MERSEA MOBBED

The sunshine brought hordes of visitors to the park for the bank holiday Monday 6th, making it one of the busiest days for many years. Both ends of the Island appeared to be "mobbed" with visitors making the most of being by the seaside. A brief glance at the park pools in the grazing fields at the end of the day, showed a very tranquil scene. Low tide on the nearby mud, meant no waders roosting on the fields.

Six whimbrel feeding in one field were of note with other birds being a snipe, one brent goose, 7 greylags, 2 Canadas, little egret, 20 teal, 2 wigeon, 4 redshank, 4 lapwing, 12 mallard and 2 gadwall. The kestrel was on the nestbox tree while on the nearby pond were 17 tufted duck and 6 pochard.

Two adders were still lying in the early evening sunshine, although eight had been reported the previous day and another one crossing the patio of my house, appeared to be making towards the open back-door which had to be promptly shut!

In West Mersea late evening at least five swifts were flying above the houses near the Upland Road area on  Monday.

An early evening visit to the Reeveshall pool on Sunday 5th, provided views of 12 greylags, black-tailed godwit, redshank, 10 shelduck, while on the nearby fields one marsh harrier, 20 whimbrel was a good count, two golden plover and 6 Mediterranean gulls feeding amongst the sheep. A turtle dove was seen briefly flying into a copse near the Oyster Fishery. Along the Pyefleet 3 little terns were noisily flying up the channel and 4 marsh harriers were seen over Langenhoe.

The nightingale was singing loudly from the Manwood Grove wood in Shop Lane in the evening. At the beginning of Sunday the red-legged partridge was heard calling from the wheat field at Bromans Lane.

There were recent reports from West Mersea of holly blue in Broomhills Road and orange-tip butterfly being seen in Fairhaven Avenue.

The moth trap has operated on several recent nights with catches generally low with the clear skies. Four of these early thorns, one pictured above, were in the trap on Monday morning amongst a catch of 30 moths.

The common pebble prominent above, made a nice change from the many other regular Hebrew characters, common quakers, clouded drab and small quakers.

This red-green carpet was a nicely marked fresh specimen which visited the trap during Saturday night.
Other moths noted have been herald, powdered quaker, lunar marbled brown, frosted green, early grey, oak-tree pug, garden pebble and red chestnut.