WAITING FOR THE GRASSHOPPERS

Andy Field took this photo of an obliging grasshopper warbler, one of two singing birds on the nearby Langenhoe Ranges on Monday 4th. After three singing birds stopped off last spring at East Mersea for varying amounts of time, hopes were high that one would be found again here this year but sadly none yet.

Also on Langenhoe a hobby, 3 common buzzards, 6 marsh harriers, 7 pairs of Mediterranean gulls, greenshank, 2 nightingales, Cettis warbler, 60 black-tailed godwits, 100 grey plover, 240 dunlin, 4 knot and three pairs of avocet were noted by Andy and Richard Hull.

The fields on the north-west side of West Mersea are showing the bright yellow flowers of the oil-seed rape crops. It's not everyone's favourite crop but the bees like it and it does add a bit of colour.

This male reed bunting with the distinctive black head pictured below, was surprisingly tame as it perched close-by in the crop. Later it perched on some overhead wires and then had a tussle with a rival male. A third male was seen later singing by the dyke along the Strood seawall.



Other birds seen around the fields by the Strood included 2 reed warblers singing, 2 sedge warblers, 2 whitethroats, corn bunting, 10 swifts, 5 house martins and 10 swallows.

On the nearby Ray Island the cuckoo was heard singing, the sound carrying across the channel. A second bird appeared and the two of them flew off towards Copt Hall. In the Strood Channel, 12 whimbrel was the main wader species of note, although a few turnstone and oystercatchers were seen and 30 black-tailed godwits coud be seen landing in the Pyefleet Channel. A little egret fed along the dyke and then stood in the field.

A sparrowhawk glided over the fields and then over West Mersea. By the Hard a pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over the jetty and car park area, calling as they went. Amongst the moorings a pair of common terns were seen too. Three marsh harriers were seen high over the east end of Old Hall Marshes, including a displaying male flying straight up and down several times as if it was on a bungee rope!

CONCERN AT THE CHICKEN-COOP

The big winter pool on one of the park grazing fields is shrinking fast, leaving behind various muddy areas that have quickly dried up, as pictured above. This area is the main focus of attention for waders and wildfowl and there was a good variety on Sunday 3rd May.

As in the last few days here, the greenshank was the most notable wader. Also here, black-tailed godwit, 3 redshank and about 10 lapwing as well as the first brood of four,10 days old lapwing chicks. Sixty black-headed gulls seemed quite a number, there was also 14 squabbling shelduck, a pair of gadwall, 15 mallard, pair of shoveler and coots and moorhens.
On the park pond there were 14 tufted duck and a female pochard.

As the car park filled up with cars, the nightingale sang loudly from a nearby hedge. The songs of several common whitethroat and one lesser whitethroat could be heard near the car park too.

The leafy northern end of Shop Lane in East Mersea was where several speckled wood, orange-tip and small white butterflies fluttered along and a chiffchaff sang from the nearby wood. The verges of the lane have come to life with the cow parsley in flower.

There was a recognisable increase in anxious calls from a nearby chicken-coop and it didn't take too long to find the reason. A fox was calmly strolling through the long grass up towards the coop in broad daylight, stopping every so often to sniff the air. It checked out part of the fencing, perhaps knowing in advance the chickens were already secure but ever hopeful in his dreams there might be an open door. After walking right up to the coop fence, the fox turned away and ambled off into a nearby hedge.

Along the nearby Pyefleet a pair of Mediterranean gulls fed on nearby mud along with the black-headed gulls, also one brent goose. The only waders seen along the channel were a few oystercatchers, although three whimbrel fed in one of the grass fields. Three marsh harriers were seen on Langenhoe Point, two males and a female.

Very little of note on the Reeveshall pool other than a few shelduck, one redshank, grey heron and a few greylag and Canada geese. Three stock doves fed on one of the fields and a few swallows passed over.

CHECKING THE CHANNELS

Checked out the Pyefleet Channel and the Strood Channel on Friday 1st May. The mid-day walk alongside the Pyefleet near Reeveshall didn't produce any excitements and despite plenty of mud on show, hardly any waders were seen. The picture above is the eastern end of the Channel looking across the river Colne to Brightlingsea.

On the pool at Reeveshall one avocet, redshank, pair of oystercatchers, pair of gadwall, 10 shelduck, 4 Canada geese and 4 greylag geese were noted, while a pair of pochard and pair of shoveler flew over. On the fields a wheatear, golden plover and 3 stock doves were seen and a little egret and grey heron were seen feeding along the dyke.

Two male and one female marsh harriers were seen flying over the nearby ranges of Langenhoe. A pair of common terns were seen flying along the Pyefleet.

This small clump of brackish water crowfoot added a bit of life to a dried up puddle in one of the Reeveshall fields. The patch of baked mud held water until last week but the recent fine weather has seen water levels drop quickly.

Along the East Mersea road two corn buntings were perched up on their songpost-bushes. A house martin was seen flying over Chapmans Lane along with one or two swallows. Andy Field noted two red-legged partridge in a field near Bocking Hall.


One or two bits of interest alongside the Strood seawall, although the tide was still high in the early evening, pictured above. Andy Field joined me in catching up with one or two more summer migrants to the Island, especially as I'd just enjoyed views of yellow wagtail, common tern and swift within a few minutes.

One female yellow wagtail landed on the saltmarsh nearby and one was also seen flying away and disappearing into a bright yellow crop of oil-seed rape. Two swifts that appeared overhead, were seen later flying over the houses with at least five birds noted. Five little terns came close in, calling out excitedly to each other, diving down for tiny fish and then flying on. Two noisy common terns also provided close views as they flew up and down the nearby borrowdyke.

A group of 7 whimbrel flew high along the Channel, whistling as they went. A couple of other whimbrels were also noted during the walk. Three brent geese also flew along the Channel with a fourth bird seen feeding in a field. A marsh harrier was seen briefly just to the east of the Strood.

At least three corn buntings were singing from various bushes, although one sedge warbler proved more elusive as it skulked in a bush and a reed warbler sang briefly. Two male reed buntings were seen as were several linnets, meadow pipits and skylarks. A small copper butterfly was seen along the seawall.

Later Andy watched a cuckoo calling from a tree just up from the Strood on the East Mersea road. First thing in the morning a cuckoo was waking everybody in the area of Coast Road and Victory Road inWest Mersea.

Another dry and warm day drew to a close with the sun peeking behind some clouds along the Strood Channel.

CARPET OF DAISIES

The spring sunshine has brought out all the daisies in their thousands at the country park. The grass has been slow to grow in this area set aside as an overflow car-park pictured above, resulting in a white carpet of flowers. The nightingale in the clifftop scrub could be heard singing in full flow just to the side of this area of daisies on Wednesday 29th. The other nightingale was also singing by the park entrance.

A willow warbler singing on Wednesday morning in the trees in the park corner was most likely a migrant bird that arrived during the previous night. A few more sand martins are flying around the cliff with 10 birds noted. In the grazing fields a bright male yellow wagtail fed around the muddy pools along with a pair of pied wagtails.

A greenshank was still present in the fields on Wednesday, for the fourth day running. Also the pair of redshank, 6 pairs of lapwing, pair of oystercatchers, pairs of gadwall and shoveler and a mallard still with 13 ducklings. There was a lot of commotion in one corner of the fields when a fox broke cover in the middle of the day, with lapwings making the most noise. Earlier a group of 14 greylag geese had been seen in the fields.


Along the beach towards the Point a little egret was seen feeding in one of these brackish pools on Wednesday. In the mouth of the river Colne a little tern flew past calling as the tide came in. A dozen ringed plovers were noted along with a few turnstone.

At the Point a wheatear was seen perched on a signboard,probably the same bird reported for the day before. Six avocets were also noted on the saltmarsh pools on Tuesday with a couple seen on Wednesday. A pair of reed buntings were seen on the seablite bushes.

A grass-snake was found dead on the East Mersea road near the pub on Thursday, always a sad sight to see.

LATEST MIGRANTS

More sunshine at the country park on Sunday 26th, with this clump of bluebells catching the eye amongst the trees on the cliff-top. The nightingale was singing again in this south-west corner of the park, as was the one near the park entrance. The latest migrant back from Africa to the Bromans Lane area near the park entrance was a turtle dove, singing from some overhead wires.

Other migrants well settled into the park during April include chiffchaff, blackcap, common whitethroat, lesser whitethroat with swallows hunting over the fields and one or two sand martins showing more of an interest in the sandy cliff again.

In the grazing fields a greenshank fed in the flooded section along with a very noisy pair of redshank and up to 6 pairs of lapwing. The first lapwing brood appears to be down to three chicks, having lost one youngster within the first week. In the clump of reeds at the east side of the fields the first reed warbler of the spring was heard and a sedge warbler also sang from the same area.

On the saltmarsh pools near the Point a pair of avocets were seen as was a brightly marked male wheatear perching on the pillbox on the beach. A common tern flew out of the river but little else seen here.

This sloe carpet pictured above, was found in the moth trap on Sunday morning, a nationally scarce moth but with a local distribution in the south-east of England. It's scarce enough in Essex to be listed as a red data book species.

The first of the bright yellow brimstone moths pictured above was found in the trap. This will be a regular visitor in small numbers to the trap over the next few weeks.

Martin Cock visited Reeveshall on Sunday and noted a pair of little terns and 2 common terns along the Pyefleet. Also the barnacle goose was on Pewit Island with some brent geese and a pair of Mediterranean gulls were also seen . On Reeveshall 4 whimbrel and 3 wheatears were seen in the fields but not much on the pool. A reed warbler sang from one of the ditches.

Andy Field and Richard Hull visited nearby Langenhoe and had a good count of 11 Mediterranean gulls amongst the black-headed gull colony on Rat Island.

ESCAPED ENIGMA

Joined Andy Field and Steve Entwistle for an evening walk along the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday 25th. Amongst the usual scattering of 24 greylag and Canada geese feeding on the fields, was a white goose similar to a snow goose although it was appreciably smaller than the nearby greylags and appearing brent goose-size. The goose was obviously an escape from a collection but we were curious as to whether it may've been a Ross's goose, as opposed to a larger snow goose. Unfortunately the bird was too far off to get the finer details of the reddish beak which would've helped with sorting out which species it was.

Feeding with a pair of greylag geese on the saltmarsh was the first sighting this year on the Island of a feral barnacle goose. A small group of 30 brent geese were seen in flight over Langenhoe.

On the Reeveshall pool during the evening were 26 shelduck, little egret, 4 teal, up to 17 black-tailed godwits, redshank and mallard, whilst pochard flew over. On the main field 6 wheatears were noted including one group of 5 birds, also 4 golden plover in the field and a whimbrel on the saltings. A pair of marsh harriers carried out a food pass to each other over the Reeveshall reedbed, in the same general area where the sound of a cuckoo was heard. Andy watched a hobby fly over the fields from the direction of Langenhoe - the first sighting on the Island this year.

On Langenhoe at least four marsh harriers were seen in the air, occasional birds flying over the gull colony on Rat Island sending thousands of mainly black-headed gulls into the air. A short-eared owl was seen briefly hunting low over the marshes as was a barn owl.

At least half a dozen sand martins passed over and one or two swallows as well. A brightly marked yellowhammer sat up on a fence as we walked back off Reeveshall at dusk. Four brown hares were more active in the fields as the light faded.

Earlier in the day at the country park, 6 avocets were seen on the saltmarsh pools near the Point, 3 greenshank dropped down onto one of the flooded fields where a mallard had a very young brood of 13 ducklings. There still seems to be about 6 pairs of lapwings with just the one brood so far of 3 youngsters. A brown hare was seen in the wheat field by Bromans Lane at dusk.

There has been no further news or sightings of a hoopoe seen on the army ranges on Langenhoe by some of the range wardens on Thursday. Andy Field and Richard Hull visited earlier today but only noted a common buzzard in the area where the hoopoe was seen. Also turtle dove, reed warbler, nightingale and greenshank on the ranges.

LAPWING CHICKS

The sunny weather has continued for the last few days helping to dry out the park grazing fields. On Tuesday 21st four tiny lapwing chicks could be seen on the wet muddy patches beside the pools in the middle of the photo above. The parents were keeping a close watch over them nearby and hopefully they'll grow quickly with the amount of muddy pools around. There are also 3 other pairs of lapwing in the same field, trying to make the most of the flooded pasture this breeding season.

Eighteen teal were also feeding on the flooded field and 2 snipe were seen flying off calling. In the dyke there were 12 tufted duck and a pair of pochard have been seen on the pond at times.

As the tide was coming in during the early evening of Tuesday, various waders were seen close-in with 70 black-tailed godwits, 50 dunlin, 40 golden plover being the main groups. A whimbrel flew off with some curlew and there was the sight of 50 brent geese flying high out of the Colne estuary as if on their way back to Siberia for the summer.

The faint calls of the cuckoo could be heard in the evening, appearing to come from about a mile away to the north-west of the park. Just before nightfall the barn owl was seen doing a circuit of the small thicket at the park entrance where the nightingale was singing loudly. For a moment the nightingale stopped singing until the owl had passed it by. Two pipistrelle bats were out hunting beside the hedges and trees near the park entrance.

On Wednesday morning two common terns were seen sitting on a buoy in the mouth of the river calling out loudly. A Mediterranean gull could be heard calling as it flew past the park on Wednesday morning. A whimbrel flew over the park whistling as it passed by and by the cliff, a sparrowhawk was seen briefly. Around the park the songs of several whitethroats and a couple of lesser whitethroats can be heard, also single blackcap and chiffchaff.

Butterflies enjoying the sunny weather have included orange-tip, peacock, small white and several speckled woods.

Despite it being a clear night-sky on Tuesday night, 14 species of moth turned up at the trap at the country park with this pebble prominent, pictured above, one of the first appearances this year. The big "pebble" disc-like markings on the wing show up clearly on this fresh individual.

This pale pinion was the most unusual moth found and is supposedly only recorded occasionally in East Anglia. It is listed as a rare vagrant in Essex although there were at least 3 recorded during the spring last year in the county, including 2 only about 3 miles to the east of the Island at St Osyth.

Other moths found in the trap included mullein, swallow prominent, angle shades, early thorn, herald, lunar marbled brown and early grey.