MISTLES AFTER THE ROWANS

A handful of mistle thrushes have been visiting the rowan trees in the park's car park to feed on the ripe berries. Not as many mistle thrushes currently, as were visiting here a month ago when a dozen were being seen.

The ground is softening up after some recent rain, helping the mistle thrushes to find worms. Also a dozen blackbirds and a pair of song thrushes in the car park too.

Fifty house martins, sand martin and 30+ swallows were passing over the park in the morning of Friday 15th. A female pochard was on the pond, 5 little egrets in the trees while 100+ curlew and 200+ starlings were in one of the grazing fields.
Butterflies enjoying the sunny weather included common blue, 2 small coppers, comma, speckled wood, red admiral and 12+ small whites.

Along the Reeveshall seawall on Friday, Martin Cock noted a peregrine, 5 marsh harriers, 2 common buzzards, 2 wheatears and a clouded yellow butterfly.

A marsh harrier quartered the long grass meadow of the park in the morning of Thursday 14th.

At least fifty swallows passed over the park in the morning.

A brief downpour in the afternoon of Wednesday 13th was followed by a rainbow over the park.

The left hand end of the rainbow was over Brightlingsea at the end of Wednesday afternoon.

At the park pond late afternoon were 40 little egrets, 30 mallard, 25 swallows, sand martin and 3 blackcap with 2 greenshank flying south overhead. Two Cetti's warblers were singing from different ends of the pond.

A clouded yellow butterfly was seen on the park seawall on Tuesday 12th by Charles Williams. A wheatear and 12 pied wagtails were seen at Coopers Beach on Tuesday by Michael Thorley.

This Ammophila species of digger wasp with its needle-like thin waist was photographed by Andy Field near the beach west of Waldegraves on Wednesday 13th.

Also seen here were 7 common terns, an auk sp, grey wagtail and one marsh harrier struggling in the wind crossing from Bradwell to Mersea and a second bird battling into the wind from Colne Point to Bradwell.

A giant red velvet mite was a new species for Andy's garden in High St North.

A hummingbird hawkmoth made a brief visit to that garden too on Wednesday 13th.
There was a hummingbird hawkmoth feeding on the salvia in the Firs Chase garden on Monday 11th.

The female red squirrel was back at the feeder on the cedar tree in the Firs Chase garden early evening on Monday 11th. It had a nibble on the antler, then had a quick feed of nuts and then washed that down with a quick drink of the water provided.

Other recent reports of red squirrels include one seen amongst the caravans of Mersea Island Holiday Park on Tuesday and also one crossing the East Mersea road near Shop Lane, seen by Gerry Mason on Saturday 9th.