CHAT-UPS AT THE PARK

The pair of stonechats were perching up obligingly on Thursday 30th alongside the dyke at the country park. The female pictured above and the male shown below posed nicely for Andy Field to photograph.

The male stonechat pictured above shows a black throat and face when its seen from the front. This pair seemed to have been around for most of October, assuming they are the same birds, ranging between the main park and the bushes at the Point.

A number of small birds were feeding along the seawall / beach and adjacent field with 20 meadow pipits, 10 pied wagtails, 10 goldfinches, 4 reed buntings and five skylarks. A wheatear was found on the beach at the Point as was a rock pipit.

The water rail showed itself at the park pond for the first time this winter as it walked round the nearer pond-edge viewed from the hide. It seemed to be doing a clockwise circuit, stopping briefly to feed and to call. The male sparrowhawk flew over the pond in the morning and two tufted ducks were seen on the water and the Cetti's warbler was singing.

A siskin flying over the car park late morning was probably the first record for the park this year. A yellowhammer called from tree-tops near the pond and a redwing flew over calling too. There were a few thrushes at the park again with 15 blackbirds and five song thrushes feeding amongst the bushes.

Andy Field visited Coopers Beach and saw a grey wagtail feeding on the land being cleared while by the church there was an unexpected flypast by a kingfisher.

At the country park on Wednesday the kingfisher was perched along the central ditch in the park's grazing fields, a chiffchaff and two goldcrests were at the park while 300 avocets were feeding along the far edge of the mudflats. Near the Point 60 linnets were feeding on the saltmarsh and a common seal in the river. The high tide roost in the fields was a very noisy affair with 1000+ black-tailed godwits chattering away to each other.

Martin Cock found a snow bunting on the saltmarsh at Maydays farm on Wednesday, the first one on the Island this winter. The bird flew north over towards Langenhoe. The previous day a pale-bellied brent goose was seen at Reeveshall.

This adult common tern was photographed by Alan Reynolds, as it stood on this post by the Oyster Fishery in the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday 25th. It is a very late date for a adult still to be in the area, usually the late ones are juveniles.

This grey plover also posed nicely for another great photo by Alan during his walk from the park to the Oyster Fishery on Saturday.
One swallow passed west was a late one and two clouded yellows were also seen too.

The moth trap produced a catch of nearly fifty moths of eight species during a clear then drizzly night on Tuesday 23rd. The common  mallow moth pictured above, has been a regular at the trap for the last month.
Over half the catch was of November moth species, also seen were green-brindled crescent, large wainscot, large yellow underwing, beaded chestnut, streak, red-line quaker as well as four rusty dot pearls.