There was a nice display of various dragonflies and damselflies along the borrowdyke at Cudmore Grove on a very hot Tuesday 1st July. Plenty of sunshine meant there was plenty of activity over the water. Pictured here is a male
ruddy darter.
Just this one
four-spotted chaser was seen, this male patrolling a section of the dyke.
At least twenty
black-tailed skimmers were noted.
Half a dozen
emperor dragonflies were seen, including at least three females egg-laying in the park dyke.
Up to 100
small red-eyed damselflies were seen resting on algae on the dyke, some were paired up and egg-laying. Lots of
common blue damselflies and
blue-tailed damselflies seen as well.
The
mute swan family with the two cygnets were on the park dyke on Tuesday. One
tufted duck, 12
mallard, little grebe, coots and
moorhens also present.
A
whitethroat was singing from a bush beside the park dyke on Tuesday. A
sedge warbler and
reed warbler were also heard singing.
A
ringed plover was discovered nesting on the East Mersea Point, with her nest hiding beside a sea beet plant on Tuesday.
Four small
ringed plover chicks were seen running over the mud near the old fort at Cudmore Grove, presumably these coming from the roped off nest-site nearby.
The
oystercatcher was still sitting in her roped off area of beach at the Point. Another
oystercatcher seemed to be sitting on a nest in the nearby Golfhouse horse paddock.
A
redshank was behaving as if it had chicks in the saltmarsh near the Golfhouse pools, as it flew noisily over to mob a passing male
sparrowhawk.
Three black-tailed godwits, 20 curlew, 25 redshank and 130 oystercatchers were some of the waders on the mudflats.
Ten
Mediterranean gulls were seen on the mudflats beside the Point on Tuesday, an adult seen here with a first summer bird. Four
common terns were fishing in the mouth of the Colne.
One kestrel was perched on the tree at the back of the grazing fields, a male marsh harrier passed west over the fields, 100 sand martins were flying about, although it was difficult to tell if six sand martins seen briefly over the park cliff were actually nesting there. Five swifts and twenty swallows also noted.
A
six-spot burnet moth was feeding on a thistle flower at the park on Tuesday.
A few
green-eyed flower bees were seen at the park both on bramble flowers and also some going inside holes in the park cliff on Tuesday.
Two
brimstone butterflies were visiting the flowers of everlasting pea in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday.
A
hummingbird hawkmoth spent several minutes resting on this bush in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday - the first garden sighting of the year.
Overhead five
Mediterranean gulls were flying after ants with the
black-headed gulls, also a
sparrowhawk circled overhead as were five
swifts.
A
meadow brown butterfly was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Monday 30th.
In Feldy View a
brown argus was feeding on a lavender clump on Monday 30th.
Birds noted during a brief walk between Feldy View and Dabchicks included 3 shelduck, 2 kestrels, 2 linnets and 2 goldfinches, while 17 swifts were over the houses.
A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen in Martin Cock's West Mersea garden on Monday.
Lea Merclova reported a new oystercatcher nest on the west side of East Mersea Point that is now roped off, also at least one small ringed plover chick near the old fort on Monday.
On Saturday 28th, birds noted on a short visit to Feldy View and the Hard were four lesser black-backed gulls, little egret, four swallows, three goldfinches, reed bunting and also ten swifts over the houses.
A
Large Emerald moth was a nice sight in the garden moth trap in Firs Chase on Tuesday 1st.
It was impressive watching the
Large Emerald stay gripping to this leaf as the warm breeze flapped the leaves about. The green wings looked just like green leaves on the tree!
The first record of
Beautiful Golden Y for the island - in the garden on Tuesday.
Festoon moth with its tail up.
A meadow brown butterfly was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Monday 30th.
