ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE

The first pretty green hairstreak butterfly of the year fluttered alongside the path to the hide at the country park enjoying the sunshine on Wednesday 4th. When it landed among the green leaves on the bush it proved hard to see. Hopefully there will be a few more around the park if the sunny weather continues.

Speckled woods have only been seen this spring at the park since Sunday with two on that day and then three on Wednesday.

Other butterflies on Wednesday were holly blue, 4 peacock and 2 small white. A brimstone butterfly was on the wing near the concrete ramp to the park beach on Tuesday, also 3 peacocks, small white and speckled wood too.

Three avocets were on the park pools in the fields on Wednesday while a pair were here the day before. After a while the birds on both days returned to the saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse.

The black-tailed godwit flock is down to about 35 birds and quite a few of these appear to be pale non-breeding first summer birds. Four lapwing chicks were noted in the fields on Wednesday.
Four greylag geese and a pair of Canada geese and three little egrets were also in the fields.
A pair of pochard and 6 tufted duck were on the pond.

On Tuesday a cuckoo was heard calling from the direction of Bromans Lane, the first one I've heard at the park this spring, although I think others have heard this bird in recent days.
A whimbrel flew along the shore on Tuesday morning.

In the river Colne on Monday 4 common terns and 3 little terns were noted and a whimbrel was by the Point. Also here were a pair of avocets, 100 dunlin and 3 male reed buntings.

On Sunday two male marsh harriers could be seen from the park to the north displaying high in the sky over Langenhoe. A sparrowhawk was also noted circling over the park.
Five lapwing chicks were seen in the grazing fields.

Two pairs of song thrushes seem to be living very close to each other just inside the park entrance, where this male was pictured singing. Their rich fluty songs carry across the north side of the car park.

At West Mersea the turtle dove has been proving elusive recently since its return to Willoughby car park. It was seen on Sunday morning by Steve Entwistle and then on Wednesday by Andy Field.
Twelve swifts were seen by Andy flying over West Mersea on Tuesday and the next day David Nicholls saw three flying over Queen Ann Road.

The cuckoo flew over Firs Chase calling at 5.30am on Wednesday morning.
A red squirrel was at the feeder in Firs Chase on Sunday 1st.

At least two adders have been showing regularly at the park with this pair nicely photographed on Sunday by John Feavearyear. Three were noted on Wednesday and there was also the sad sight of one run over on the road near the park entrance that day.

Patches of bluebells can be found tucked away in corners of the country park.

LAPWING CHICKS

There were lots of little lapwing chicks running about the park's grazing fields on Saturday 30th with at least eight on show. This chick pictured along with a sibling, appeared a few days older and slightly bigger than some of the other much smaller chicks.

At the park pond a pair of pochard were back again, two pairs of blackcap were feeding in the reedmace while a female reed bunting was unusual here.
Other songsters around the park on Saturday included 3+ lesser whitethroat, 5 common whitethroat, 2 chiffchaff, 4 blackcap, Cetti's warbler as well as a gathering of 4 song thrushes near the entrance. One whimbrel flew over calling.

Offshore 8 brent geese were seen flying along the edge of the mudflats in front of the park on Saturday.

The first swift of the spring at the park flew west over the car park in the morning of Friday 29th. Two swifts were seen over West Mersea the next day by Steve Entwistle.

This holly blue butterfly seen at the park on Saturday morning is the first butterfly of any kind seen at the park for a week or so because it's been so cold. It's the first holly blue sighting at the park this spring.
There were at least two adders enjoying the sunshine on Saturday at the park.

Two greylag geese at the park pond on Thursday 28th was a rare sight as they usually stay on the nearby grazing fields. A sparrowhawk flew over the pond and into the copse at the back.
A willow warbler was singing from trees by the corner pillbox on Thursday morning and a yellow wagtail flew over the car park.
On the grazing fields there was a roost of 250 black-tailed godwits on Thursday morning.

The male corn bunting was singing from its usual wires along Chapmans Lane on Saturday early evening. Also seen at the same time were two house martins flying over the lane and nearby fields.

At Maydays a cuckoo was heard by Martin Cock, although the first one reported on the Island was a few days earlier by Peter Inson at East Mersea. A turtle dove was reported earlier in the week by the Walls family back at Willoughby car park.

A red squirrel was at the garden feeder in Firs Chase at the beginning of Saturday, just before 7.30am. This one was also seen a few days back in the early evening on Wednesday 27th.

YELLOWHAMMER NEAR STROOD

A colourful male yellowhammer perched in a bush just east of the Strood causeway posing nicely for Andrew Neal on Wednesday 27th.

Andrew wasn't walking along the seawall for long before this mushroom shaped rain cloud loomed closer to Mersea.

The first wheatear this spring in the park's grazing fields was found by Martin Cock and Andrew Tilsley on Wednesday morning.

The wheatear was still around for Andy Field to take these two photos later in the morning.

A male swallow photographed by Andy on a fencepost to the north of the park.
Also noted by Andy were five lapwing chicks in the park's grazing fields from three pairs, a sparrowhawk by the Point, 100 linnets and a pair of avocets near the Golfhouse and a little owl by Bromans Farm.

A flock of 27 whimbrel were seen flying over West Mersea on Wednesday by Ian Black while nine were seen earlier in the day near the Oyster Fishery at East Mersea by Martin.

COMMON SAND

This common sandpiper was found feeding in the park's grazing fields on Monday 25th by Andy Field. At times it was hidden from view as it fed amongst the thick vegetation. It flew into view calling and landed along the edge of the water where this shot was taken of it.
Hopefully there should be one or two more individuals seen here over the next few weeks as birds head north.

The first lapwing chick was seen at the back of the pools in the fields, this adult above seemed to be one of the parents that flew over to the edge of the field to feed. At least three other lapwings have been sitting, so hopefully they will be successful too.

Also noted in the fields were 300 black-tailed godwits and 50 redshank roosting at the pools. A pair of Canada geese were in the fields too.

A couple of pictures taken at the park on Monday by Andy of black-tailed godwits in their breeding plumage.

A brief visit earlier on Monday morning to the north-east end of Shop Lane produced a common buzzard, goldcrest, singing Cetti's warbler near the Oyster Fishery and a lesser whitethroat.

On Sunday 24th by the Strood a hen harrier was seen by Adrian Kettle. Two house martins were seen by the Strood on Friday 22nd by Adrian Amos.

A close-up shot of an adder at the park taken by Adrian Kettle on Sunday.
Two pipistrelle bats and a blackcap were seen in the East Road garden of Adrian Amos on Friday while two slow-worms were seen in my Firs Chase garden compost heap on Monday 25th.

SQUIRREL SHOW

Two red squirrels have been making daily visits to the garden in Firs Chase in recent days. This red individual spent several minutes in the late afternoon sunshine on Saturday 23rd eating nuts from the feeder.

The same individual was back again the next afternoon on Sunday, again for several minutes feeding on the hazelnuts and monkey-nuts.
The feeder has also been getting early morning visits recently from at least one individual, sometimes both. One was seen just after 7am on Sunday 24th.

After feeding the red squirrel headed up the tree and crossed high over Firs Chase to the trees on the other side.

The very pale red squirrel has also been a regular visitor in recent days, being seen twice within an hour on Monday afternoon. The first visit it climbed down the cedar tree past the feeder to check out the ground below presumably for fallen nuts. It was pictured on its second visit above, having just eaten a monkey nut. It then disappeared up and over the road.
We've just ordered a big bag of 10kg of red squirrel nuts to keep up with their appetites!

SINGING SEDGES BY THE STROOD.

At least two sedge warblers have been singing loudly alongside the Strood seawall over the weekend. This male pictured above on Friday 22nd, was singing on a bush by the reedbed at the south-west end while a second bird was singing half way along the seawall. Both singing birds were doing their display flights before dropping back down 200m apart.

The sedge warbler was still singing on the top of the bush in afternoon when Andy Field pictured it in the rain.

These two pairs appear to be back in the same places as last year's birds.

Also seen along the Strood Channel on Friday morning was this female red-breasted merganser, not a particularly common bird along here even in the winter period. A pair of Canada geese was seen flying passed the Hard.

Two common terns flew up channel in the morning and then three birds were seen by Andy in the afternoon, also a Mediterranean gull and 8 whimbrel noted during the day.

In the distance over on the mainland a small number of about 15 little egrets were seen gathered perched in Copt Hall Grove where they may be nesting, also a common buzzard seen here too.

Two little egrets were seen inside the Strood seawall as were 8 shelduck and lapwing.

Small birds of note included a singing corn bunting on wires, 4 singing reed buntings along the dyke, yellow wagtail, blackcap, common whitethroat and 5+ swallows. Four sand martins flew over Ray Island and a pair of stock doves flew off the Island to the Ray.

A walk along a footpath in the middle of the Island to the east of Meeting Lane was sunny but in a chilly easterly breeze. Five shelduck were seen through a hedge prospecting rabbit holes, before flying off.

Three common buzzards were seen, and of note a Cetti's warbler singing from the Gyants marsh - the fifth new location this spring on the Island. Also singing were 5 lesser whitethroats, 3 common whitethroats, 2 blackcaps a 2 chiffchaffs and a yellow wagtail seen over one of the fields.

Out of the wind there was a bit of warmth found by this green-veined white butterfly, the only butterfly seen on the walk.

In the Firs Chase garden this chiffchaff was singing from a small bird tree and blackcap was also singing from the garden on Sunday 24th. A goldcrest was singing from the garden cedar tree on Friday morning.

RUFF IN FIELD

At least one of the ruff was present for a second day on the park's grazing fields on Wednesday 20th. The bird was hard to watch as it fed between clumps of docks and tussocks of rushes. This digi-scoped photo by Andy Field shows the pale head and black markings on the neck.

Around the main part of the park 3 willow warblers and 2 lesser whitethroats were singing from various corners.

The common seal seen stranded by the high tide on Tuesday afternoon, was seen swimming out to sea at 9pm that day once the tide came back in.

An adder seen by Andy enjoying the late evening sun  on Tuesday. There were three adders seen the next day.

The first appearance of the season of this turnip moth was one of half a dozen moths that were found in the trap first thing on Thursday morning. The only other moths recorded on another cold and clear night were Hebrew characters.

Another appearance at the Firs Chase garden feeder on Wednesday morning was this dark red squirrel, seen here nibbling a slice of dried banana.

The red squirrel was watched for about fifteen minutes and as well as eating a few nuts, made half a dozen dashes up the cedar tree to stash away each time a single nut inside a clump of old needles on the outer branches.