CONFIDING COPPER AND CETTI'S

Another day of sunshine on the Island on Monday 28th and this small copper was enjoying the morning's warmth on a sheltered patch of bare ground at the country park. This bright little butterfly with its striking orangey/copper-coloured wings, has been seen only sporadically around the park recently but maybe its been missed because of its small size. If the weather stays sunny into October, there should be a few more sightings to come.
Near this basking small copper was an adder also enjoying the sun.

This dead elm tree has now become an ivy bush and is currently the best place on the park to admire insects as they feed on the ivy flowers. This is the best time of year to see the real value of ivy to wildlife. Six red admirals and 3 commas enjoyed this bush in the morning sun. Lots of honey bees, one queen wasp, lots of flies and hoverflies were all buzzing around the flowers. A speckled wood butterfly basked on nettles nearby.

Looking along the dyke towards the Cetti's warbler corner, where the bird performed for the second day here at the park. Even from a distance of about 100 metres, the loud song could be heard before I got near the site. In the morning sunshine the bird was being surprisingly confiding, hopping slowly around at the base of a bramble bush, providing some clear views as I watched from the top of the seawall. It had also showed well to Martin Cock a short while earlier, calling loudly and singing as it moved about.

Other birds noted were 6 siskins, lesser redpoll, swallow, grey wagtail passing over the park. In the bushes were 10 chiffchaffs with the tit flock and a lesser whitethroat was also noted. One of the two sparrowhawks seen was a nicely coloured male, flushed from the top of the seawall as I walked along. On the grazing fields 13 wigeon, snipe, 60 goldfinch and 8 skylarks were seen. At the park pond 2 female pintail was an uncommon record for the site.

Along the beach at the Point are some eyecatching clumps of sea mayweed with their large daisy-type flowers. The shingle and sand here provide ideal conditions for the plants to flourish, although the increasing coastal erosion may prove a threat here.

Also seen from the Point feeding on the nearby mud were sanderling, bar-tailed godwit, 16 avocets and 100 golden plover. The four wheatears were present again along the beach and seawall.

EXPLOSIVE SONGSTER RETURNS

The distinctive song of a Cetti's warbler was heard from this wet and scrubby corner of the country park on Sunday 28th. The "explosive" song is normally a loud, brief burst that has been likened to it saying - "What's my name?...Cetti-Cetti-Cetti-that's it!"

I waited on top of the seawall and kept an eye on the small clump of reeds in the west end of the borrowdyke where a couple of bushes also grew. The bird duly appeared after a couple of minutes as it flew across a gap, a quick flash of a small rich-brown bird.


After a few minutes the skulking bird hopped into view at the side of a blackthorn bush, allowing a good view of its face and grey underparts. It dropped down out of sight into the thick mass of reeds, bramble and bushy growth around the ditch pictured above. It continued to give out brief bursts of song in the general area although it appeared to be moving further along a well wooded ditch when I left the area.


This sighting is only the second record for the Island with the last one seen near the park pond at exactly the same date three years ago. It was found on the 27th September 2005 and stayed for 4 days. Recent mild winters have seen a rapid increase of the population across Essex in suitable scrubby and reed habitat next to water. Although the last Mersea bird only stayed for 4 days, it shouldn't be long before the bird takes up permanent residence on the Island.


A quick morning walk to the Point produced a similar selection of birds as the previous day with 4 wheatear, 80 avocet, greenshank, 50 linnet, 60 goldfinch, 7 wigeon, while a water vole scuttled along the side of the dyke.


On the park the sunny weather kept the snake-tin warm near the car park where 3 adders were found lying underneath. Small copper, small heath, comma, 2 red admirals, small white and large white were the butterflies seen.

Richard Allen joined the throng of visitors to the park all enjoying the sunshine and was rewarded with the sight of 2 honey buzzards flying south as he walked back to the car park. He also noted yellow wagtail, 2 wheatears, 10 swallows, 4 common tern and 100 golden plover.

Spent the evening along the Reeveshall seawall looking at this big grass field pictured above where a distant view of a short-eared owl was seen flying around amongst the sheep. Martin Cock had just been watching the same field just before I arrived and had watched 3 short-eared owls as well as a common buzzard on the ground. As the light faded a barn owl hunted along the side of Broad Fleet at the back of the fields. Also 50 meadow pipits along the side of the seawall here and a wheatear by the Pool.

Despite the usual wide scattering of lots of waders along the Pyefleet Channel, there was little of note. Martin watched a juvenile curlew sandpiper near Maydays and saw just the one knot. Further along I had a knot too but no flocks of dunlin were tracked down during the evening, where there are usually a few other interesting waders with them.

In the Channel 6 great crested grebes and there was still one of the two common seals that had been seen earlier in the day by Steve Entwhistle. Ten little egrets headed east to roost as the light faded.

Andy Field and Richard Hull during their visit to the nearby Langenhoe Marshes noted a flow of 8 common buzzards that appeared to be heading up the river Colne. Also hobby, peregrine, 6 marsh harriers, 2 little stints, 4 green sandpipers, 4 greenshank, 2 wheatears, 4 stonechat, spotted flycatcher and a long-tailed tit flock with one bird having a white head.

REEVESHALL REVUE

A few common lizards were out basking along thier usual hedgeline at the country park in the morning of Saturday 27th. This one pictured above had been resting on top of the fence-post when it seemed to reach up into the cluster of blackberries. I don't think it was trying to sneak a few berries but was probably after an insect amongst the fruit.

The chilly night left all the spiders' cobwebs around the park covered in dew-drops by the morning. The most recognisable webs are these distinctive circular ones hung between bushes and amongst the long grass, belonging to the common garden spider.

The dragonflies enjoying the sunny weather were southern hawker, migrant hawker and common darter but not many butterflies seen.

At the park pond there was the welcome sight of a kingfisher which proclaimed its presence with quite a show, flying round a couple of times, calling loudly as it went and then hovering high over the water for a few seconds before flying to a perch. Four little egrets stood at various points around the pond edge, while secreted away in the thick vegetation was a calling water rail. On the water a pair of gadwall, 10 teal, 2 wigeon and tufted duck joined the main group of mallard.

Several small groups of swallows passed over the park totalling about 2o birds. Three chiffchaffs were heard by the park pond with another one calling in the car park. Also noted by the pond were the usual green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, jays and kestrel.

The first rock pipit of the autumn was heard calling near the Point pictured above, and then seen dropping down into a saltmarsh creek. One wheatear flew along the beach and perched on the pillbox, meanwhile a further two were noted back along the seawall. Thirty linnets flew around the Point feeding on the saltmarsh and sea-blite bushes, two reed buntings were noted too.

Resting on the saltmarsh by the Point were 4 little egrets and other than lots of redshank on the mud, there was the nice sight of 65 avocets feeding along the water's edge.

On the park grazing fields, 7 wigeon and 2 snipe were seen in the central ditch while 50 curlew roosted in the field.

This female speckled bush-cricket was a few feet off the ground resting on an information board on top of the seawall. It had managed to find a big green noticeboard that offered a little bit of background colour to blend into.

The last hour of the day was spent enjoying the last of the sunshine along the Pyefleet at Reeveshall Marsh. For a brief spell the sun glowed a bright orange. As the sun faded, the mist started to settle in places and the visibility deteriorated when scanning into the distance. As usual the Reeveshall area always manages to put on a good evening show, it's just a shame there is less light in the evenings now.

Scanning the river Colne to the east, the first brent geese newly arrived, were seen at their regular drinking spot by the Brightlingsea seawall. Ten avocets and 2 common terns also seen in this area while by the Oyster Fishery were 100 black-tailed godwits.

The only birds on the Reeveshall pool were three mute swans and a couple of teal. However the two resident short-eared owls put on a great performance over Reeveshall up until dark. The first sighting was of one being mobbed by a group of carrion crows as it flew over the big grass field. A short while later the two owls could be seen mobbing a marsh harrier that happened to cross their territory as it headed back to the Langenhoe Marshes roost. The owls tussled with the crow and performed a few acrobatics as it passed by.

One of the owls was then mobbed in turn by another crow and the two birds circled higher and higher above the fields. The whole time the crow was calling repeatedly with lots of high-pitched notes that were very un-crow-like. After about 10 minutes the crow retreated followed by the owl which did some dramatic free-fall manuoevres as it dropped back to the field.

At least 7 marsh harriers were seen over or heading to the Langenhoe Point evening roost, including three arriving from the west over Maydays Marsh. Arriving onto the Reeveshall pool from Langenhoe for the night were 50 noisy Canada geese. Two little owls called from the Reeveshall hedgerows at dusk.

ISLAND SPERM WHALE

Called round on Friday 26th to see David Nicholls, on the left above, along with Ian Black on the right, to admire some old sperm whale bones found locally. David has recently taken temporary possession of a handful of the bones that had been discovered back in May, protruding from the mud by Cobmarsh Island at the entrance to the Mersea Quarters.

Ralph Merry made the initial discovery and with assistance from Donald Rainbird and advice from Jerry Bowdrey of the Colchester Natural History Museum, some of the bones were removed and cleaned up. Apparently the bones of the whale have become scattered across the mud rather than being an intact skeleton. At this stage no-one has an idea of the age of the bones suffice to say there is no recent documentation of one being located there by Cobmarsh.

The two photos above show the long lower jawbones with the empty sockets where up to 22 teeth in a row would've been situated. The jawbone has had the tip broken off but still stands at just under 7 feet long. There was no sign of any teeth in the jawbone or in the mud where it was found.

This photo provides an idea of the length of the bones, as they lean against a garden shed with its' six-foot five inch doorway. The large wide bone in the middle, is the flat roof plate of the mouth. The upper jaw only has small vestigial teeth that apparently rarely break through the gums. This flat roofplate almost had the appearance of an old bit of fibreglass from an old boat.

No other whale has such a distinctive jaw with a long row of teeth, which the sperm whale uses when feeding on squid, octupus and occasionally fish. Sperm whales normally feed in deep waters or near the continental shelf, so it is unusual to have one washed up on the shallow Essex coast. One of the vertebra from the back-bone is pictured below, this is about 12-14 inches long.

The Mammals of Essex book by John Dobson makes a couple of references to sperm whale in the county. "One was captured in the Thames and brought ashore at Blackwall, London around 1732, and two were washed up at unknown locations on the Essex coast following an east coast storm in 1763."

John Dobson lists the only other documented whale records for West Mersea were two northern bottlenose whales on 30th July 1939. On 7th August 1939 an unidentified whale 5.49m long, stranded at East Mersea may have been this species too.

Three more unidentified whale remains were found at East Mersea on 9th August 1956.

Another still and sunny morning, with the cattle at the park's grazing fields helping to keep the grass in good condition for the geese and ducks, soon to arrive for the winter.

The gentle north-east breeze has kept the small trickle of migrant birds flying into the wind. A group of 12 swallows flew north-east over the park in the afternoon. Five siskin and 3 lesser redpoll flew over in the morning, again heading north-east, as did a few meadow pipits. Feeding with the tit flock around the car park bushes were three chiffchaffs and four goldcrests.

Three common lizards were seen basking in the sunshine, one on top of a fencepost.

The common toadflax with its yellow "snapdragon" flowers is generally a common plant in north Essex but appears to be scarce on the Island. There have been regular clumps at the country park for many years and this little patch of flowers pictured above, caught the eye along a hedge near the park seawall.

MIGRANTS AND MOTHS

The sunny start to the morning and near calm conditions, made it a very pleasant autumnal Thursday 25th at the country park. There was a light passage of birds but strangely they were heading into the direction of the light breeze, which was north-easterly.

A group of a dozen swallows passed over the park, a mixed group of thrushes with 8 local mistle thrushes homing in on the rowan tree berries in the car park, also three newly arrived continental song thrushes flying high overhead calling. The plaintive calls of 10 siskins were heard as they trickled north-eastwards in ones and twos. Three lesser redpoll were also heard heading in the same direction over the park during the morning.

The various bushes and trees around the car park were popular with the local mixed tit flock which included 3 chiffchaffs, blackcap and a handful of goldcrests. These tiny "crests" were hard to spot amongst the thick foliage on the trees but they did call persistently to each other, so you had a rough idea where they were.

A sparrowhawk hunted low along a field hedge with a couple of carrion crows chasing it. Two kestrels headed towards the grazing fields and the seawall for some morning hunting for food.
On the fields there was a roosting group of 75 curlew, waiting for the tide to recede.

At the park pond, a little egret perched high on a willow tree, while below 2 wigeon and 5 teal joined the larger group of mallard.

The warm weather brought out a few butterflies such as comma, red admiral, speckled wood, small heath and small white. Southern hawker and common darter were the dragonflies noted.

The moth trap operated throughout Wednesday night into Thursday morning which was the first opportunity for two weeks. A few more different species were found including this interestingly marked buff arches pictured above. It's a common moth in early summer when most are seen, whereas this individual will be from the second generation this year.

About 70 moths of 20 species were noted including lunar underwing, sallow, dusky lemon sallow, frosted orange, rosy rustic, feathered ranunculus, common marbled carpet, spruce carpet, L-album wainscot, white-point, deep-brown dart, mallow, brindled green and burnished brass.

This neatly marked Silver-Y moth will probably be the last one of the summer. Like a lot of migrant moths, it has not been as numerous this summer as in previous years. Close up the silver-Y has a wonderful contrast of various shades of brown from chestnut through to pale grey-brown.

Up to 15 black rustics were found in the morning, some inside the trap, while others were trying to hide in the nearby grass. The jet black velvet appearance makes it a very striking moth, when seen alongside the more regular brown coloured moth species.

Another very autumnal looking moth is this barred sallow pictured above, a regularly recorded moth in previous Septembers here at the country park.

Martin Cock had good views at Coopers Beach on Tuesday of a male hen harrier that came in off the sea and hunted over the grass fields. Also seen were 3 of the first brent geese to arrive from Siberia for the winter, a grey wagtail, kingfisher and wheatear noted here too.

FLASH OF BLUE

Walked along the Strood seawall pictured above, on Monday 22nd and one or two things of interest as usual. A couple of chiffchaffs and a lesser whitethroat were the only small migrants of note in the bushes. However there was a small bird that flew into a hedge that looked as if it might've had an orange tail, suggesting a redstart, but it was just a very brief glimpse and despite lots of looking, the bird was not relocated.

Several flocks of siskin were seen flying westwards off the Island totalling about 50 birds. One group of 30 birds flew across the Strood Channel and headed towards Ray Island. One lesser redpoll was heard calling as it passed overhead and three swallows were seen.

Along the Channel there were plenty of waders scattered across the mud. The biggest concentrations were 1000 golden plover in two flocks, also 500+ redshank seemed a high number. Three greenshank, 5 knot, 25 ringed plover, 50 dunlin, 100 grey plover, 5 black-tailed godwits as well as curlew, turnstone and a few lapwing.
At least five little egrets on the mud and in the saltmarsh, while 10 teal were the start of the winter ducks in the channel. The yellow-legged gull was perched on its regular lump of concrete near the Strood causeway later in the afternoon.
Whilst scanning the waders on the mud, there was the distinctive loud whistle of a kingfisher that called nearby. The flash of blue was watched as it flew low and fast away along the water in the borrowdyke pictured above. It alighted on a small wooden post sticking out of the water and when I eventually walked along the seawall to get nearer, I was able to watch it close-by dive into the water a couple of times. The bird faced away, providing a nice view of its bright blue back. The bird soon took off and headed rapidly back along the dyke, disappearing out of sight amongst the stand of club-rushes.

In the recently cultivated arable fields, the regular flock of 30 corn buntings flew around, sometimes perching on some overhead wires and at other times feeding on the ground. Five skylarks were only noticed when they took to the air calling, while two reed buntings were seen along a ditchline. Two kestrels were the only birds of prey seen during the walk.

On one of the bramble bushes by the seawall were several fresh-looking clusters of dense silk. These are the protective"tents" which protect the very young caterpillars of the brown-tail moth. The caterpillars will hibernate through the winter and then start to feed on the bramble leaves next spring, emerging as adult moths in the summer.

The overcast conditions meant the insect tally for the walk was low with common darters over the dyke and small whites and large white butterflies along the seawall, the only things noted.

LATE SUMMER SUN

The fine weather of the last week continued on to Sunday 21st, with the Island enjoying more of this late summer sunshine.

The various rows of flowers at the East Mersea Pick Your Own field such as the Helichrysums above and the Stachys below, added some late summer colour. Lots of small white and large white butterflies fluttered around the flowers with comma and peacock noted too. One or two goldfinches were heard near the row of ripening sunflowers.

Spent an hour in the early afternoon on the Reeveshall seawall, where the tide was coming in along the Pyefleet Channel. The picture below shows the seawall section just north of Shop Lane. Very few small birds seen although a chiffchaff called from a small bush by the dyke and another from the Shop Lane wood. A little owl was heard calling from a hedgerow near the wood.

The main waders noted on the Pyefleet mud were 30 avocets close in, along with 125 black-tailed godwits and 25 knot. Redshank, ringed plover, dunlin and grey plover were also seen in small numbers. In the channel were 60 shelduck, a mix of adults and youngsters. Five grey herons and 10 little egrets were also noted along the edge of the Pyefleet Channel.

On the Reeveshall pool 2 greenshanks, little egret, teal and 2 pairs of mute swans were the only birds seen here. Little else seen over the large expanse of Reeveshall except a kestrel and a flock of rooks and jackdaws mobbing a sparrowhawk in flight.

The recent mowing of the grass inside the seawall has benefited the slender birds-foot trefoil with lots of the big yellow clumps catching the eye. Several small heath butterflies were seen and a couple of small whites.

Martin Cock on his walk earlier in the day past the Oyster Fishery, saw stonechat, kingfisher and a chiffchaff.

Richard Hull and Andy Field visited the nearby Langenhoe Marshes on Sunday and recorded common buzzard, peregrine, hobby and 3 kingfishers. Richard Hull's last visit to Langenhoe with Richard Brown on the 14th turned up 8 spotted flycatchers and pied flycatcher.

Glyn Evans with friends doing the monthly wildfowl and wader count around the Island on Monday 15th, noted short-eared owl, hobby, marsh harrier, 2 wheatear, whinchat mainly all along the north side as well as 2 little stints on the East Mersea Flats. An unidentified buzzard species was watched over Brightlingsea.

Andrew Thompson could not find the red-necked phalarope on Sunday 14th at Coopers Beach(the bird having been present for the last eight days), but was rewarded with views of a honey buzzard and two common buzzards during his visit to East Mersea.