HUNGRY HERON

A grey heron paid a visit to the country park pond late afternoon on Tuesday 12th. It stalked round the edge of the pond in search of food and worthy of a few photos.

This adult bird in bright breeding plumage really caught the eye, especially the bright red-orange bill and the bold black stripes down the chest. It's been one of the smartest looking herons seen here for sometime!

The heron waded round the edge of the pond peering down into the water.

On a couple of occasions the heron caught something and tossed it up in the air to swallow it. Zooming in on this image suggested it might've been catching tadpoles. Calls of the common toad have been heard coming from the edge of the pond in recent days.

The typical view of a grey heron at the pond is usually when it's roosting in bushes or the reeds at the back.

PYEFLEET WALK

Another smart male wheatear was found on the Island on Monday 11th on the Reeveshall seawall by Glyn Evans and Andy Field during their walk along the north side of the Island doing the WeBS count. Glyn took these three bird photos.

The pale-bellied brent goose was still present on the Island, here on the saltings near the Golfhouse.
Most of the dark-bellied brent have left our shores with just a few small groups still around.

A cormorant flying along the Pyefleet Channel.

Other birds noted were 4 whimbrel on the walk, two pairs of avocet on the Reeveshall pool, pair of marsh harriers on Reeveshall and 3 yellowhammers west of Maydays. A water rail called near the Oyster Fishery.

I also had a walk along the Maydays seawall on Monday morning with a stiff breeze blowing. There was plenty of mud showing but waders and wildfowl were dotted thinly along the Pyefleet Channel. These mainly included 150+ shelduck and 100+ redshank while 17 teal and 2 black-tailed godwit were also noted.


On Reeveshall 25 greylag geese, 10 Canada geese, 50 curlew were seen while on Maydays there were 2 common buzzard, Cetti's warbler singing, 50 linnets, male stonechat and a swallow. Six marsh harriers were flying around Langenhoe ranges.
A weasel appeared briefly from the bottom of a hedgerow at Maydays.

GARDEN SLOW-WORMS

Discovered three slow-worms resting under the plastic cover on our garden compost heap in Firs Chase on Monday 11th. They soon slid away after one or two photos had been quickly taken of them.

This slow-worm was much bigger than the other two, probably the female with a couple of males.

Slow-worms have become quite a regular sight at our compost heap in recent years.

A pair of robins was grateful one half of the compost heap was being dug up and spread on the beds and borders, as they had young to feed. They were very tame and happy to hop around the compost picking up small worms and other grubs. Their nest with young is tucked inside some ivy growing up the side of the house.

A blackbird was also checking out the compost heap when I had my back turned.

A pair of greenfinches was feeding on the sunflower seeds as was a pair of chaffinches. In the trees above a goldfinch, chiffchaff, blackcap and song thrush were singing while a goldcrest was singing with a flock of long tailed tits.

A sparrowhawk and a great spotted woodpecker were seen flying low over the garden.



SQUIRREL SHOW

A red squirrel visited our garden feeder in Firs Chase early on Sunday 10th and gave my wife Nolly and I great views for about twenty minutes. It's the second morning running we've seen a squirrel in our trees. We've also begun to recognise the sound of a squirrel running along the roof of our house while we lie in bed early in the morning!

The squirrel would fetch a nut from the feeder and take it a metre higher up the tree so it could sit on a big branch to eat it. It seemed to like the monkey nuts and in this picture above, a hazelnut which it took a few minutes to eat.

This individual has a uniform reddy-brown colouration, differing from a greyish looking squirrel we've had at the feeder recently. It was only last Tuesday five days earlier that both coloured squirrels were seen up trees in neighbouring gardens.

A little bit of an itch on its tummy needed a scratch with a back-leg!

Head inside the feeder plucking out another nut to eat higher up the tree.
After the squirrel had had enough, it scampered high into the outer branches of the cedar tree and crossed over Firs Chase to the trees on the other side.

TWO BLACK REDS

Two black redstarts were found on the Island on Sunday 10th with the first one, pictured above, discovered by the beach huts at West Mersea by Steve Entwistle early morning.

This adult female black redstart, pictured by Andy Field, at times fed along the strandline on the beach and at other times disappeared amongst the beach huts dodging the many dog walkers.

Around the middle of the day a second female black redstart was found in horse paddocks to the north of the country park by Andy who managed this picture of the bird. Unfortunately the bird wasn't seen after a pair of kestrels flew overhead.

Three brightly coloured yellow wagtails were seen along the track to the west of the East Mersea church. This one above drinking from a puddle with a pied wagtail, one of half a dozen feeding in the area.

The little owl at the Youth Camp entrance was keeping a close eye on Steve and I. It flew from one tree to this pine tree pictured, where it tried to hide amongst the branches and pine needles.

Also noted around the Rewsalls marshes area were a common buzzard, sparrowhawk, kestrel, Cetti's warbler, two pairs of Mediterranean gulls calling overhead, 25 golden plover, male wheatear, one displaying meadow pipit, 2 reed buntings, 10 shelduck, 2 swallows, 25 linnets while on the nearby sea were a dozen great crested grebes.

One pair of coots have already got a brood of chicks at the country park pond, pictured here by Andy.

Three or four pairs of coot nest at the pond each year so more chicks should be appearing here soon.

By Meeting Lane a blackcap and five singing chiffchaffs were noted by Steve on Sunday afternoon. The corn bunting was singing along the East Mersea road near Bocking Hall on Sunday morning.

A blackcap was singing on Saturday in trees at St Peters meadow in West Mersea.

SUNNY ALONG STROOD

Had a couple of walks along the Strood seawall during Friday 8th with the morning being sunny with little wind. The incoming tide was pushing the waders back up channel during the morning, while a second walk in early evening saw plenty of mud on show.

The majority of waders seen were redshank with 200+ feeding on the mud. One whimbrel flew up channel with 20 curlew, while 25 knot, 20 grey plover and a black-tailed godwit were noted. Two pairs of Mediterranean gulls were calling as they flew along the channel.
At least one great crested grebe was on the reservoirs by the Strood.

Four common buzzards were seen in the air high over Ray Island and a bit later another three soared high over the Mersea Quarters. A sparrowhawk crossed the Strood channel to Ray Island and another bird was seen low over the gardens near the Dabchicks. Five marsh harriers were in the air together over Old Hall Marshes.

Four swallows were flying around the bottom of the Strood Hill and another one was by the Dabchicks. A pair of corn buntings perched on some overhead wires, the male singing and a third bird flew off the seawall towards the back of the fields. Two reed buntings and 10 linnets were some of the other small birds noted.

Three small tortoiseshells were seen along the seawall and beside the caravan site.

At the country park the willow warbler was still present on Friday along the horse-ride path.

This little grass-snake was found dead in my Firs Chase garden on Friday, no sign of why it died. This young snake born last summer, was about the same thickness as a pencil and just a few more centimetres longer. The occasional adult has been seen in our compost heap in the past.

The adders at the country park have been well watched recently with these two photos taken by Andrew Neal on Sunday 3rd.

The adders will be shedding their skins in the next fortnight.

The most mysterious mammal seen at the park was this grey creature seen and photographed by Fiona Hutchings who found it with her Barn Kids group on Tuesday 5th. It appears this is a pet that has escaped or been released into the park and is probably a chinchilla. There were also suggestions it maybe a gerbil or degu. The little furry friend has not been seen again - it was seen beside the horse-ride path on the north side of the park. 

HEART-SHAPED AFFECTION

The pair of swans on the pond at the country park were showing their affection for each other with their necks showing the shape of a heart, just after they'd finished mating. The pair seemed to have switched nest sites in recent days, building a new one on the western edge of the pond.

Five little egrets roosted at the pond on Thursday 7th with a pair of pochard, 8 tufted ducks and a gadwall being present here. In the willow tree above, a male great spotted woodpecker called repeatedly to a female feeding on a nearby branch.

Migrants seen at the park on Thursday included four blackcaps, a singing willow warbler, 2 swallows over the fields and four singing chiffchaffs.

One of the blackcaps was also singing in the car park on Wednesday 6th.

A high-tide gathering of 100 redshank and 100 black-tailed godwits were sent scattering from the fields when a sparrowhawk flew past.

Ducks on the fields included 60+ teal, 12 wigeon, 10 shelduck, 10 mallard and 8 shoveler.

At least ten lapwings are in residence on the grazing fields with at least four birds sitting on nests.

On Tuesday 5th a yellow wagtail flew west over the park and later a Mediterranean gull flew over calling. Three swallows were flying over the grazing fields, the previous day five had been seen, mainly near the Golfhouse. Thirty brent geese were seen on the mudflats on Tuesday.

A kingfisher perched in the willow bushes at the back of the pond on Monday 4th. 

Cetti's warblers seemed to have suddenly sprung up in several corners of the Island in the last fortnight with birds heard singing from Maydays farm, the Oyster Fishery, Rewsalls and the bottom of Cross Lane, joining the resident one at the country park pond.

At the park on Sunday 3rd a singing firecrest and a goldcrest were by the path near the hide, a sand martin flew over chattering as it went, a blackcap was seen by the park entrance while 3 pochard were on the pond.

At Rewsalls on Tuesday a wheatear, 200 golden plover and a singing meadow pipit were seen by Martin Cock. Two swallows were on wires by Chapmans Lane on Tuesday and Sunday.

A wheatear was also seen on the monkey beach at West Mersea on Sunday 3rd by Neil Mortimer.

Birds of prey seen at Maydays farm by Steve Entwistle on Sunday 3rd included three fly-pasts by a male hen harrier, also noted were common buzzard, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and a kestrel.

This colourful herald moth was found resting inside the toilet building at the park, a fairly common moth and often seen in early spring.

The dotted chestnut continues to make an annual appearance at the park since it was first recorded here in 2011. The moth has spread quickly east across Essex following the first sighting in the county in 2002.

A regular spring moth in small numbers is the frosted green pictured above. Other moths noted this week at the park have included engrailed, common quaker, twin-spotted quaker, small quaker, Hebrew character, red chestnut and March moth. 

A brimstone butterfly was seen flying around the park on a sunny Tuesday 5th.
Five adders were seen at the park on Sunday 3rd.
Two red squirrels were seen scampering up trees in neighbouring gardens in Firs Chase early on Tuesday 5th. One red squirrel was much greyer than the other which was a typical dark red colour.