WALL BROWN SUMMER CONTINUES

 

The wall brown butterfly continues to have a good summer on the island with the latest sighting being in my back garden in Firs Chase on Sunday 7th. The butterfly was sunning itself in the sheltered corner by the back-door.

The wall brown was quite a flighty individual in the garden and at one point flew onto the garage roof to soak up the sun. I think this location is at least the fifth one on the island - two in East Mersea and three in West Mersea. Three of these locations are also in gardens.

Also enjoying the Sunday morning sunshine in the garden were two hummingbird hawkmoths visiting at the same time. The first time two have been seen together in the garden.

One of the hummingbird hawkmoths was sunning itself on the roof of the house on Sunday. Individuals have been visiting the garden most days in the last fortnight.

On Sunday along the Strood channel were three Sandwich terns flying up and down, sometimes resting on tall posts in the water.

As well as the Sandwich terns hunting and flying overhead during the high tide, two common terns also seen. Twenty little egrets were feeding on the saltmarsh during the high tide and one flock of twenty black-tailed godwits flew about. A hobby flew along the Strood seawall and then crossed over to Ray Island.

Two chiffchaffs were noted by the Strood on Sunday, also two wheatears, stonechat, ten swallows and fifteen linnets.

A brightly coloured peacock butterfly rested beside the Strood seawall on Sunday. Two clouded yellows were seen tussling near the sluice, while in Feldy View there were ten small heaths and a common blue.

A male common darter rested on a memorial plaque in Feldy View on Sunday.

On Saturday 6th the kingfisher was seen on five different occasions during a three hour walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawall. As well as perching on the regular seawall sluice, it was seen twice checking out this recently cleared out ditch. 

Three wheatears were seen at Maydays on Saturday, also whinchat and stonechat at Maydays and also another whinchat and stonechat 400m away on Reeveshall. A marsh harrier was seen over the Pyefleet, a hobby circled high over Langenhoe and thirty swallows were over Maydays with twenty house martins. In the fields were 36 golden plover, while 140 grey plover gathered on the mud as the tide receded. Five common terns and three Canada geese were in the Pyefleet channel, as were three common seals on the saltings.

A clouded yellow flew along the seawall.

A screen-grab of a video clip taken by Andy Field of a moulting adult curlew sandpiper seen on the mud behind the East Mersea Point on Friday 5th. It was only seen on the one day. Steve Entwistle joined Andy and others and reported seeing 100's of swallows and house martins on wires and flying about between Bromans Lane and the bus turning circle. Also a buzzard, then a blackcap, lesser whitethroat and willow warbler along track to Golfhouse seawall. At the Point were the curlew sandpiper, wheatear, 48 grey plover, 500 black-tailed godwits, 300 redshank, 18 turnstones, 27 Sandwich terns, 17 ringed plover and five Mediterranean gulls.

Daniel Woollard also reported on Friday at Cudmore Grove seeing a nice mixed tit flock in the car park containing eight willow warblers, four chiffchaffs, four blackcaps and a whitethroat. Two reed warblers and a clouded yellow butterfly along the borrowdyke, wheatear also seen by others, two flyover yellow wagtails as well as the curlew sandpiper.

The water rail showed nicely along the Golfhouse borrowdyke for Andy to photograph it on Friday.

An osprey was seen by Martin Cock on Friday afternoon flying over his house heading towards the Strood, also a swift over his house.

Two swifts were also flying over Queen Ann Drive on Friday, presumed late breeders.

In Cross Lane on Friday a spotted flycatcher was showing nicely beside the new pond by the Sanderlings estate.

The spotted flycatcher perched up on some dead branches along Cross Lane on Friday.

By the East Mersea boating lake, two willow warblers were calling to each other on Friday. One of them even gave out a brief song from bushes behind the boating lake.

As well as the willow warbler by the boating lake, there was a sedge warbler here while by the Youth Camp entrance were four chiffchaffs in a tit flock along with goldcrest.

Overhead there was a mass migration taking place on Friday morning of 300 swallows, 300 house martins and six swifts heading west over the Rewsalls fields. One timed count had 100 birds passing in a minute. Twenty meadow pipits and six yellow wagtails were also noted flying west.

Not surprisingly a hobby was seen circling high over the Rewsalls fields with a group of hirundines keeping a close-eye on it.

A common sandpiper was feeding on the plastic grass around the East Mersea boating lake on Friday.

Waders gathered on the nearby side lake included 100 turnstones, 130 redshank and six dunlin. A kingfisher was seen perched on the posts along the old Rewsalls borrowdyke at high tide.

Three wheatears were by the boating lake on Friday - this one on the perimeter path, while two others were on the broken down seawall. A whinchat was on thistles in the field west of the Youth Camp. Also noted were fifteen linnets, four buzzards circling, ten Mediterranean gulls, six common gulls, three teal, ten little egrets and ten little grebes.

Offshore from Waldegraves were 30 common terns and 140 ringed plovers on the shingle island. A marsh harrier flew west over the island and spooked all the gulls, terns and waders into the air.

This willow emerald damselfly was just inside the entrance to the boating lake on Friday, one also on the Sanderlings pond by Cross Lane too. A clouded yellow, brown argus and common blue were by the boating lake and another clouded yellow by Waldegraves, also a painted lady flying past here.

At least ten Firebugs were at the back of the beach to the west of Waldegraves holiday park on Friday.

Michael Thorley also reported 200 house martins passing west over his East Mersea garden on Friday, also a buzzard seen.

On Thursday 4th Martin Cock saw the spotted flycatcher near Feldy View between the rain showers. Also two willow warblers, sand martin and twelve swallows.

Two swifts were seen by Steve Entwistle flying over Queen Anne Drive in West Mersea, presumed late breeders as they were swooping low down to the houses.

A spotted flycatcher was present for its second day in the Feldy View area on Wednesday. A willow warbler and 15 goldfinches also seen, while ten swallows flew over. Seventy black-tailed godwits were by the Dabchicks and ten ringed plovers seen on the mud from the Hard.

A brown argus was in Feldy View on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 2nd the spotted flycatcher was first seen in Feldy View, later staying for three days. A willow warbler, blackcap and lesser whitethroat were also present while a sedge warbler was by the Strood dyke. Two yellow wagtails and two swallows flew over, while two kestrels and a sparrowhawk were noted too. Fifty black-tailed godwits, common tern and two ringed plovers were noted along the Strood.

Along the Strood seawall on Monday 1st were seen a hobby flying south-west, 15 swallows, six sand martins, yellow wagtail and ten linnets. Thirty-six lapwings and five golden plovers were feeding in a field after the overnight rain. In the channel were a greenshank, forty black-tailed godwits, two ringed plovers, common tern and eight Mediterranean gulls. Two willow warblers were in Feldy View.

In Firs Chase the ring-necked parakeet was heard and a hummingbird hawkmoth was in the garden.

At East Mersea Point on Monday Daniel Woollard reported 12 common terns, 23 Sandwich terns, six avocets, 62 curlew, 73 grey plovers, 2 dunlin, 223 black-tailed godwits and 150 redshank.

On Sunday 31st a fairly fresh wall brown butterfly was seen visiting the flowers by the seawall at the corner of the Firs Chase caravan park. A worn individual was seen near here four days earlier.

A clouded yellow was seen resting on the Strood seawall on Sunday, earlier a paler individual flew past without stopping that might have been the Helice pale form.

Birds along the Strood on Sunday included a greenshank, common tern, two marsh harriers, 80 black-tailed godwits, 15 linnets, five swallows and four reed buntings. 

The ring-necked parakeet was heard calling again from the Firs Chase area on Sunday.

Jonathan Norgate found this Firebug on the Strood seawall on Sunday as he was walking along.

At Maydays on Sunday morning a female redstart was found on a mound of earth close to the seawall, although it wasn't seen in the afternoon. Also six greenshank, common sandpiper, two wheatears, two marsh harriers, buzzard and sparrowhawk.

Steve Entwistle looked for the redstart in the afternoon without luck but did see the wheatear, song thrush, twelve stock doves and a common blue butterfly.

Andy Field visited the Golfhouse and Stone Point on Sunday and reported 12 Sandwich terns, four common terns, 200 black-tailed godwits, six bar-tailed godwits, 100 curlew, 30 grey plover, 20 ringed plovers, three marsh harriers ( two over the river from Colne Point), hobby over the river from Brightlingsea and two stonechats in the fields. The biggest surprise was the sight of five red-breasted mergansers flying past the Point and out of the Colne - in August!

Daniel Woollard did an evening watch from the Cudmore Grove cliff meadow on Sunday and reported eleven great white egrets flying east to the Colne, also a Sandwich tern and twelve Mediterranean gulls.

The ring-necked parakeet was heard in the Firs Chase gardens again on Sunday.

MAYDAYS WHEATEARS

At Maydays farm on Saturday 30th, three wheatears were seen on the seawall.

Two of the wheatears were keeping together, while the third was 100m further along the seawall. No sign of any whinchats and only one stonechat seen.

A kingfisher seen by the Maydays sluice is the first sighting for the autumn.

Three buzzards were noted, this one circling over the Maydays saltmarsh and seawall. One marsh harrier was seen and also a hobby circling high over Reeveshall.

On Reeveshall around 15 yellow wagtails were feeding amongst the cattle as they grazed. Flying low over the fields were 100 swallows and three sand martins. A house martin was seen over the Maydays farmyard.

The only waders noted along the Pyefleet channel were ten grey plover, 80 curlew and fifty redshank.

A male yellowhammer perched along a hedgeline, a lesser whitethroat was noted in nearby bushes.

Four common blues were flying along the Maydays seawall on Saturday, also ten small heaths and a clouded yellow.

A handful of migrant hawkers were hunting out of the wind behind bushes at Maydays on Saturday.

Three willow emerald damselflies were also resting out of the wind along a hedge at Maydays on Saturday.

This leaf-beetle seen at Maydays, the Bronze Beetle Chrysolina bankii is a resident on the island and is noted most years.

At Chapmans Lane a buzzard was perched on a telegraph pole by the roadside on Saturday.

At West Mersea an osprey was seen flying near the Dabchicks sailing club on Saturday by Colin MacKenzie-Grieve looking from Old Hall just after mid-day.

At East Mersea on Saturday at 1pm, an osprey was seen by Martin Cock heading up the Colne towards Fingringhoe, also in the Ivy Dock area were 28 Sandwich terns, 20 common terns, whinchat, stonechat and a buzzard.

A water rail was showing well on Saturday in the East Mersea Golfhouse paddock, seen by Daniel Woollard, also nine Sandwich terns and twelve common terns on the nearby mudflats.

There was a nice variety of waders at the East Mersea Point on Friday 29th, with many of the forty grey plover still with their striking summer plumage black-bellies.

As well as the grey plovers on the mud by the Point on Friday, there were 200 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, whimbrel, four ringed plovers and an avocet.

Two little terns were seen flying along the edge of the Colne as the tide came in, later dropping down to rest with other terns on the mud behind the Point. Also thirty common terns and ten Sandwich terns were resting here too. Two Mediterranean gulls, common gull, fifteen little egrets were noted.

Water levels at the park have dropped enough this summer that there's enough mud showing for this black-tailed godwit to feed along the park's borrowdyke on Friday. The roost of 200 black-tailed godwits on the Golfhouse saltmarsh was put into the air when a low-flying hobby came over the river from Brightlingsea. A buzzard was seen circling over the Ivy Farm, five teal and one tufted duckling were in the dyke.

In the grazing fields on Friday a whinchat, three stonechats and a wheatear were seen, while two yellow wagtails flew over and 20 linnets were at the Point. Warblers noted mainly around the Golfhouse paddock included four lesser whitethroats, reed warbler and a whitethroat.

Steve Entwistle saw three Sandwich terns on the mud near the Golfhouse saltings on Friday, as well as the two little terns flying past the Point heading into the Colne before heading back out and then west in front of the park. A short while later Mollie Kirk reported seeing one of them sitting on a buoy opposite the park.

Steve also photographed this avocet by the East Mersea Point on Friday, a whimbrel, also two whinchats, two stonechats in the fields, wheatear on seawall and good views of a water rail near the Golfhouse paddock and dyke.

At West Mersea the hummingbird hawkmoth was seen again on Friday in the Firs Chase garden.

AUGUST BACK-GARDEN MOTHS

Moth trapping took place in the Firs Chase back-garden on twelve nights during August. Two of the month's highlights - Marbled Clover and White-spotted Pinion were described in an earlier post at the start of the month. Pictured here is Dewick's Plusia on the 17th, the second garden record.

Gold Spot on 17th - first one here was last year.

Bordered Straw on 17th, first garden record of this immigrant.

Maple Prominent on 17th.

Delicate on 17th, 26th and 31st - regular immigrant which has recently colonised the county.

Olive-tree Pearl on 17th - this migrant is less than annual here.

Unusually large influx of 130 Latticed Heaths on 8th.

Buff-tip on 9th.

Jersey Tiger on 11th, just the second one this summer. Numbers increasing each year across the county.

Coastal species Sandhill Rustic on 11th.

Rusty Acorn Piercer on 11th - first garden record of increasingly widespread species across Essex.

Straw-barred Pearl on 18th.

Four-spotted Footman, female on 22nd - a male recorded on 12th June, First garden records.

Centre-barred Sallow on 23rd.

Pebble Hook-tips on 26th.

Light Emerald which alighted on my hand on 26th.

Orange Swift on several nights including 26th.

Clancy's Rustic on 31st.

Straw Underwing on several nights including the 31st.

Square-spot Rustic, left, and a Small Square-spot for comparison, on 31st.

The migrant micro Rusty-dot Pearl on three nights including the 31st.

Saltmarsh Knot-horn on three nights including 31st.

At least twenty Toadflax Brocade caterpillars were still feeding on the Purple Toadflax in the garden at the end of the month. However none of the adults have been recorded this year at the nearby moth trap.