TEAL POOLS

There were good numbers of teal on the pools in the park grazing fields again on Saturday 24th with 150 birds present. Most of them like this male pictured above, seem to spend most of the time snoozing. The black-tailed godwit and a couple of snipe were also noted feeding here too, along with a large group of 30 moorhens. A female marsh harrier flew slowly along the back of the grazing fields as it headed north-west over the neighbouring fields.

Sixteen redwings flew west over the park briefly stopping off on trees in the car park. Three yellowhammers were also stopped off by the seawall as they too headed west, and a rock pipit was noted too.

On the mud by Ivy Dock along from East Mersea Point 35 avocets were seen on the mud, along with 400 dunlin and 30 knot. In the river Colne the sight of two female red-breasted mergansers was the first sighting this winter for the Island. Also in the river were a few cormorants and great crested grebes. The grey seal first seen a few days earlier, was still present in the river off the Point. Two stonechats perched on the fence by the Golfhouse seawall.

The moth trap was put out at the park on Friday evening on a cloudy night but had to be retrieved at 2am early on Saturday morning when it started to drizzle. By that time 40 moths of 9 species were noted including this aptly named streak moth with its thin white flashes on each wing, pictured above.

The dark chestnut moth above, has been a typical autumn moth in the trap here with one or two individuals seen here in previous years. Half the catch consisted of November moths while other ones noted were green-brindled cresent, feathered thorn, mallow, large wainscot, dusky-lemon sallow and large yellow underwing.