HIGH TIDES

Recent high tides have been covering all the saltmarsh around the East Mersea Point, pictured here with just the sea-blite bushes showing above the water on Tuesday 1st.

Luckily the light wind has been from the north and so the park cliff has escaped any serious erosion. A strong south-westerly would have done a lot of damage.

Lots of black-tailed godwits and redshank had to roost on the main pool on the park's grazing fields, as their usual saltmarsh roost-sites were submerged at high tide. Gathered here were roughly 200 redshank, 100 black-tailed godwits and a couple of snipe.

Numbers of teal have doubled in recent days with 200 now present on Tuesday. At the park pond were 60 little egrets at the high tide roost.

This stock dove was perched on a hawthorn tree near the pond on Tuesday.
Six siskin flew over the hide calling during the morning.

At the Point three wheatears were seen, one pictured above, and also two whinchats.
There were some big groups of swallows totalling about 200 birds passing over the park, most of them heading the "wrong" way over the Colne, eastwards to Brightlingsea because of the northerly wind. Usual passage is westwards heading into the prevailing south-west wind.
Also with them were 20 house martins and a sand martin.

At Maydays farm 8 whinchats and a stonechat were seen by Martin Cock on Tuesday. The day before a green sandpiper was seen there by Steve Entwistle.
On Sunday at Maydays ten whinchats, 4 wheatears, 2 stonechats, 3 common sandpipers were seen by Andy Field and Steve, and the osprey was still on the distant pole on the Geedons.

Despite the rain on the bank holiday Monday five whinchats, 100 goldfinches and a green sandpiper were of interest on the Rewsalls marsh.
Two swifts flew over Firs Chase on Sunday afternoon.

A clump of an escaped garden clematis tangutica has managed to survive for several years at East Mersea Point.

During the sunny morning on Tuesday, this small heath was enjoying some warmth as it rested on the grass.
In the afternoon a hummingbird hawkmoth was seen feeding on buddleia by the hide in the light drizzle.
A hummingbird hawkmoth was visiting Andy Fields garden in High Street North on Sunday at the same time as one was also visiting my Firs Chase garden.

Amongst a small selection of moths in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on Sunday 30th was this light emerald.

This mouse moth is aptly named as it prefers to scuttle away to hide rather than fly away. Although it's a widespread moth, this is the first record for the garden here.
Amongst the thirty other moths were brimstone, garden carpet, copper underwing, large yellow underwing, lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing, shuttle-shaped dart, flame shoulder, uncertain, silver Y, white-point, common wainscot, setaceous hebrew character and a saltmarsh plume.

Interesting big bracket fungi has just recently appeared at the base of our red oak which looks like the giant polypore. Two big clumps have emerged from the tree base, this one measuring almost three feet wide and over a foot high. Not seen it here before.