PECKISH PECKERS

The great spotted woodpeckers have been busy at the country park finding food for their youngsters. The parents have been flying back and forwards over the car park carrying food found in the clifftop oaks.

The first hobby of the year for the park was seen flying over the car park on Sunday afternoon. A male marsh harrier flew east over the grazing fields in the morning and the male kestrel was seen in its usual tree.

At the Point four avocets, sixty dunlin and forty ringed plovers were the main waders noted here while forty black-tailed godwits fed in the fields during the morning high tide. Also in the fields four Canada geese, 3 lapwing, redshank, 2 little egrets, pair of shoveler, pair of gadwall and two singing reed warblers by the dyke.

At the end of the day a little owl perched on a telegraph post in Bromans Lane at dusk. At West Mersea a pair of house martins was seen near houses by Queens Corner, while Adrian Kettle saw two turtle doves in Willoughby car park in the morning.

 

This small coppery coloured adder was seen near the car park on Saturday morning, one of last summer's youngsters. Adrian Kettle reported seeing three adders on Sunday morning at the park.

Butterflies seemed scarce at the park on a sunny but breezy Sunday. This tatty red admiral was seen in the early evening resting in the sunshine, away from the breeze. One orange-tip butterfly was seen and half a dozen speckled woods.

Several azure damselflies were seen around the park such as this pair seen in tandem mating. Several blue-tailed damselflies were keeping a low profile in the strong breeze.

Dragonflies seen at the park on Sunday included a male and female broad-bodied chaser and two hairy dragonflies.

This Mother Shipton moth was seen flying amongst the long grass at the park on Sunday morning, here nectaring on some common catsear.

Not many moths came to the moth trap at the park on Saturday night with silver-Y, white-point, marbled minor, shuttle-shaped dart, rustic shoulder knot, small square-spot being some of the individuals noted.

The large distinctive caterpillar of the drinker moth was found at the park. Although it was resting on a bramble stalk, it usually feeds on grasses. These will be pupating soon and the adults moths will be on the wing in July / August.