MISSING THE MIGRATION

Seemed a bit strange seeing a brent goose in the summer during an evening visit to the Reeveshall seawall on Thursday 10th. This goose appeared to have a droopy right wing, not visible in this photo above, and so didn't fly away when I walked within 25 metres of it. With the damaged wing, it has managed to sensibly miss the long migration along with the thousands of other brent geese to Siberia for the summer. Ten greylag geese were noted on Reeveshall and on Pewit Island a family of greylags with 4 goslings.

There was a nice variety of waders noted both on the Reeveshall pool and in the Pyefleet as the tide came in. The 12 species seen included spotted redshank, 2 green sandpipers, 45 bar-tailed godwits, 35 black-tailed godwits, 2 golden plover, 25 grey plover, 10 curlew, 20 dunlin, avocet along with several redshank, oystercatchers and lapwings (including a chick on the pool).

Other birds seen were tufted duck, pair of shoveler, 11 shel-ducklings, Mediterranean gull and a pair of marsh harriers on Reeveshall.


Within a few minutes of arriving on the seawall just west of the Oyster Fishery building, in the distance in the photo above, there was a great view provided by a barn owl, hunting the long grass field two hours before dusk. A distant digiscoped photo below was hurriedly snapped in the bright evening sunshine before it resumed hunting.

A male yellowhammer perched in a hedge, common whitethroat sang, as did a distant cuckoo, while in the dyke a little egret and a tufted duck were seen. Two grey herons flew over and the male marsh harrier from Langenhoe came over to East Mersea to hunt and within ten minutes, returned to pass its prey to the female in a mid-air food-pass.

The moth trap was set during Wednesday night and this eyed hawkmoth pictured above, was a notable addition to the seasons trapping. The moth was peparing for take-off and the rapid fluttering of wings to warm them up, helped to reveal the colourful "eyes" on the hindwings.

Thirty moth species were noted the next morning including elephant hawkmoth, cream-spot tiger, pale tussock, white ermine, pebble prominent, light emerald, brimstone, cinnabar, common carpet, sandy carpet, green carpet, waved umber, clouded silver, flame, flame shoulder, shoulder-striped wainscot, marbled minor, middle-barred minor, large yellow underwing, large nutmeg and common swifts.

At the park on Thursday 4 adders were noted and a common lizard on a fencepost. A couple of common blue butterflies were the first of the season amongst the long grass. A couple of silver Y moths and Mother Shipton moth were feeding during the day.

On Wednesday the cuckoo was calling along the cliff at the park and 2 nightingales were heard, although only the one appears to be still singing now. Three adders were out basking in the sunshine. A painted lady flew rapidly across the car park in the morning, as if it was on north-westerly passage, following the same route as a painted lady the previous day. Perhaps the start of a larger influx, like the one last spring.

On Sunday Martin Cock had a good view of a peregrine at Maydays farm.