FIRST SWALLOW

There was the sound of spring at the park pond on Wednesday 10th with a chiffchaff singing loudly from a willow bush. The little warbler could be seen flitting around the bush hanging over the water, stopping every so often to give another burst of song. A goldcrest was also feeding in the same bush.
The first swallow at the park this year flew over the fields, swooped down low over the dyke to have a quick drink on the wing, before continuing across the river eastwards to Brightlingsea.

Three barnacle geese flew east over the fields and headed to Brightlingsea, their origins unknown. On the fields 470 wigeon were counted while a roosting summer plumaged bar-tailed godwit was an unusual sighting for the fields. The pair of kestrels were in the tree at the back of the fields. Ten redwing landed briefly in the trees in the car park. Three adders were basking at the park.

Offshore 2 great northern divers were seen in the outer part of the river. Both stayed quite close together, spending a lot of time underwater before drifting back out to sea late morning.

The water rail came out to feed on the grass in front of the hide at the park for the last forty minutes or so of daylight. This is a poor digi-binned image of the bird taken in the fading light. It was a good opportunity to be able to watch the bird probing the wet soil vigorously with its pointed bill, plucking a little worm out every ten or so probes. Despite dashing back into nearby cover, or being chased back by moorhens, the water rail soon emerged back out to feed again.

The doe muntjac also made another appearance for the second evening running, this time on the east side of the pond.

Earlier in the morning the barn owl was seen perched on a fence post beside the long grass strip at the west end of Bromans Lane.

Martin Cock watched a common tern flying in the river Colne on Wednesday morning near Ivy Dock, while two chiffchaffs were heard near the Oyster Fishery and a woodcock was flushed off a nearby field. Near Meeting Lane 200 fieldares and 50 redwing were in the stripped rape field and a common buzzard seen too.

It was worth setting the moth trap out whilst drizzling on Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning 30+ individuals of 9 species were recorded including this colourful pine beauty pictured above. Half of the catch was made up of March moths.

Two grey shoulder-knots were noted, one pictured above and also common quaker, small quaker, hebrew character, chestnut, lead-coloured drab and oak beauty. It was also noted that the herald moth that has been resting motionless for over a month inside the toilet building, had flown off by dawn on Wednesday.