PYEFLEET SANDPIPERS

This curlew sandpiper was one of eight seen and along the Pyefleet Channel by Andy Field when he met up with Martin Cock on the Reeveshall seawall on Tuesday 27th.

Another image by Andy of a curlew sandpiper on the mud. Other birds noted included 6 greenshank, 2 common sandpiper, 2 little tern, 10 whinchat, 6 wheatear, 4 yellow wagtail, hobby and 3 marsh harriers.

Steve Grimwade walked the Cudmore Grove to Shop Lane circuit with his Swallow Birding colleagues on Wednesday 28th and noted 7 curlew sandpipers in the Pyefleet as well as a juvenile black tern, 27 little terns, green sandpiper, 120 ringed plover, 12 yellow wagtails, 2 sparrowhawk, 2 common buzzards, marsh harrier while closer to the park were 2 whinchat, 2 wheatear, willow warbler and 20 snipe on the pools.
Also noted on the walk were 5 clouded yellow butterflies, common seal, brown hare and a water vole.

The high tide roost this week at the pools in the park's grazing fields have almost been like the mid winter roosts with a big concentration of waders and teal. There appeared to be a big influx of teal following the heavy rain last Saturday with around 350 present by Wednesday, along with 7 wigeon present by Thursday.

Up to 200 redshank and 150 black-tailed godwits were roosting on Thursday 29th as well as 30 lapwing, 10 snipe and 2 golden plover. Twenty five yellow wagtails were round the feet of the cattle.
The little egrets have been roosting on and by the pools in record numbers with 47 counted on Wednesday mid afternoon. By late afternoon 31 birds were standing in the pools, which was a great sight.

This wheatear was seen on the park seawall along with two others in the area near the Point on Thursday. At least one whinchat was on the thistles in the fields as were 10 goldfinches while 20 linnets were at the Point. In the Colne 10 common terns and 4 little terns were seen but no sign of any black terns.

A hobby flew west over the fields to the north of the park on Thursday and one was also seen flying high over the Point as it headed south-east over the Colne. A male sparrowhawk flew over the park entrance on Thursday.

Dave Allen noted one whinchat, wheatear and 65 ringed plover during his walk along the seawall on Tuesday 27th.

Andy noted a brown argus butterfly and also this paler coloured clouded yellow, which sounds like it was the "helice" form along the Reeveshall seawall on Tuesday. On Wednesday he saw the hummingbird hawkmoth on the buddleia by the park hide, back again for its second day here. The painted lady and up to ten small tortoiseshells have been feeding on the buddleia in the car park in the last few days. Up to 20 common blue butterflies were seen at the park today, most inside the seawall. Also 5 small red-eyed damselflies on the weed in the borrowdyke.

It got muggy enough towards the end of Thursday afternoon for the flying ants to take to the air at the park.

 Once some of the ants climbed to the top of the nearest grass stalk they were off into the air in their masses. Waiting for them in the skies were up to 2000 black-headed gulls and at least a couple of Mediterranean gulls circling round above the park. Later on, many gulls dropped down onto the sea where they appeared to swim around picking off ants that had fallen on the water.

Moth trapping at the park during Tuesday night produced about 125 individuals of 25 species of macro moth. This canary-shouldered thorn was the first one noted here this season, a regular late summer moth at the park in small numbers. Other species included swallow prominent, maidens blush, blood-vein, lime-speck pug, chinese character, square spot rustic, flounced rustic, common wainscot, white-point and light emeralds.