Saturday 21 October 2017

BLUSTERY BY STROOD

It was a bit blowy along the Strood seawall during the walk along there on Friday 20th. The rain managed to hold off for most of the latter part of the morning, although the sun struggled to break through. 
A flock of 20 redwings flew out of the hedge beside the caravan site and circled high up a couple of times undecided where to fly off to next. Five song thrushes seen flying over the Firs Chase gardens.

A flock of 2000 golden plover gathered on the opposite side of the Strood channel mud ahead of the incoming tide. Other waders of interest were 4 knot, 2 bar-tailed godwit, 2 greenshank, 4 snipe, 100+ dunlin. Fifty lapwing were feeding in the weedy field.

About 100 black-tailed godwits were feeding along the channel at various points.
Two pintail flew down channel, 100 brent geese, 100 wigeon and 10 shelduck were noted.

This stonechat was keeping low out of the wind, sheltering behind a bramble bush by the dyke. Two stonechats were seen here last Sunday 15th by Andy Field.

In the fields was a flock of 100 linnets, also noted were 10 meadow pipits, rock pipit on the saltings, 2 reed buntings and 10 skylarks. Two swallows flew over the West Mersea hard during the middle of Friday. A marsh harrier flew over the Feldy marshes on the Peldon side.

On Thursday 19th three stonechats were seen at the park by Andy Field, two near the fields and one at the Point. Two redwings also noted at the park, while at West Mersea also two redwings were heard near Upland Road on Thursday morning.

At the park on Wednesday 18th, two goldcrests, 25 goldfinch and two mistle thrushes were in the car park with 12 grey partridge in the arable field next to the car park early in the morning. At the pond 50 mallard and 3 calling little owls were noted in the afternoon. Two stonechats were in the grazing fields and 6 shoveler in the dyke and a redpoll flew over the Point, where rock pipit, 100 brent geese and 200 golden plover were noted.
A common buzzard and 100 linnets were seen in fields at Bocking Hall on Wednesday.

Birds noted on Tuesday at the park included a swallow and sparrowhawk, 45 mallard and 15 wigeon on the pond, while on the mud were 200 golden plover and on the outer mud edge were 100 avocets.

On Sunday 15th a swallow flew over Bromans Lane also 3 sparrowhawks flying over the fields here during the day. A house sparrow in the car park was a notable sighting.
A small copper was seen at the park on the sunny Sunday morning and later six clouded yellows were reported by Angela Buckley along the park seawall.
A lesser redpoll flew over the park calling in the morning of Saturday 14th as it flew west.

A muntjac deer was seen crossing East Road into the verge near the allotments early on Thursday 19th, while another muntjac was seen just after dark drinking at a puddle near the East Mersea pub on Monday 16th. A red squirrel was seen on a garden fence by the Smith family in Woodfield Drive on Friday 20th and two red squirrels were seen in Shop Lane by Angela Buckley on Sunday 15th. A red squirrel has also been reported recently in the garden of the nursery school in Melrose Road. Red squirrels made eight appearances at the feeder in the Firs Chase garden during Tuesday 17th, involving at least one male and a female.

One of the prettiest of autumn moths the merveille du jour was trapped at the park on Sunday 15th. At least one of these attractive individuals turns up each year, usually in the first half of October.

A couple of feathered thorns were also noted on the same night, a regular autumn moth in small numbers here.

The increasingly scarce dusky-lemon sallow still manages to make at least one appearance in the year.

There have been up to ten green-brindled crescents on some recent nights as they reach their autumn peak.

A couple of large wainscots were noted on 18th, the first of the year.

Fifteen November moths were noted on Tuesday 17th October. Despite their name their peak numbers are always two or three weeks before the actual November. 

Other moths noted over the last week have included mallow, garden carpet, red-green carpet, large yellow underwing, setaceous Hebrew character, lunar underwing, feathered ranunculus, red-line quaker, yellow-line quaker, dark chestnut and barred sallow

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