CLOUDS OF BROWNS

The sunshine of recent days continued into Sunday 5th and there were lots of insects buzzing around the park during the morning.The colourful six-spot burnet moth pictured above, was flying over the grasslands in reasonable numbers, often feeding on flowers of the creeping thistle. After many years of only being found at one end of the park, the moth appears to have spread into other areas, which is great to see. The six-spot burnet moth has not read the rule-book about the difference between butterflies and moths. Here is a moth that is colourful, flies around in the daytime and has the clubbed antennae just like butterflies.

Managed to locate the first wasp spider of the summer at the park in an area of long grass close to where an egg case was left by a female spider last summer. This young female is not fully grown yet and hasn't developed the bold yellow and black stripes that give the spider its name. The wasp spider was first found at the park in 2003, one of the early records for north Essex.

The hedge brown butterfly or gatekeeper, pictured above, has joined the hundreds of other brown butterflies at the park in the last few days. The hedgerows and grasslands really come to life at this time of the year with all the butterflies fluttering about. Also seen were red admiral, peacock, small skipper, Essex skipper, large skipper, small white, large white and small heath.

Much of the grassland areas have gone to seed and turned brown in colour. This big clump of lady's bedstraw stands out with the mass of bright yellow flowers adding a splash of colour amongst the grass.

Birdwise I managed to obtain good close views at the start of the day of the pair of nightingales without the aid of binoculars. The two birds were repeatedly calling to each other from 15 metres apart near the park entrance and both perched up on branches in bushes not obscured by thick undergrowth. The birds will be around for another month before they disappear back to Africa.

The plaintive calls of a young sparrowhawk alerted me to the rough location of the bird and the nest near the cliff-top trees. A closer look revealed four white downy chicks being fed morsels by the male bird who was standing over them on the nest. Later in the afternoon another parent was back on the nest again feeding the chicks. The youngsters are quite large and the nest doesn't look big enough for four birds, let alone having any parents around too.

An evening walk along the Reeveshall seawall, photo above, was made more interesting watching the clouds of meadow brown butterflies explode into the air as you passed by. One cloud must have had about 200 meadow browns in the air over one spot. Andy Field had walked the same section earlier in the afternoon and also remarked on the numbers seen. A very rough estimate suggests that with every pace about ten butterflies took to the air from the side of the seawall. As I walked about 800 metres this equates to several thousand meadow browns! One painted lady was also noted along the seawall.

On the Reeveshall pool the colourful ruff was still present as were greenshank, spotted redshank, green sandpiper and 3 grey heron. On the fields 60 lapwing, 2 golden plover, corn bunting and 8 stock doves were seen. Marsh harriers were showing well with four birds seen flying or perched up on Reeveshall. One youngster looked like it was flapping its wings from inside the reedbed.

Along the Pyefleet the tide was slowly coming in and 100 black-tailed godwits were the main wader with spotted redshank, the ruff again, 6 avocet, 9 turnstone and curlews and redshank also noted. On Langenhoe at least four marsh harriers were seen flying around as was a barn owl late in the evening.

This was the view of the moon as I was walking away from Reeveshall. Back at the country park a little owl perched up on a signpost in the car park. A short while later I stopped the car along Chapmans Lane as I drove to West Mersea and enjoyed a close view of another little owl perched on a fence only 5 metres from the car. Needless to say it didn't hang around and flew off.

Returning back along the East Mersea road late at night I had to stop the car so I didn't hit a muntjac deer that was thinking about crossing the road. The small deer was obviously dazzled by the car headlights and slowly decided to head back into the thick copse at the top of Meeting Lane. Muntjac have only recently become established on the Island with a youngster being seen with its parent just a few months ago.

HAWKMOTH HAUL

There was a good selection of moths in the trap by dawn at 4am on Saturday 4th. This fresh looking lime hawkmoth has a wonderful mix of camouflaged markings. This individual is far more eyecatching than the very faded individual seen a few days earlier. It was a good night for the hawkmoths with 5 species involving 14 individuals being noted.

This is one of 4 poplar hawkmoths seen with this one displaying the reddish patch on the hindwings, which it flashes to warn off predators.

Four large privet hawkmoths were noted with this one above found resting at dawn in its typical sphinx-like pose on the outside of the trap. The other hawkmoths seen were 4 elephant hawkmoths and a very faded and worn pine hawkmoth.

Over 50 species of about 400 macro moths were found either in the trap, on it or in the grass around the trap. As the daylight increased many moths started to fly off to hide up in nearby bushes.

The colourful magpie moth was resting on a blade of grass a few metres from the trap.

This swallow-tailed moth with its pointed tail-tips, was found resting on the side of the wooden Skinner trap.
There have been lots of buff arches pictured above, in recent nights at the trap. This common moth has lots of intricate markings on its wings when seen close-up.

The most numerous moth was the dark arches with about 100 noted followed by good numbers of light arches, clouded silver, common footman and the brown-tail. Very few new moths for the year were recorded with dusky sallow, common rustic, marbled beauty and single dotted wave being some of them.

Later in the morning lots of small birds were noted along the side of the car park with nearly 50 birds feeding along the hedgeline. Long-tailed tit, great tit, blue tit, common whitethroat, chaffinch were all foraging in good numbers. A nightingale was heard calling from the side of the car park too.

The sparrowhawk was seen flying away from the cliff-top area twice during the morning while at the other side of the park the newly fledged kestrel family were perching up along a hedgeline.

Fifty sand martins flew around the cliff-top area in the middle of afternoon despite all the people on the beach. Two whimbrel flew off the mudflats calling.

CYGNET SHOW

Had an evening walk along the park seawall on a warm Friday 3rd, where this single cygnet appears to be growing fast in the company of its attentive parents. The adult mute swans are undergoing their moult currently resulting in piles of white feathers lying on the bank. This has alarmed a few passers-by who have assumed a swan has been attacked by something and feathers have been pulled out!
The family of mute swans at the park pond are also doing well with four cygnets still present.

A mother pochard was keeping a watch over her new brood of 5 little ducklings along the dyke, pictured above. The 5 tufted ducklings are also doing well on the park pond.

The muddy pools in the grazing fields are drying up a bit more each day but green sandpiper, greenshank, 15 black-tailed godwits and 6 lapwing were noted here. On the edge of the incoming tide a common sandpiper was feeding near the Point. Offshore at least 10 little terns hunted around the mouth of the Colne, while overhead 50 swifts crossed west onto the Island. Along the cliff there appeared to be 95 holes excavated by the sand martins which is a higher count than last year. Two green woodpeckers were feeding amongst the low vegetation at the foot of the cliff.

In the grazing fields a fox had his snooze disrupted by an approaching cow. Near the park pond 3 badgers were seen before darkness fell with two of them jogging down into the hedgeline at the bottom of the field. Amongst the large flock of black-headed gulls feeding at dusk on the park were two common gulls, the first birds back here for the winter. A little owl was seen perched alongside the East Mersea road by Weir Farm just before darkness fell.

The moth trap was switched on during Thursday night with conditions ideal for moth activity being muggy and cloudy. Unfortunately the forecasted thunderstorm duly arrived at 1am with thunder and lightning cracking right overhead. The trap was hurriedly put away just as masses of insects especially the moths were arriving in numbers.

One of the prettiest moths found were a couple of peach blossoms, one pictured above. The moth gets its name from the delicate pink markings on the forewings which help to camouflage it when it hides amongst bramble flowers where it lays its eggs. Despite being a common moth this is the first record for the park.

This diminutive least carpet was found resting up near my back door during the day. The least carpet used to be quite a scarce moth in Essex but in recent years there seems to have been an increase in records in the county.

Other moths of note at the park that night included a very faded pine hawkmoth, privet hawk, elephant hawk, masses of dark arches and light arches, also good numbers of buff arches.

RUFF ON REEVES-HALL

Discovered masses of crab-shells washed up along the high tide-line along the Pyefleet at Reeveshall on Thursday 2nd. Conditions in the estuary must have been just right for a mass shedding of shells by the local shore-crabs, as they outgrew their old shells and new ones grown in their place. A close look at these crabs revealed them to be empty inside, with the top part of the carapace shell unhinged along its rear edge.

The shells appear to have been left after one of the recent high spring tides, the highest being about a week ago. All along the back of the saltmarsh were hundreds of thousands of these mainly tiny crab-shells and very little else.

There was a interesting selection of birds on the Reeveshall pool and the sight of 3 grey herons, one pictured above, is strangely uncommon here. Just the one little egret present but in recent years they have outnumbered the herons.

The most eyecatching bird was a male ruff sporting a thick buffy neck recalling the mane on a male lion, while its body and wings were pale grey with black barring. The bird was almost in its breeding plumage and very different from the usual plain ruff that pass through the Island. On such a hot day the thick set of feathers around the neck looked more suited to the winter-time.

Also on the pool were 7 greenshank, 4 spotted redshank, 3 green sandpiper, 10 lapwing, 5 redshank, avocet briefly, 2 little grebe, curlew, black-tailed godwit. Numbers were slowly building up nicely as the tide covered all of the mudflats along the nearby Pyefleet Channel. However a low flying plane flew so low over Reeveshall that all the birds flew off leaving the pool nearly deserted.

Along the Channel just before high tide, 20 black-tailed godwits and an avocet were the only waders seen. During high tide a few hundred waders gathered to roost on Pewit Island with curlew, redshank, oystercatchers, black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits noted. Ten little terns hunted along the Pyefleet.

Marsh harriers were showing well as usual on both Reeveshall with 4 birds seen and also on Langenhoe where about another six birds were seen. One harrier had a half-hearted swoop down at a brown hare which had to jump out of the way to avoid being snatched. On Langenhoe a male harrier returned to the Point carrying food which it passed to a recently fledged youngster. A rival male quickly joined in and was chased off before it could steal the food off the youngster.

A lazy song of a male yellowhammer drifted nearly 400 metres in the warm evening air while a bit closer to the seawall, a corn bunting also sang. Overhead three skylarks seemed more vocal than of late as they all tried to outsing each other.

After the sun set the sand martins gathered in huge numbers for the night-time roost above Reeveshall. Earlier in the evening about 400 birds had been flying around over the fields. My last scan of the area before leaving just as darkness descended, around a thousand sand martins were now present. The flock at times gathered together in dense numbers before dispersing over a wide area. Last summer a similar sized flock was seen to drop down very suddenly into the Reeveshall reedbed.

Amongst the large numbers of meadow brown butterflies along the seawall were a couple of painted ladies and a male ruddy darter was seen by a ditch.

STILL HOT HERE

The moth trap operated throught the night of Tuesday 30th at the country park - the first opportunity for nearly a fortnight. The recent run of hot days and warm nights have been ideal for insects and there were 45 species of macro moth waiting in the trap on Wednesday morning.

The rather plain looking moth pictured above was not one that I recognised so it was collected up for a closer look. The moth is a worn looking olive crescent with the two distinctive pale cross lines with a faint crescent-mark just visible on each wing between the two lines. The moth was surprisingly obliging and calm and when it was allowed to fly off, it headed to a nearby bush and rested up on a twig. The moth is normally associated with mature oak or beech woodland.

The olive crescent moth is listed as nationally rare and a red data book species with its own biodiversity action plan as the resident moth population is only known from a few sites in the south-east of England. Although the moth is resident in two sites in north east Essex, this moth here at the park is probably an immigrant, as the moth is often reported at coastal sites along the south and east coasts of England.

This very worn and faded lime hawkmoth is the first of the year and is recorded annually here at the park although only one or two individuals. Also in the trap were eyed hawk, poplar hawk and two elephant hawkmoths - 4 species of hawkmoth in one night.

Other moths making their first appearance of the year at the trap were swallow-tailed, yellow-tail, lackey, lunar-spotted pinion, scalloped oak, brown-line bright-eye and smoky wainscot.

As dusk fell on Tuesday night the black-headed gulls were having a late evening feast on various insects on the park. Flying low over the tree tops they snatched summer chafers that were buzzing about as it started to get dark. For a few warm evenings each summer these summer chafers appear in reasonable numbers and a couple of years ago a kestrel was watched catching them too.

A female adder was seen near the car park just about to cross an area of short grass. As I approached for a closer look, it quickly turned back into the long grass and wasn't seen again.

A marsh harrier flew over the field to the west of the park on Tuesday morning while at the park about 50 sand martins were flying around the cliff. On the mud 30 black-tailed godwits fed at low tide and 20 curlew passed over. The turtle dove was heard singing at Bromans Farm on Wednesday morning.

There was another picturesque end to the day along the calm Strood Channel as the sun set. During a short walk a few birds heard singing in the area included corn bunting, reed bunting, common whitethroat, lesser whitethroat and linnet.

ROUGH JUSTICE

Went back to the pool at the country park grazing fields on a hot Monday 29th for another look at the very colourful ruff. This poor shot through the telescope of the two ruff was the only one I could take as the birds were frightened off straight after I took this photo by the herd of cattle coming to drink at the pool. The birds flew off high to the north and didn't return, so it was a bit rough that the cattle got thirsty when I arrived with my camera.

The bird on the right was briefly glimpsed through the telescope and the bright sunshine revealed it to have some amazing irridescent navy blue feathers on the back of the neck. Both birds must have been stunning to look at a few weeks ago, as they jousted with rival males at their lekking site, trying to woo and impress the watching female birds.


The three kestrel chicks newly fledged from the nestbox, perched on the same oak tree waiting for a parent to come back with food. One of the young made a short flight over the field before returning back to join its siblings. At one point a male sparrowhawk flew right over the tree with the kestrels watching it closely as it passed by. The female sparrowhawk was also seen earlier flying over the fields being mobbed by sand martins.

The pools are shrinking fast in the recent dry weather and the cattle are valuing the water for drinking. Four lapwing, redshank, 10 mallard, 4 shelduck and a few black-headed gulls and starlings were the other birds around the pools. A reed warbler sang from the ditchline at the back of the fields.

On the pond the female tufted duck was with at least five small ducklings while nearby 10 adults were snoozing. A young little grebe chick was noisily being fed and the mute swans are still present with 4 cygnets. The other pair of swans on the dyke still have their lone cygnet. Amongst the several mallard and lots of young coots a moulting male shoveler was noted.

Butterflies noted included a painted lady, comma, small tortoiseshell, large skipper, small skipper, meadow brown and a red admiral. On the pond several emperor dragonflies were seen while lots of blue-tailed damselflies and azure damselflies were present.

At the end of the day a barn owl crossed the East Mersea road near the Dog and Pheasant pub.

RETURNING RUFF

It was a hot walk around the busy country park in the early afternoon of Sunday 28th. The main area of interest is still on the pools in the grazing fields, as it has been all through the spring. On this occasion two very colourful ruff, still with a fair amount of their breeding plumage on show. These males had very similar colour markings with a general black body and wings but with a ginger ruff still very visible around the neck.

Both birds waded through the shallow waters, picking at insects on the surface as they walked across. These ruff are returning from their breeding grounds probably in Scandinavia, stopping off here to refuel before continuing south for the winter.

The other bit of bird interest focussed on the oak tree in the hedgeline behind the pools, as in the picture above, where the young kestrel chicks were perched on a branch outside their nestbox. It's satisfying to see the specially designed box being used by them having been put up in the tree about 4 years ago with barn owls or kestrels in mind. The adult male arrived back with some food with the chicks calling out loudly as the prey was quickly passed over to one of the youngsters.

There were good numbers of sand martins flying around many of the surrounding fields and beach with at least 100 birds seen. Many of them perched on wires to the north of the park.


The first small skippers were skipping low over the grass with this one pictured above stopping briefly enough for a closer view. Several large skippers were also seen as were lots of meadow browns along hedges and amongst the long grass.


Along some of the bushier paths there were several speckled wood butterflies, one pictured above, defending their section of path from rivals. Any other speckled woods that got too close were quickly chased away.

Adrian Kettle saw 2 yellow-legged gulls by the Strood early on the Sunday morning, one of the birds an adult, the other bird a younger bird.