PHALAROPE FRENZY

We have Michael Thorley to thank for sending several of us into a frenzy when he found this red-necked phalarope near Coopers Beach at East Mersea on Saturday 6th. This scarce passage wader to Essex has never been seen on Mersea Island before and local mobile phones were busy relaying the exciting news between us fellow "twitchers". I heard the news whilst walking along the Strood seawall at the west end of the Island and then passed on the news to others while dashing back to the car.

There was a great debate to begin with as to whether it was a grey phalarope but Graham Ekins arrived to positively identify the bird as a red-necked phalarope. The all-black bill is longer and thinner than the grey and the dark patch behind the eye broadens downwards slightly, which isn't generally the case in the grey either. There are a few other differences between the two phalaropes.

The bird was very confiding as it swam up and down the borrowdyke, allowing very close views. It happily picked at insects on the surface, although we didn't witness any of its characteristic spinning behaviour while it fed. It always seems strange to see a wader so happy swimming rather than wading and walking about.
Above, Richard Brown on the left, with his camera arrived with his dad, while Andy Field has his eyes on his mobile phone as he passes on more news to friends about the bird. The bird was present till early evening at least, although on one occasion it flew out to sea before returning back to the dyke again.

Michael had also seen a wheatear, whinchat and a couple of sand martins further along the seawall during his morning walk.

The arrival of the phalarope had overshadowed a rewarding walk along the Strood seawall earlier in the day. Upon arriving at the Dabchicks and scanning the distant skyline, the view in the photo above, the large distinctive profile of the osprey was seen flying over Salcott Channel. The big bird with its dark brown upperwings and white underparts was in view for over ten minutes, while it slowly circled high over the eastern end of the channel at a height of about 200 feet. At one point the bird stooped down to the water but didn't actually plunge into it.

This osprey has been around for a week now and has usually been seen from the Copt Hall and Abbotts Hall area along the north side of Salcott Channel. Mike Dawson managed to catch up with the bird from his boat whilst checking his oysters on Thursday, seeing the bird hovering over the water.


Other birds of interest along the Strood seawall included a nice view of a female marsh harrier quartering the fields. At one point it dropped down onto the grass field but soon attracted the attention of a local crow, who waited beside it for several minutes.

Along this hedgeline in the picture above were 5 whinchats, 30 house sparrows and a common whitethroat. Over the fields were 200 starlings and 25 swallows with only one house martin. On the seawall 5 wheatears together was a nice group, also yellow wagtail, reed bunting and 2 more whinchats were noted.

In the Strood Channel a greenshank and 4 knot were noted in the brief scan of the mud before being called away. Lots of the usual redshank and black-tailed godwits were present along most of the channel with a small mixed group of grey and golden plovers.

Martin Cock found three spotted flycatchers this morning at the country park between the park entrance and the pond.

AFTER THE DELUGE

More rain fell during most of Friday 5th making it another very wet and windy day. However it brightened up at the end of the afternoon and it was good to get out for a walk at the country park after the deluge. It had been another spring tide and the strong wind had whipped the waves up onto the beach.

A wheatear had the beach to itself, feeding at the bottom of the cliff. The only bird of note in the river Colne was a common tern flying past the Point.
The flock of 50+ goldfinches continued to feed and fly around the thistles in the grazing fields.

By the park pond there was a small group of warblers feeding in bushes in the lee of the strong wind. Most interesting was a spotted flycatcher - the second of the autumn at the park, was seen continually darting out to catch flies. Also present were a common whitethroat, lesser whitethroat and a female blackcap. Some of the goldfinches from the nearby fields, dropped by with about 25 perching up on top of a bush.

There wasn't much duck activity on the pond although closer scrutiny revealed lots of mallard hiding amongst the clumps of reedmace. Also noted were gadwall, shoveler and teal along with the usual coots, moorhens and little grebes. A little egret was holding on tight to a branch high up in a willow tree that was swaying in the wind.

It was bit windy for butterflies but common darters and southern hawkers were seen. As suspected the female wasp spider was seen guarding her papery egg case amongst the long grass.

REELING IN THE SPECIES

Expert botanist Luke Bristow couldn't resist checking out the plants in the ditch in the country park's grazing fields during his visit on Wednesday 3rd. Out came his long line and hook which was tossed into the water-filled ditch, then reeled in pulling various aquatic plants towards him. The 200 metre length of freshwater looked in good health and had lots of soft hornwort, starwort and duckweed. Luke also found the scarce golden dock plant growing in the fields.

A flock of sixty goldfinches flew around the fields feeding on the vast crop of thistles. A whinchat perched on top of a thistle - the first one of the autumn for the park. A willow warbler called from the hedge along the central ditch.

At the park pond little egrets flew off from their roost and there was a good number of mallard present too with about 60 birds seen including 2 shoveler.

The sunny weather was perfect for dragonfly activity on the pond and there were lots of common darters flying around in tandem flicking eggs into the floating pondweed. Southern hawkers were also seen flying about the pond. A mating pair are shown above, with the tip of the blue-coloured abdomen of the male fastened round the back of the female's head. The abdomen tip of the female is reaching up to receive the sperm from the body of the male.
There were several small red-eyed damselflies resting on the floating weed and algae with at least one mating pair seen.

One of the few butterflies seen at the park was this pale holly blue, feeding on a hebe bush in my garden. Numbers of the second generation have been low this summer with this one only the second one seen at the park so far. Other butterflies on the wing during the day were speckled wood, red admiral, small white and large white. One of the wasp spiders appeared to be keeping a close eye on a small cocoon in the long grass which maybe holding her eggs.

The sun still managed to shine in the late afternoon and the recent high tide had left behind a clean sandy beach on this section in front of the park.

SPECKS ON THE MUD

Breezy but bright day on Monday 1st, with the picture above showing the late afternoon view eastwards to Brightlingsea. The tide was on its way out and many of the waders were quickly becoming tiny specks as they got further into the distance on the big expanse of mud.

The bigger waders such as black-tailed godwits, curlew and oystercatchers were present in good numbers. Lots of redshank were scattered across all parts, golden plovers gathered in their usual area, while grey plover, turnstone and a few dunlin could also be seen.

The white plumage showed up three little egrets against the brown muddy background and in the river Colne two common terns flew past.

Whilst sitting on the seawall I noticed a wheatear 25 metres further along the path, feeding up before continuing its journey south to Africa. A couple of sand martins were still flying over the park near the cliff-top.

There were more ducks at the park pond with at least 60 mallard seen including a pair of gadwall. The only other ducks noted were a few teal and a tufted duck but no shoveler or wigeon. The young little grebe is still calling out to be fed by the parents.

Just after night-fall the regular tawny owl was seen in the car headlights perched in a small dead tree alongside Bromans Lane, near the country park.

Received a report that 3 ospreys were seen to the west of the Island at Abbots Hall alongside Salcott Channel on Monday early afternoon. Mark Farthing reported seeing a large bird of prey hovering over the Ray Channel on Saturday, which sounds like the behaviour of an osprey out fishing. The same bird or another one was seen on Sunday heading towards West Mersea along the Salcott Channel.

The moth trap was checked on Monday morning and the breezy conditions kept the moth tally down. About 20 species were noted including this cryptically marked angle shades moth with markings and outline that mimic a fallen leaf on the ground. There have been quite a few of these moths in recent nights in the trap, with a dozen on one one occasion.

The orange swift has been a regular visitor to the trap over the last fortnight and the male pictured above have rich orange-brown colouring. Some of the other moths noted included 8 latticed heaths, feathered ranunculus, copper underwing, frosted orange, rosy rustic and spectacle.

LAST HAZY DAY OF SUMMER

It was quite a surprise at dawn whilst checking the moth trap to find thick fog covering the country park on Sunday 31st. The sun soon burnt off the fog and the lack of wind during the morning made for a very pleasant first half of the day. The river Colne was flat calm at the Point, pictured above, although the visibility was still hazy by mid-morning. Following the recent unsettled weather in recent weeks, it has been nice to have a sunny weekend for a change - probably the last of the summer.

There seemed to be lots of bird activity about the park with the highlight being a spotted flycatcher in the car park. Also in the same section of hedgerow were several common whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, chaffinches, blackbirds, roving mixed tit flock, song thrush as well as green woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker. House martins and swallows were passing over the park in small numbers as did a single swift.

On the park pond three little egrets roosted along the edge and duck numbers had increased with gadwall, 4 wigeon and 4 shoveler being the first of the "winter" ducks. Along with the 30 mallard were 4 teal and a single young tufted duck.

Along the seawall were 3 wheatears hopping ahead and a common sandpiper fed on a muddy patch of saltmarsh. The incoming tide forced lots of waders closer with a greenshank calling out loudly being of interest. Four hundred golden plovers gathered on the mud near the Point and there were 200 black-tailed godwits scattered across the same area. Through the haze 10 avocets were the only other waders of note to catch the eye. One kestrel was seen passing over the mud in very determined mood and kept flying southwards from the park heading out to sea.

More small bird activity was seen near the Golfhouse with 12 yellow wagtails feeding in a horse paddock and a few whitethroats and lesser whitethroats seen too. Nearby 25 goldfinches had plenty of thistles to feed on, while 10 linnets flew around the saltmarsh. Four reed warblers were seen in the reeds and a willow warbler had been feeding by the seawall.

Further round the seawall at Reeveshall, Martin Cock and later Andy Field saw the wood sandpiper on the Pool, along with 2 snipe and 3 green sandpipers. Despite lots of searching through the waders along the Pyefleet, there was no sgn of little stints or curlew sandpipers. Other than 20 knot and 40 avocets, it was the usual selection of waders there.

The warm weather brought out a few butterflies such as red admiral, meadow brown, small white, large white, green-veined white, common blue, speckled wood and a nice small copper at the Point. The usual dragonflies were southern hawker, migrant hawker, common darter and ruddy darter. A wasp spider was seen close to the area where a handful of common lizards were basking in the long grass.

Following the warm weather on Saturday, the moth trap was put out again and checked on Sunday morning. Over 25 species were noted including a few of this very distinctively marked frosted orange moth pictured above.

Amongst the regular moths of recent sessions were also canary-shouldered thorn, maidens blush, blood vein, white-point, engrailed, straw underwing, burnished brass, rosy rustic and coxcomb prominent

The most numerous moth was the large yellow underwing, some having the reddish-brown wings shown above. Concealed beneath these fore-wings are the striking yellowy-orange hindwings which are ready to burst into flight when the moth is disturbed.

LAZING LIZARDS

At least ten common lizards were taking full advantage of the sunshine at the country park on Sunday 30th. Along a short section of old fenceline the lizards were basking amongst the clumps of long grass. Some of them were very young judging by their small size, nearly a third of the size of the full adults. This one pictured above allowed the camera to get quite close, before scuttling off into the long grass. In the middle of the afternoon the lizards switched to the west side of the fenceline, catching more of the sun from fence posts and bramble bushes.

A few butterflies seen included small heaths, common blues, red admiral, speckled wood, meadow brown, small white and large white. Dragonflies hawking along the paths included southern hawker, migrant hawker, common darter and ruddy darter.

On the park pond 4 wigeon were the first of the autumn, also 5 teal, tufted duck, 30 mallard and 3 roosting little egrets. In the bushes nearby was a roving mixed tit flock of 25+ birds comprising long-tailed, great and blue tits, as well as a few common whitethroats and lesser whitethroats.

Three wheatears were seen by Marianne Jones along the park beach on Friday morning whilst one was seen by Martin Dence on the seawall the day before. The spotted flycatcher seen on Tuesday just north of the park, was also seen by Martin Cock the following day.

Had an evening stroll along the Reeveshall seawall, where the Pyefleet Channel water level was at low tide, with the base of the channel visible in places, as pictured above. Lots of gulls and waders made the most of searching out food along here.

The evening haze didn't make for ideal viewing conditions, especially looking at the various waders along the Pyefleet. The most interesting collection of birds was on the Reeveshall pool where a very vocal wood sandpiper was the most notable. Also 4 green sandpipers on the pool were probably different from another four seen later flying along the Broad Fleet of Reeveshall. Ten black-tailed godwits, snipe, 25 teal, 2 little grebes along with a few lapwings, gulls and Canada geese were also on the pool.

Several marsh harriers were seen mainly having a last hunt over Reeveshall before crossing over the Pyefleet for the evening roost. Two males, two females and a juvenile were all seen over Reeveshall and some of these were later seen flying over Langenhoe where four birds were in the air together late on.

Other waders of interest seen along the Pyefleet were 4 knot, spotted redshank, greenshank,5 avocet, 50 dunlin amongst the usual black-tailed godwits, redshank, curlew and grey plover.

A group of 4 wheatears fed along some recently cut grass, while a fifth bird was seen on the saltmarsh.

As the light faded several flocks of noisy geese flew onto Reeveshall to graze on the grass field. Most of the geese were 80 greylag geese with 25 Canada geese but the goose which stood out in the gathering gloom was the pure white plumage of a snow goose. It was watched flying in, appearing much smaller and more striking in flight with the black wing-tips.

A little owl flew away from the north end of the Shop Lane wood and on my return to close the park up for the night, a tawny owl flew off some overhead wires by Bromans Lane.

Martin Cock enjoyed seeing two short-eared owls in the air together over Maydays, flushed away to Langenhoe by the attentions of a marsh harrier. Interestingly I was told by Jo Watkins of West Mersea who watched a large brown owl hunting along the Strood seawall early in the day, which was most likely a short-eared owl too. Martin also saw at Maydays a whinchat, greenshank, common sandpiper and 3 marsh harriers.

The warm evenings have seen the moth trap put out at the park on a couple of recent nights with reasonable catches. The moth above is one of the very similar ear moths and is either the saltern ear or the ear moth, both of which have been recorded at coastal sites close to Mersea. Both species are difficult to separate from each other and need to be examined under the microscope.

Thirty-six species were noted on Thursday night with slightly less on Frday night. Most of the moths are large yellow underwings, flounced rustics, square-spot rustics and setaceous hebrew characters. Other moths seen have included canary-shouldered thorn, coxcomb prominent, frosted orange, rosy rustic, angle shades, blood vein, brimstone, light emerald, blue-bordered carpet, silver-Y, white-point, yellow-barred brindle and one poplar hawkmoth.

This fresh Webb's wainscot with nice clear markings pictured above, has been recorded here before but is listed as nationally scarce. Mainly found along the south and east coasts of England, it has been increasingly found inland.

TRAPPED OLD LADY

The most interesting moth in the trap at the country park early on Wednesday 27th was this Old Lady. Although it's quite a common moth, none were noted here last year. It is a large moth and it's dark band across the middle of the wings is supposed to be a likeness to a shawl draped over the shoulders of an elderly woman.

The conditions were nearly ideal for moths with a cloudy sky and light breeze. Both traps were set out and by the morning thirty-eight species of macro-moths were found. The more interesting moths included 15 latticed heaths, silver-Y, frosted orange, rosy rustic, angle shades, maple prominent, light emerald, willow beauty and square-spot rustics.


Two canary-shouldered thorns were the first of the season, holding their wings upright like the posture of some butterflies.

Also attracted to the bright light was this lesser stag beetle, with its small sharp pincers at the front. These beetles are seen each year at the park, usually during the day as they walk across the ground.

Had the opportunity on Wednesday to visit the famous walk-in moth trap that operates just 4 miles to the south of West Mersea, near Bradwell. This purpose built moth trap has been operated by the Dewick family since 1946 and is one of the largest in eastern England. On some nights the very bright 400 watt ray of light can be seen from West Mersea as it lights up the night-time sky on the south side of the river Blackwater. Any passing moth is sucked in by a fan that draws air into the trap. Over the years nearly 50 species of moths have been added to the Essex list for the first time as well as two species new to Britain.