is a regular autumn visitor to the trap and displays a green sheen on part of its wings.

The very plain looking large wainscot is another regular visitor to the traps in the autumn although usually only in ones or twos.
Other moths noted included red-green carpet, beaded chestnut, barred sallow, dusky lemon sallow, mallow, black rustic, yellow-line quaker, November moth, large yellow underwing, shuttle-shaped dart, lunar underwing and autumnal rustic.