WIGEON FLIGHT

These three wigeon flew past the seawall near the East Mersea Point allowing Alan Reynolds to take this nice clear photograph of them during his visit to the area on Wednesday 23rd.

The park's grazing fields still have plenty of wigeon feeding on them with 700+ birds scattered across them as in the picture above. Also in the fields has been the big wader roost of 800+ black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit and 400+ redshank with 20+ snipe, 170 curlew and the ruff still present on Wednesday. Also 400 brent geese, 50 greylag geese and a pair of Canada geese.

A merlin flew so fast over the fields on Thursday evening that many of the other birds hardly noticed as it came in from the sea and raced north-westwards.
No sign of the snow bunting at the Point since Monday with a rock pipit the only small bird of interest noted here on Thursday afternoon.

Three redpolls flew over the park on the sunny morning of Thursday and 20 redwings were seen in trees near the car park, while a goldcrest was in trees on the cliff-top.

Two redstarts unexpectedly turned up briefly in a West Mersea garden in High Street North on Wednesday morning for a couple of hours first thing. An unusual location for one to turn up although one stopped off in a nearby garden in Whittaker Way a couple of years ago.

This painted lady was making the most of the late October sunshine as it basked on the beach in front of the cliff at the park on Thursday 24th. A red admiral, small white and peacock were also seen this day too.
Two common darters were still on the wing at the park.

A quick check of the tops of some low wooden posts revealed this common lizard soaking up the autumn sunshine on Thursday.

This rabbit looks like its holding its head in its paws.Quite a lot of rabbits are succumbing to myxomatosis at the park at the moment.
A weasel bounded across the car park and into the bushes on Tuesday.

Not many moths in the trap during a couple of mothing sessions this week with this large wainscot pictured above being something different from other recent sessions. The others noted have been large yellow underwing, November moth, barred sallow, green brindled crescent, red-green carpet, lunar underwing and grey shoulder knot.