SUNSET STROLL IN SHOP LANE

Three of these dainty green hairstreaks were seen at the park on a sunny Friday 21st. One amongst the grass on the cliff-top was too flighty to get near but this one pictured above was found along one of the sheltered paths. In between resting amongst the leaves, it was regularly having to see off a rival green hairstreak that seemed to stray into its territory. After the aerial duel had finished, the hairstreaks settled back into the foliage, where they were easy to miss.

Other butterflies seen around the park were holly blues, speckled woods, orange-tips, small whites and green-veined whites.

On the grazing fields the avocet was still feeding in the pools for its second day along with 12 black-tailed godwits. Four tiny lapwing chicks were still at the back of the pools and there were 12 mallard ducklings seen too.



Had a stroll around the Shop Lane area and nearby footpaths of East Mersea (part of the Lane pictured above), for the last couple of hours of Friday. It provided a good selection of typical Mersea farmland birds. The two nightingales were heard (one right beside the lane), male marsh harrier flew over, sparrowhawk, male kestrel, pair of turtle doves, 3 singing yellowhammers, cuckoo calling, yellow wagtail, green woodpecker, the noisy rookery with lots of newly fledged young, as well as several warblers whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, chiffchaffs and blackcaps. At dusk a tawny owl was seen perched in a tree being mobbed by blackbirds.



A brief visit to the Shop Lane seawall co-incided with a big sunset. On the Reeveshall pool 7 pochard were the main birds of note along with one or two redshank and lapwing. The only other waders seen on the outgoing tide of the Pyefleet were 9 curlew, oystercatchers, 5 grey plover and a couple of turnstone. Five little terns and a common tern flew along the channel. More marsh harriers were flying around both on Langenhoe and Reeveshall, than on my last visit here last week with about 8 birds seen.



The moth trap produced a few more moths over Thursday night with the slightly warmer night. This big poplar hawkmoth was the most eye-catching one and although they are regularly trapped in the spring and summer, it's always nice to see them around. They are very placid and rely on their imitation of a piece of loose tree-bark to escape detection.

There were lots of these red and black cinnabar moths in and around the trap. A common moth often seen during the day flying around looking for ragwort plants - the foodplant of the caterpillars.

There were a handful of latticed heaths in the trap in the morning and with all the grassland here, it's quite a common moth in the spring and again in late summer.