NEW BIRD HIDE

The new bird hide is now installed and open overlooking the pond on the north side of the country park. The hide replaces the old one which was closed down due to old age and being unsafe, having lasted for nearly 26 years. Hopefully the new one will last as long, or longer!

The new hide was constructed by local builder and birdwatcher Chris Conway. The new hide is the same size as the old one but will hopefully have a living green roof on top.

The view from the new hide is a bit lower than the old hide but there should be more views of the water in the winter when the reeds die down. On Wednesday 11th, there were 15 little egrets roosting in the trees over the pond, also a teal and a gadwall were seen, along with a few mallard, coots and little grebe.

Later on Wednesday Steve Entwistle counted 21 little egrets on the trees, eight mallard, whitethroat, little grebe and two greenfinch.

A fox was out for a walk in the small field beside the park pond.

A willow emerald was resting on a bush beside the pillbox along the horseride and two others were seen nearby low down. The first sighting in the park was in this area about four years ago.

A small red-eyed damselfly was resting in the sun beside the path at the park on Wednesday with at least 15 others seen on the nearby borrowdyke. As well as migrant hawkers, a black-tailed skimmer and emperor were also noted.

A couple of pochard were seen in the park dyke.

Five tufted ducks were also in the dyke, some of them recently fledged youngsters.

A sedge warbler and yellow wagtail were seen by the seawall. A little tern was fishing near the Point, 18 common terns were resting on one of the buoys in the Colne while at least 12 Mediterranean gulls roosted on the mud.

Two small ringed plover chicks were seen running back up the beach as the tide started covering the mud with the mum calling them to follow her off the mud. Also three golden plover, two grey plover, 15 black-tailed godwits and ten little egrets noted. A buzzard was seen flying high and westwards over the Golfhouse having just crossed the Colne.

The colony of bee-wolves at the Point were active in the sunshine on Wednesday with at least a dozen seen flying about, some carrying their bee-prey like this one.

There was a big movement of swifts westwards over the Island during Wednesday with one passage in the morning involving 300 in an hour over the Firs Chase / the Lane  / Victory Road areas. Later in the afternoon the swifts were still passing with 450+ counted in a ninety minute period, and still trickling west into the evening with a final day tally of about 800 birds.

Three painted ladies and three red admirals were feeding on buddleia in the Firs Chase garden.

A willow warbler was seen in Martin Cock's West Mersea garden on Wednesday.