GARDEN PREDATOR

This sparrowhawk was seen taking a blackbird from the garden of Lyn and Charles Williams, who took this photo, in Queen Ann Road in West Mersea recently. A few pairs of sparrowhawk have nested again on the Island and adult birds have been visiting gardens for food to feed their hungry young.

On Monday at the park the birds on the grazing fields were first disturbed by a sparrowhawk that flew over the pools towards the pond. Later in the day a marsh harrier glided north over the same area scattering all the roosting waders and other birds away. Amongst the waders here were 20 black-tailed godwits, 24 lapwing and a couple of redshank. Twenty four teal were also seen on the pools earlier in the day and 15 little egrets roosted at the pond. A Mediterranean gull flew away from the pools and a yellow wagtail called as it passed over.
A willow warbler was heard calling from bushes in the car park.

On the Langenhoe ranges on Sunday 11th, Andy Field and Richard Hull noted a wood sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, 15 green sandpiper, 6 common sandpiper, 2 whimbrel, ruff, 8 greenshank, 42 avocet, 12 yellow wagtails, 3 marsh harriers, 30 snipe and 80 black-tailed godwits.

The first wasp spider of the season was located in the long grass of the park on Sunday 11th. Having made a conscious effort to try and find the first one of the year, this individual pictured above was found surprisingly promptly within the first dozen or so paces into the long grass. No doubt there are plenty of others around other areas of long grass too.

The butterflies are enjoying the ongoing hot weather with this small copper seen at the park, surprisingly the first one of the year here. It was a surprise not to see any in the spring. Also at the park were common blue, masses of gatekeepers on the bramble flowers and up to eight species on the one white buddleia bush in the car park which included a painted lady.

A recent moth trap session produced about 90 moths of 25 species which included this rosy rustic pictured above. A widespread moth, several are noted here during the late summer period. It's colour pattern seems to match the colour of a dead leaf. 

This twin-spotted wainscot almost went unnoticed in the trap. A small white dot is visible on each wing but the second of the "twin-spots" is barely noticeable alongside each white dot. This species has been recorded on a couple of occasions in the past here but is generally a scarce moth, restricted to reedbeds and marshes in southern England.

PROUD BULL

This was a proud South Devon bull in the park's grazing fields, as he stood admiring the latest offspring of his to be born earlier in the morning.

The water level in the grazing field's pools is dropping gradually, exposing more mud around the edges. Numbers of waders here at high tide on Saturday included 25 black-tailed godwits, 6 redshank, 12 lapwing and 2 snipe. Fifteen teal are also feeding in the shallow water. Along the borrowdyke 20 mallard and two tufted duck with 14 ducklings were also present and feeding amongst the grassland were 200 starlings.
On Friday a greenshank flew over the pools calling but didn't come down and also 5 yellow wagtails were feeding in the fields. A whimbrel flew over the shore calling.
The little egret roost in the trees was up to 19 birds with nine of them at the pond.

At the beginning of Saturday a bit of bird activity was watched near the park entrance where a willow warbler, 2 blackcaps, 5 whitethroats, 2 lesser whitethroats, 2 song thrushes, as well as small numbers of greenfinch, goldfinch and chaffinch.

The sunshine brought out four adders basking on top of each other in their usual spot near the car park. Amongst the great numbers of butterflies around the park a painted lady was the main one of note on the buddleia in the car park.

In the early evening an hour's visit along the Reeveshall seawall including the pool provided views of 2 common sandpiper, 3 green sandpiper, 2 greenshank, 180 black-tailed godwit, 150 avocet, 25 ringed plover, 20 grey plover and 3 whimbrel. On the pool an adult avocet was feeding beside two fledged young avocets, although these ones aren't Mersea born.

Three marsh harriers flew over Langenhoe, a female was sitting on Reeveshall. Along the Pyefleet one common tern and a common seal were noted. A male yellowhammer was singing from a bush top, 3 reed warblers in the reeds, while in the Shop Lane wood a young sparrowhawk called as did a willow warbler.

A reasonable haul of moths during Thursday night on a warm and muggy night provided over 300 moths of 55 species of macro moth. The big red underwing pictured above was the main star of the show, the first appearance of the season so far. Although several are noted at the park at the end of each summer, very few drop into the trap, with most resting up on the side of buildings.
The various other underwing moths seen were large yellow underwing, lesser yellow underwing, lesser broad bordered yellow underwing, least yellow underwing, copper underwing and straw underwing.

This freshly emerged blood-vein caught the eye with its bold red line across the wings and the pink fringe to the wings too.
Two tree lichen beauties were also of note in the trap.

In West Mersea a muntjac deer was seen sprinting out of a neighbour's drive in Firs Chase by my wife Nolly and she watched it climb a six foot fence to escape into another garden on Friday morning. A muntjac was also recently seen crossing the road near Blue Row late one night. A grey squirrel, and not a red one, was reported in a back garden in Seaview Avenue recently too.

SINGLE STINT

Andy Field took this nice clear image of a little stint at Maydays on Tuesday 6th. It's the smallest wader that turns up on Mersea, measuring only 13cms (5 inches), so a good photo for such a small bird. Only one or two are usually found each year as they stop off during their autumn migration. Most little stints have often been found feeding with dunlin, although on this occasion this bird was by itself when it was observed by Andy and Martin Cock.
A cuckoo was also seen at Maydays that morning too.

A female tufted duck has taken on the job of watching over two broods of ducklings along the park borrowdyke. Fifteen ducklings seemed at first to be too many to hatch out from one female, until a second female was spotted 30 metres away watching over a single duckling. Both broods were of the same age and size and all responded to the calls and concerns of the one mother, pictured above in a digi-binned image. All the ducklings were busy feeding by diving under for several seconds at a time.
A water vole scuttled along the bank of the dyke behind the ducklings on Thursday 8th.

Interested to see the little egret high tide roost had swollen from the usual 7 birds to 18 birds near the park pond on Thursday 8th. Seven of the birds can just about be made out in this dig-binned image above. At one point all the egrets flew out of the copse with 14 birds landing back down on top of the old kestrel oak tree.

On the pools nearby 20 black-tailed godwits, 14 lapwing, snipe, 2 redshank, 10 teal and 10 mallard. On Tuesday 6th there were two snipe present on the pools and a yellow wagtail on the seawall. A female marsh harrier flew low over the pools and the park pond too, scattering the egrets off the trees and upsetting the coots and moorhens on the water. A Mediterranean gull flew over the car park and a whimbrel called from the foreshore on Wednesday 7th. Up to fifty swallows passed over the park with several sand martins noted with them.

Three purple hairstreak butterflies were noted high up on an oak tree at the park on Tuesday evening and a painted lady was also seen at the park too. Along the borrowdyke at least 20 small red-eyed damselflies were resting on the algae in one small area. A couple of emperors were hawking up and down the water.

This lesser stag beetle picture was taken by David Nicholls, found in his Queen Ann Road garden a few days ago. One or two are often seen at the park each year although the only one noted this year was sadly dead.

Also in West Mersea Adrian Amos reported hearing the calls of young sparrowhawks from the Oakwood Avenue area. A sparrowhawk was also seen on Tuesday gliding over the allotment field.

GARDEN DRAGONS

A small number of dragonflies have come into the Firs Chase garden recently to feed on the various insect life. This migrant hawker pictured above looks like a newly emerged male, was seen resting in the late afternoon sunshine on Sunday 4th. Although there is a small water feature in the garden, many of the dragonflies seen here probably breed in a nearby pond.

A few ruddy darters such as this female were also enjoying resting in a sheltered corner out of the breeze.

The little blue-tailed damselfly is the most widespread damselfly on the Island with one or two found in the garden.

The nasturtiums have taken a real hit from the masses of caterpillars of the large white caterpillars. The caterpillars seem everywhere, stripping all the leaves as they feed up. The lavender plants have been busy with bees and butterflies especially small whites and large whites. Up to ten peacocks have been on the buddleia while comma, small tortoiseshell, gatekeeper, holly blue and Essex skipper were also noted on Sunday 4th.

As darkness descended, up to 20 silver-Y moths were busy hovering amongst the lavender bush, a pine hawkmoth showed briefly and two pipistrelle bats were swooping over the garden.

At the country park a clouded yellow butterfly was reported by David Morris alongside the borrowdyke on Sunday 4th. There were 12 black-tailed godwits, 3 greylag geese and 8 teal on the pools in the fields, 4 little egrets and a grey heron in trees by the pond. Twenty swifts passed over the fields along with twenty sand martins and several swallows as did a yellow wagtail too. At the Point 25 little terns were noted in the Colne by Andy Field.

MORE FROM MOTH NIGHT

Mersea wildlife enthusiast Charles Williams attended the recent mothing night at the park on 23rd July and took a number of photos of the moths around the traps that night. This is a selection of some of his photos he passed onto me.
Above is the big privet hawkmoth.

The underside image of a magpie moth as it rested on the side of the trap.

Several big and furry drinker moths were seen that night.

The dainty latticed heath pictured above.

This scarce silver lines appears to have a tatty edge to one of its wings.

The very flat looking oak-hook-tip with its curved corners to the wings.

 

The buff-tip looking like a snapped off birch twig.

The brown-tail showing the dark brown tip to the abdomen hidden beneath white wings.

The clouded border has the dark patches around the edges of the wings.

The colourful ruby tiger pictured above.

The dark arches has enjoyed a good July coinciding with the heatwave period.

The numerous summer chafer has been turning up in the moth trap regularly through July.

PAINTED LADY INFLUX

There appears to have been an influx of painted ladies within the last couple of days, locally and elsewhere in southern England. Three were seen today on Saturday 3rd with one in Firs Chase, another in Melrose Avenue while a third one was seen along the footpath between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane in East Mersea. This one pictured above was a fourth individual which posed briefly at the country park on Friday, only the second sighting at the park this year.
Adrian Amos has also had a couple of painted ladies in his East Road garden in the last couple of days too.

One of the field edges east of Meeting Lane was sheltered from the strong sunny breeze for several butterflies to enjoy being on the wing late Saturday morning. This Essex skipper with the black tips to the antennae, was seen feeding on some fleabane flowers.

Other butterflies noted were peacock, red admiral, small white, large white, large skipper, ringlet, speckled wood, while dragonflies included several ruddy darters and 20+ migrant hawkers. Tried to see some purple hairstreaks without any luck.
It was quiet on the bird-front in the heat and the strong breeze, although a singing yellowhammer, ten swifts,  sand martin and 5 house martins were noted during the walk.
The regular corn bunting was singing along Chapmans Lane.

Whilst visiting the East Mersea Hall for the village fete, enjoyed the view across the pond with the tall spikes of purple loosestrife round the margins adding some colour.

A number of damselflies were flying low over the water such as azure / common blue and also blue-tailed damselflies too. Was pleased to see one of the small red-eyed damselflies, land on some bankside vegetation close enough so that I could try and get a photo of it - pictured above. An emperor dragonfly was also seen flying over the pond.

A pair of turtle doves landed on the grass sward near the beach between Seaview and Waldegraves late on Staurday afternoon. Turtle doves have been very scarce on the Island this summer with most observations coming from inside West Mersea in Willoughby car park.

A walk along the Strood channel early evening on Friday 2nd was ideal for wader watching as the tide was coming in. Waders were being pushed back up channel towards the causeway, gathering in their small flocks before heading off to roost.

Two greenshank were mixed in with 200+ redshank along with 50 black-tailed godwits and 80 golden plover. The latter group flying to the nearby Strood field to roost with a few lapwing. Also seen were 4 whimbrel, 20 dunlin, 18 turnstone as well as several curlews and oystercatchers.

A Mediterranean gull sat on a brushwood breakwater and 4 common terns were flying up and down. A flock of 20 swallows flew round the Dabchicks area while 10 swifts were flying over houses near the water tower in West Mersea.

GINGERY GODWITS

Many of the black-tailed godwits around the Island are still sporting their gingery breeding plumage like this one Andy Field photographed in the park's fields on Wednesday 31st. There have been up to twenty birds over the last fortnight or so on the pools here, usually during high tide. Out on the nearby mudflats at low tide are often up to 200 black-tailed godwits.

A small group of lapwings have been feeding and roosting at the pools too with this one photographed by Andy too. A common sandpiper was also seen briefly in the morning for its second day. Eight teal, little egret, ten mallard, nine greylag geese have been present along with one or two coots and moorhens with young chicks.

The first returning willow warbler was heard calling in the car park on Wednesday morning and was seen flying over the buildings to feed along the hedgeline.
In the evening a muntjac deer was seen twice in the field to the north of the park pond, first going away from a nearby garden and then returning to it at dusk.

Managed a couple of hours walk along part of the Reeveshall seawall on Thursday evening as the tide was coming back into the Pyefleet Channel pictured above. The hot temperatures lasted into the evening and it was nice to have a cooling sea breeze in the evening.

Some waders were noted on the mud, some on the Reeveshall pool and other ones noted in flight. In total six greenshank, nine green sandpipers, two whimbrel, fifty avocet, 100 dunlin, five turnstone, one smart summer plumage grey plover, 3 bar-tailed godwits and 70 black-tailed godwits. Five common terns and six little terns were flying up and down the channel fishing. A common seal swam up-channel just before high tide.

A female marsh harrier brought food back to Langenhoe Point transferring it mid-air to one of the four youngsters. Meanwhile the sparrowhawk family were also anxious about being fed with a couple of youngsters calling from the trees in the Shop Lane wood.
Two yellowhammers and 2 linnets were the only small birds of note that evening.

Another rewarding mothing session on a muggy Wednesday night produced a few more interesting moths at the park. Seventy-five species of macro moth was a good haul for the one Skinner trap. The second garden tiger moth pictured above, was the main highlight - the first year that two individuals have been caught in a season at the park. Comparing this photo with the one posted a fortnight ago show slightly different brown blotches on the forewings.

Another notable discovery was this small, very green looking tree-lichen beauty, that was found early in the night, lying on the white sheet. Up until a few years ago tree lichen beauties were scarce immigrants but there have been many more records recently. The first park record was in 2007 and it has been annual since then except for last year when the summer weather was poor for moths.

The neatly patterned archers dart pictured above, is a scarce but annual visitor to the moth trap here. It is mainly a coastal species with most records in Essex being in the north-east of the county.

The first lackey moths were also noted on Wednesday evening with three being noted - three more than were seen last year.

Other moths of interest seen were silver-ground carpet, least carpet, beautiful hook-tip, purple thorn, poplar hawk, elephant hawk, white-line dart, nutmeg, dot, fen wainscot, starwort, rosy minor, ear sp, and eight silver-Y's. Also amongst the micro moths was the diamond-back moth.