PARCHED PARK

The country park has been basking in some late September sunshine over the last few days. Despite having some rain during August, the ground has dried out a lot since then. The grass on the park in many places is looking parched and in the picture above the grass is more brown than green in colour.

A thick mist covered everywhere first thing on Tuesday 27th and after a sunny spell, a sea fog rolled over the Island in the afternoon. Not much to report for today.

There was no wind on Monday 19th with plenty of sun and good visibility. Scanning the mudflats at the end of the day revealed 18 brent geese on the mud at the mouth of the Colne estuary. Along the edge of the mudflats were 200 feeding avocets, while offshore 5 common terns were seen. One mudflat pool had 6 little egrets feeding in it.

On the pools in the park grazing fields were 25 wigeon, 100+ teal, 5 shoveler, 30 mallard with 15 greylag geese dropping in to roost in the evening. The female ruff (a reeve) was present again for it's fifth day, feeding along a muddy edge, also 10 snipe and 10 black-tailed godwits also present.

The park pond was a bit quieter on Monday with only 30 mallard present although their numbers have been over 100+ birds. The swan family seem to come and go between the dyke and the pond with the two cygnets following behind the mother.



The bushes between the hide and the car park often hold a variety of small birds with chiffchaff, blackcap, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, great tit, blue tit, long-tailed tit often seen. A couple of goldcrests have been mixed in with the tits for the last fortnight or so. Martin Cock had the rare sight of two yellowhammers briefly on bushes in this same area on Monday. A reed warbler was heard calling from the pond hedgerow on Sunday.

Not many migrants passing over the park during the sunny Monday although 50+ swallows seemed to be flying around the fields and houses just to the north of the park. Two siskin flew over the park on Sunday calling and a lesser redpoll too.

On Saturday, 2 brent geese were in the fields, 2 yellow wagtails were with the cows, 70 curlew roosted at high tide here. Two wheatears were at the Point with another on the seawall, while 30 linnets fed in the sea-blite bushes at the Point. On the mud 140 avocets roosted in a group ahead of the high tide and a distant marsh harrier was seen over Langenhoe. A common seal and 3 eider were just offshore from the park on Saturday morning.

Martin Cock and Steve Entwistle saw a common buzzard over Maydays farm on Saturday, while the next day 4 red-legged partridge were seen in the field behind the Strood reservoirs on Sunday. A Mediterranean gull flew over the East Mersea road near the church along with a number of other gulls circling over the fields on Monday.

A badger was seen scuttling along the side of the pond at dusk on Monday night and then an hour after dark one jogged along Bromans Lane ahead of the car.

On Sunday a small copper and small heath were some of the small number of butterflies at the park along with red admiral, speckled wood and small white, while the day before a grass snake and two adders were out basking in the park. Martin Cock noted a hummingbird hawkmoth along the path near Gyants Marsh on Sunday and another one was reported in West Mersea on Monday.


The moth trap was set out in the light drizzle on Monday evening and on Tuesday morning 95 moths of 18 species were noted. This barred sallow in the photo above, is a frequent autumn visitor to the trap with this individual being the first of the season.


A rather unexpected discovery was disturbing this very worn herald moth, found while mopping up the floor of the park toilets. In the past the herald moth has been seen in the autumn resting inside the building, as well as individuals coming to the moth trap in the spring.


Two beaded chestnuts were the first of the season, one pictured above. Other moths included frosted orange, dusky lemon sallow, sallow, orange sallow, rosy rustic, square spot rustic, snout, black rustic, deep brown dart, broad-bordered yellow underwing, brindled green, lunar underwing, brick, large yellow underwing and flounced rustic.

PASSING MIGRANTS

More sunshine over the last few days with this comma butterfly basking on a bush at the country park on Friday 23rd. Several butterfly species have been making the most of the autumnal sunshine with speckled wood, small white, small heath seen around the park in small numbers. However the commonest one has been the red admiral with at least a handful crossing west over the car park each day this week.

Two adders were along their regular section of hedgerow near the car park during the morning.

In nearby bushes 4 chiffchaffs foraged along with a flock of mixed tits, while a couple of goldcrests were also in another flock in the morning passing through the car park trees. Two song thrushes were seen in trees by the pond and blackbirds that have been a bit scarce recently have started to reappear in small numbers. Three blackcaps and a lesser whitethroat were near the pond on Thursday morning.

On the fields a ruff was present for the second day around the pools amongst the 150 teal, 10 wigeon, 5+ snipe, 10 black-tailed godwit. Two brent geese were seen at the pools in the morning, the first here this winter, 3 were on the sea later in the day, while 15 greylag geese dropped in at dusk. At high tide 120 curlew roosted in the fields and 2 yellow wagtails were with the cattle.

Migrants were still passing west over the park with the biggest flock of house martins noted this summer with 100 birds hawking over the fields while 150 swallows passed over during the day. Three siskins flew east calling while 10 redpolls flew west in the morning and 50+ meadow pipits trickled over during the morning in small groups.

A sparrowhawk suddenly appeared inside the seawall near the Golfhouse, maybe following the migrants across the Colne. It perched on a fencepost while 25 linnets and some of the other small birds flew away to safety. At the Point a wheatear was seen along the beach as were 4 reed buntings. A big avocet flock roosting on the mud with 140 birds, had at least 3 birds colour-ringed, while 7 little egrets fed in some of the pools on the saltmarsh.

Ten snipe flew off the pools in the fields and a wheatear was also seen here on Thursday while on Tuesday early evening a hobby unsuccessfully tried to catch a martin high over the fields.

A badger jogged along Bromans Lane in front of the car headlights before it turned into the verge late on Thursday evening. On Wednesday morning a nice flock of 200+ linnets were flying above one of the recently cultivated fields at Bocking Hall along the East Mersea road.



The moth trap was run at the country park on both Wednesday and Thursday nights. The relatively clear and still nights produced similar catches with about 65 individuals of 15 species each. This neatly marked flounced chestnut pictured above was one to catch the eye on Friday morning. The only individual noted last autumn turned up a day earlier than this year's record.


This brick moth seemed another neatly marked specimen. It's noted each autumn here but only one or two each year.


Just one autumnal rustic was in the trap on Thursday morning and maybe a few more will be seen in the next few nights too.


The sallow moth is a regular in small numbers in mid September into early October. The picture above doesn't convey it's yellow colouring very well.

Other moths included L-album wainscot, common wainscot, large yellow underwing, broad-bordered yellow underwing, flounced rustic, square-spot rustic, setaceous hebrew character, shuttel-shaped dart, deep-brown dart, black rustic, snout, frosted orange, willow beauty, latticed heath, brindled green and lunar underwing.

SEPTEMBER SUNSHINE

This common lizard was enjoying another sunny September morning on Monday 19th. It was basking on a wooden post alongside the path near the Firs Chase caravan site, probably watching lots of walkers go past without being noticed by anyone - well nearly no-one!

There was a bit of bird passage taking place during the walk along the Strood seawall with 250+ swallows, 70+ house martins and 20 meadow pipits seen crossing west off the Island. Also flying off the Island were a small flock of 8 siskins and a lesser redpoll, crossing over the Strood Channel.

The most interesting bird to catch the eye were several common buzzards in the air near Peldon. Five were seen circling low over a wood just east of Peldon, then 3 others circled over Copt Hall Grove near Wigborough, while at least another couple circled high in the sky in the general area. It seemed an ideal day for birds of prey to soar and for them to migrate south. However most of these buzzards didn't appear to be on the move away from the Peldon area.

Noted from the seawall were one wheatear, 25 linnets, common tern, 1 bar-tailed godwit, 30 black-tailed godwits and 5 little egrets.

Andy Field walked the north side of the Island on Monday afternoon and noted 6 common buzzards in the air over Langenhoe and Alresford areas. Also hobby, common sandpiper, wheatear and 4 red-legged partridges were seen. Martin Cock found a spotted flycatcher near the Golfhouse at East Mersea and a grey wagtail flew over. Ian Black reported hearing a few whimbrel flying over West Mersea during the last couple of nights.



The red admiral seems to be the most widespread butterfly around at the moment with a few seemingly heading west off the Island for the winter. The westerly passage was noted a few days ago at East Mersea Point, again yesterday along the Coopers Beach seawall and today across the Strood Channel. Although most of the ivy seems to have flowered, some clumps are still pulling in the wasps, bees, flies as well as a few red admirals too.

Several migrant hawkers are on the wing at the moment with this one pictured above, resting on leaves in the Firs Chase garden. A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen resting on a solar panel early in the afternoon, maybe trying to regain its energy! A goldcrest and chiffchaff were heard calling from nearby trees.

BLACKBERRY CROP

Made the most of the lovely weather on Sunday 18th with a 9km walk around some of the footpaths in East Mersea. There were quite a few other folk also out enjoying the sunshine too although this photo of the beach between Fen Farm and Coopers Beach appears momentarily deserted.

Walking along the foreshore as the incoming tide covered the last of the mud, 30 golden plover and 5 little egrets were noted near Coopers Beach and a few swallows flew west along the seawall.




Along some of the paths bramble bushes were laden down with a good crop of blackberries and in several places the blackthorn bushes seemed to be covered in masses of sloes. The good weather in the spring provided ideal conditions for flowers to get pollinated.



My wife Nolly ensures that Monty gets his fair share of the juicy blackberries during our walk along the path between Shop Lane and Meeting lane.

A scan of one of the fields revealed a hobby standing on one of the clods of earth near the Gyants Marsh area. The distinctive "wheet" call of the chiffchaff was heard from many copses and hedges during the walk with about ten birds noted.
At Rewsalls farm there was a flock of 150 linnets perched up on wires over a recently cultivated field.

There were up to 25 red admiral butterflies seen during the walk, many close to the big clumps of flowering ivy in the hedgerows. The other main spot for butterflies was a game cover crop at Rewsalls where about 20 small whites were flying around.

DARK SKIES OVER MAYDAYS

Managed to enjoy a breezy walk along the Maydays seawall on Saturday 18th just as the skies were starting to threaten with rain. The strong wind kept many birds low and there weren't many waders to see in the Pyefleet with the tide already quite high.

However a nice selection of birds that were seen in the Pyefleet included one curlew sandpiper, 25 ringed plover, 20 dunlin, 120 grey plover, 10 knot, 5 avocets, great crested grebe and 6 common terns.

Over the Maydays fields and saltings were 2 marsh harriers, sparrowhawk, 2 greenshank, 3 green sandpipers and a whinchat. Two common seals sat on the Maydays saltmarsh, close enough to the seawall to provide the best seal views for some time.

Alongside a hedgerow near the farm at least 4 willow emerald damselflies were resting amongst the foliage. There were probably more waiting to be found as the hedge offered an ideal spot for them in the sun but out of the westerly wind.

On Friday afternoon, I joined Andy Field at Coopers Beach in East Mersea. We set our telescopes up in the hope of seeing some seabirds offshore at high tide. During about an hour of sea-watching, six immature gannets were seen in the distance and also two shearwaters flying too far out to make out which species. One common tern was seen while amongst the large group of gulls resting on the water, 2 Mediterranean gulls were spotted.

Around the Rewsalls marshes a wheatear, reed bunting, 50 linnets, 36 golden plover and also 2000+ gulls mainly black-headed, following some tractors cultivating fields. There was a bit of bird activity around the Coopers football pitch with about 70 birds noted. Amongst the goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, great tits, blue tits, robins, dunnocks and pied wagtails were 7 chiffchaffs and whitethroat noted too.

On Friday evening 2 badgers were seen trotting past the park pond and into the nearby hedgerow as night-fell. Twenty minutes later just after the park gates were locked, one of the badgers was briefly followed along Bromans Lane in the car headlights.

On Thursday night the moth trap was put out on another partially clear and fresh night with a bright moon shining. By dawn on Friday morning just over 90 moths of 17 species were noted. This dusky lemon sallow pictured above was the pick of the moths in the trap. This is usually a regular visitor to the trap here in the autumn in ones and twos. However it has declined in many parts of the country because of the demise of elm trees, the foodplant of the caterpillars.

Other moths seen included black rustic, lunar underwing, large yellow underwing, oak hook-tip, brimstone, willow beauty, flounced rustic, square-spot rustic, setaceous hebrew character, brindled green, snout and frosted orange.

SEAL PUP

This common seal pup was resting on the mud close to East Mersea Point on Thursday 15th. It looked about two-thirds the size of an adult seal and seemed happy enough basking in the morning sunshine. After a while it edged back to the water and swam into the river Colne. Most summers there's usually a seal pup seen somewhere round the Island usually along the Pyefleet.

Also at the Point as the tide came in were 25 avocets and 50 black-tailed godwits and some of the other regular waders. A couple of common terns flew past and a distant marsh harrier was seen on Langenhoe Point.

The westerly breeze dropped during the morning and the increasing sunshine meant the passage of birds slowly reduced. A common buzzard was reported flying west over the car park. A few meadow pipits trickled westwards as did some swallows, while the calls of lesser redpolls flying over were heard on two occasions during the morning.

On the park pond 100 mallard were gathered along with a gadwall and 2 tufted ducks. On the fields 150 teal, 2 wigeon and 4 shoveler were the main wildfowl along with 6 black-tailed godwits, 20 lapwing and 2 snipe. A green sandpiper was heard calling as it flew over the fields and pond.

In the hedges 2 song thrushes perched up high with several blackcaps being the main warbler in the bushes with a handful noted.

The bright sunshine was ideal for butterflies with a couple of late peacocks, one pictured above, seen along the seawall along with a common blue and 20 small whites. Others seen around the park included 3 small coppers, small heath, speckled wood, meadow brown, red admiral and comma. Common darters and migrant hawkers were the dragonflies seen.
Also basking at the park during the morning were at 6 common lizards and 2 adders.

EMERALD EXCITEMENT

Steve Entwistle did well to find Mersea' first small colony of the rare willow emerald damselfly at Maydays farm on Wednesday 14th. At least ten individuals were seen resting on the sunny side of a hedgerow with both males and females providing good views. A pair were seen locked in the mating wheel. The picture above shows one of the obliging females resting on an elm leaf.

Willow emeralds have begun rapidly colonising East Anglia and the south-east from the continent, since their first discovery in 2009. I believe the first Essex discovery in September 2009 was just north of Mersea at the Fingringhoe nature reserve. Such has been the spread of these damselflies, it was only a matter of time before they were found on the Island. Steve's patience and effort has been richly rewarded and generated a bit of emerald excitement!


One of the features that separate willows from other emerald damselflies can be seen in this close up of the shiny green thorax on this female. The slightly darker green "saddle"shows a pointed spur which is not present on other emeralds.


This female seems to have a browner thorax than the previous individual which was greener. The white upperside to the tip of the abdomen is also a distinctive feature.
Willow emeralds are unusual amongst most other native damselflies in that the eggs are laid in the bark and twigs of willow branches over water rather than in aquatic vegetation or in the water.


This male was reluctant to come down lower to rest like the females on the hedge but the bright green body showed up well in the sunshine. The pale brown spot on each half-raised wing is another willow emerald feature.

It is quite likely that other ponds on the Island will also have willow emeralds present too.


Following the report from Martin Cock that he'd seen 4 gannets from Coopers Beach earlier in the afternoon, I joined Steve at the end of the afternoon looking from the country park, view pictured above. Within the first scan of the sea, an immature gannet was seen flying offshore. Another two brown immatures were also seen a short while later further out over the water.

Two marsh harriers were also seen flying out at sea as they crossed from Point Clear to Bradwell. A Mediterranean gull flew past the beach while offshore 3 eiders were noted.

Steve found a spotted flycatcher near the car park in the early evening, only the second record for the Island this year. Five blackcaps were seen near the pond, willow warbler called in the cliff-top trees, 2 wheatears on the beach and a lone brent goose at the Point.

The westerly wind saw many migrants passing low over the park in the morning with 20+ siskin, 10 sand martins, 15 house martins, 150 swallows, 50+ meadow pipits all heading west.

Martin Cock saw 8 wheatears and 5 whinchat during his visit to Maydays / Reeveshall on Wednesday afternoon as well as 10 siskin flying over. In the evening a marsh harrier was hunting fields near the East Mersea road at Weir Farm.

On Tuesday at the park a hobby was seen in the evening resting for a few minutes on the mudflats. A turtle dove was seen in a hedge by the pond and there was also a report of one near the beach at Fen Farm. A lone swift was seen passing west over the park on Tuesday evening. Steve Entwistle saw 2 kingfishers at Maydays on Tuesday, the first reported sightings on the Island this year, as far as we know.

On Monday a marsh harrier flew over the grazing fields, a sparrowhawk was seen near the pond, 5 blackcaps in bushes by the pond, 2 wheatears by the beach, a goldcrest called with some tits in the cliff-top trees. In West Mersea a willow warbler was calling in Firs Chase in the morning.

An update on the resident mute swans shows that they are all well and even more puzzling, the incoming rival pair were nowhere to be seen by Tuesday and looked as if they had cleared off. The resident male who had to retreat back to the pond after losing the dispute, was later reunited on Monday with mother and their two cygnets. However the next day the mother had walked the two young ones back across the field to the dyke again, leaving the male by himself on the pond.


The moth trap was put out on Monday and Tuesday nights although catches were low due to the bright full moon, strong breeze blowing and the cool temperatures.
This smart black rustic was one of two noted on Monday night, the first ones to be seen this autumn here. On Tuesday night the first lunar underwing of the autumn was noted.

Other moths noted were brimstone, willow beauty, brindled green, square-spot rustic, flounced rustic, large yellow underwing, snout, setaceous hebrew character, frosted orange, rosy rustic.