GAGGLING GREYLAGS

The greylag geese flock of about 80 birds were busy feeding around the marshy margins of the pools in the grazing fields in the country park on Thursday 25th.

As well as the geese there was a good number of other waders and ducks during the high tide roost in the early afternoon with over a 1000 birds here. Main flocks were the 500+ teal and the 500 redshank along with wigeon, a few snipe, black-tailed godwit, lapwing and curlew too.

A common buzzard circled over the field on the north side which appeared to unsettle many of the roosting birds. A short while later a female sparrowhawk then flew low over the fields and again the teal and redshank were startled.

Around 70 little egrets were beside the park pond and pools such as this group pictured above. Despite little egrets being around here for several years now, the scene above still looked more appropriate for a Mediterranean wetland than one on the Essex coast.

A kingfisher flew across the pond heading east across the fields without stopping in the morning. Swallow passage has dwindled to a trickle with only about 20 birds noted during the day heading west. In bushes by the pond 3 blackcaps and a song thrush were seen.

Pleased to see this autumn small copper at the park in the morning as they have been scarce at the park this summer.

A handful of speckled wood butterflies fluttered along the various paths, this one above resting on a footpath sign.

A couple of red admirals were seen nectaring on a flowering ivy bush in the car park.
A large white and a couple of small whites were seen on the park.
There's still a good showing of common darter and migrant hawker dragonflies around the park at the moment.

Something seems to have torn open this wasps nest found lying on the ground.

This might be the last photo of an adder this autumn as they will soon be heading underground to hibernate. This one was very wary and was soon disappearing down the nearby rabbit hole as I clicked the camera.
Two common lizards were also basking in the afternoon sunshine on a log.

One or two of the wild cherry trees around the park are putting on a colourful show.