SQUIRREL SHOW

The female red squirrel returned for a prolonged feed to the Firs Chase garden on Friday 7th. The teats are much more noticeable on her at the moment, which might suggest she has young somewhere.

I managed to gently open the window of the house to take a number of photos without disturbing her- the first good photo-opportunity here for three months.

She was on the tree for about forty minutes during the first part of the morning. She had last visited here two afternoons previously. No sign of the male today so the female enjoyed her feed in peace!

Reaching into the feeder for the favourite hazel-nuts along with a few peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Sometimes the  red squirrels curl their tails over their backs but this time the big tail hung down, letting the sun show off how bright and bushy-tailed she is!

The recently installed deer antler tied to the tree was nibbled for the first time by the red squirrel. This will help reduce calcium deficiency in the nut diet of the squirrels, especially the females and young.

After satisfying her hunger, the female red squirrel reached over to the tiny-trug for a drink of water to wash down all those nuts, before scuttling back up the tree and high over Firs Chase.
Now that she had finished, I could finally get on with the rest of the day!

THIRSTY SQUIRRELS

As we enter a spring drought on Mersea, I've made life a bit easier for the red squirrels in the Firs Chase garden by providing a tiny-trug of water for them beside the nut feeder up the tree. It has taken just over a week for the squirrels to start using it with this female having a quick drink before settling down for 15 minutes to feed on Wednesday 5th mid-morning. She later appeared again for a five minute feed late afternoon. (Apologies this video isn't working at the moment!)

The regular pale male red squirrel had his first drink of water from the tiny-trug the previous morning on Tuesday 4th. He then spent five minutes tucking into the mixed nut selection.

A red squirrel was reported being seen crossing Seaview Avenue on Wednesday.

The water levels on the park's grazing fields continue to drop each day. Late on Thursday 6th there were 35+ black-tailed godwits, 10+ redshank, 15+ lapwing, 50 teal, 6 shoveler, 18 wigeon present, also the pair of kestrels on the tree and the Cetti's warbler singing.

On the park pond a little egret and 14 tufted ducks were noted along with a few noisy little grebes.

A pair of chiffchaffs was gathering nesting material close to the park's horseride, while in the car park a blackcap was serenading visitors most of the day and a pair of linnets was nearby too. A red-legged partridge was calling from the field to the west of the car park.

A common tern was seen in the river Colne, also 5 common scoter flew past while two avocets were seen on the pools near the Point by Andy Field on Thursday 6th.

A sparrowhawk flew low across the park late on Wednesday afternoon.

A pair of greylag geese was present in the grazing fields on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th. Five house sparrows were chirping cheerily just inside the park entrance on Monday.

Two corn buntings perched beside the East Mersea road near Bocking Hall early on Wednesday. Two redwings perched in a tree briefly calling in Firs Chase on Monday. 

A weasel was seen chasing a rabbit at the park by Annie Gordon on Thursday, also here two adders and also a recent sloughed adder skin. Two common lizards were seen in the long grass.

An orange-tip, green veined white, 2 peacocks and 2 small tortoiseshells were on the wing at the park on Thursday. A speckled wood was seen near the car park on Tuesday as was the first green-veined white butterfly.

It's been a bit quiet in the moth trap recently with the cold nights. This shoulder stripe was the only different moth at the park trap on Tuesday night out of only 15 moths.

SPRING SNAKES

This grass-snake was watched sliding through the undergrowth at the country park on Saturday 1st. It's the first sighting of a grass-snake at the park this year - and judging by previous years, this sighting might be the only one this year here.

Happy to soak up the sun at the park on a warm Sunday 2nd was this very brown looking female adder. The adders have been very scarce at the park this spring, maybe with all the attention in recent springs, they're getting a bit camera-shy these days.

A handful of teal including this male were feeding on the saltmarsh pool inside the old fort near the East Mersea Point on Sunday. Further round the saltmarsh 12 avocets were noted on the pools below the Golfhouse.

A snipe was resting on the grazing fields and a grey heron was standing by the central ditch in the grazing fields on Sunday. A common buzzard flew west over the car park on Sunday afternoon.

Thirteen black-tailed godwits were on the park pools on Saturday, many starting to develop their summer russet plumage.
Also present on the fields were 15 shoveler, 40 wigeon, 50 curlew, 50 redshank and 20+ lapwing. On the pond were two pairs of pochard and 16 tufted ducks. A marsh harrier flew west along the park coastline.

A fox was seen sleeping near the back of the park pond on Sunday morning, lifting it's head up briefly for a quick look around before nodding back off again.

Two small tortoiseshell butterflies and 5 peacocks were on the wing during Sunday at the park.

A female red squirrel made a brief visit to the bird bath for a drink in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday morning. She had just spent ten minutes at the feeder in the other corner of the garden. The female has been absent from the feeder for over a week, although the paler male has still been making early morning visits each day, including an hour and a half before this female visited on Saturday.

MARCH MIGRANTS

A few more migrants have been dropping into the country park in recent days with this nicely coloured male wheatear seen on the grazing fields on Thursday 30th. With declining wheatear numbers, finding one in March has become more challenging in recent years. There was no sign of it the next day.

At least three chiffchaffs have been singing around the park, one pictured above. Joining them on Thursday was a singing willow warbler near the park pond which stayed for a couple of days. The first blackcap at the park was also seen on Thursday, singing near the park entrance.

Also noted on Thursday were two pairs of pochard and 12 tufted ducks on the pond, 30 black-tailed godwits on the fields while in the Colne a male red-breasted mergansers and 5 common scoter flew out of the river. Four avocets were on the saltmarsh pools near the Point.

A peregrine circled above the field to the north of the park on Wednesday 29th before drifting north. Eight little egrets were at the pond for high tide while on the fields fifty redshank, 10 black-tailed godwits and 45 curlew were roosting.
A weasel ran across the car park on Wednesday afternoon.

The loud call of the male grey partridge in the car park on a foggy Tuesday 28th was very unexpected. It called for a minute before flying onto the main field of the park and calling again, presumably in the hope of locating a mate.
The following day a red-legged partridge was calling from the field to the west of the car park and then a pair was seen on Friday 31st.

This male great spotted woodpecker was seen tapping an electricity pole to the north of the park by Andy Field on Friday 31st.

At West Mersea the black redstart was reported back again behind the Dabchicks sailing club by Mark Dixon on Tuesday 28th.

After ten years of waiting for the grassland habitat to become suitable, several batches of eggs of the nationally rare Fishers Estuarine moth were introduced to the stand of hogs fennel plants at the country park. Under the guidance of Zoe Ringwood and the help of Glen Fairweather at Colchester Zoo, the eggs were delivered and should be ready to hatch out in the next few weeks and the tiny larvae will find plenty of well established hogs fennel plants for them to feed on.

An orange-tip butterfly fluttered along the track by the car park on Friday 31st, the first time one has been recorded in March here before. A holly blue flitting around the holly bushes in the car park on Wednesday 29th was the first ever record here in March too. A comma was noted on Thursday 30th at the park.

Six early thorns were found by the moth trap at the park during the night of Tuesday 28th - the best tally for early spring for this moth. Just over 100 moths of eight species were noted with most of them either common quakers or Hebrew characters. Also noted were red chestnut, chestnut, clouded drab and small quaker.

A frosted green came to the trap on Wednesday night, the first for the season.

A couple of twin-spotted quakers were also in the trap, showing their distinctive pair of black spots on each wing.

BACK-GARDEN BLACKCAP

A female blackcap was a surprise visitor to the Firs Chase garden on Monday 27th. This is the first one back to the garden this spring and only the second one back onto the Island so far.
A chiffchaff was singing from some nearby trees in Firs Chase.


A male sparrowhawk flashed overhead and a pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over calling during the afternoon.

The male robin was examining the newly mown lawn for grubs and then presenting them to his female partner waiting nearby.

The sunshine on Monday brought several butterflies into the garden, where they sheltered out of the strong breeze such as this comma sitting on a stick.
Two peacocks were seen chasing each other a few times during the middle of the day.

Two small tortoiseshells rested on the roof of the house, soaking up the warmth for almost half an hour here.

The male red squirrel with the pale eye-rings is still making early morning visits to the feeder each day, although the female hasn't been noted for several days. The great spotted woodpecker was seen perched beside the feeder the day before.


A hedgehog was seen recently seen by Carole Reed in her Firs Chase garden


A morning walk along the Strood seawall on Monday 27th produced 50 brent geese, 2 greylag geese, 2 little grebes, 40 linnets, 10 skylarks and 3 reed buntings. Two chiffchaffs were heard near the Lane.

DABCHICKS BLACK RED

A black redstart was seen briefly by the Dabchicks sailing club on Friday 24th although sadly it was on the move and didn't hang around longer than a minute or so. It was first seen on the garden wall by the Nothe cottages behind the Dabchicks, then it dropped down to the path where a sort of picture was snapped above, before it flew round the sailing club towards the Company Shed flashing its orange tail as it flew. It paused briefly on the ground near some boats and then flew round the corner amongst more boats not to be seen again despite searching.

Whilst looking for the black redstart, the regular black brant was seen feeding on the water's edge by the Lifeboat station along with half a dozen brent geese.

Earlier on Friday morning a walk along the Strood seawall provided few birds of note during the high tide and the strong wind. This turnstone was one of a few seen feeding on the mud as the tide receded. Along the channel 100 brent geese were seen and 6 little egrets sheltered behind a hedge in the fields.

A male marsh harrier flew west over Feldy View on its way to the Hard and then later a sparrowhawk flew over the Firs Chase caravan site.

A walk along the Strood seawall on Saturday afternoon revealed 50 golden plover, single black-tailed godwit and one knot among redshank, grey plovers, curlews and oystercatchers. A great crested grebe was among the moorings while 50 linnets were feeding in one of the fields.

Another sunny but windy day on Sunday 26th during a walk along the back of the Island on the Maydays seawall. The most notable species was a summer plumaged black-necked grebe feeding in the middle of the Pyefleet Channel. The last time one was seen here was about 25 years ago while the last one seen on the Island was just last month, when two were seen off the Esplanade on the 8th February.

Also in the Pyefleet were 3 red-breasted mergansers, 3 great crested grebes and 100 shelduck. A peregrine circled over Langenhoe Point upsetting the roosting birds on both Peewit Island and also Rat Island. Three marsh harriers and three common buzzards were flying about over Langenhoe. The only marsh harrier seen on the Island was a female over the Maydays saltings.

Greylag geese were some of the few birds seen on Reeveshall, this pair flew off to join the other ten greylags, four Canada geese and 26 shelduck by Broad Fleet. In the big grass fields at least 16 lapwings were seen, presumably all expecting to breed here this spring. A pair of red-legged partridge and two yellowhammers were noted near Maydays Farm.

This peacock butterfly was fluttering in the sunshine sheltered from the wind by a thick hedge at Maydays.

A red squirrel was seen in the bushes by Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane on Saturday 25th. It paused for a moment as I walked past.
A bright brimstone butterfly was a nice spring sight as it fluttered back and forwards along Shop Lane near Fishponds Wood.

AVOCETS RETURN

The first avocets returned to the saltmarsh pools near the East Mersea Point on Tuesday 21st. Four were seen here on Tuesday by Charles Coltman and then seven birds were present on Wednesday.

Charles also found a firecrest in the clifftop pines at the country park on Tuesday and it was relocated in the car park bushes on Wednesday afternoon. Once it was tracked down, it was very confiding and showed well for about half an hour. A goldcrest was also in the same bushes just to confuse the issue.

 The lapwings have started to nest in the park's grazing fields with at least three birds sitting low down on the grass. The first bird was noted on Sunday 19th nesting. Most of the 22 lapwings are in the fields nearest the park with at least one pair in the further field.

The very distinctive feeding action of running forward a few paces and then reaching down to peck at food on the ground, before standing back up and waiting a few seconds before repeating the action.
The lapwings are very conspicuous at the moment as they perform their aerial tumbling display flights over the fields with their very evocative calling.

Present in the fields on Sunday 19th were 70 redshank, 28 shelduck, 400 wigeon, 25 shoveler, while ten tufted duck were on the pond and a red-legged partridge flew across the meadow behind the hide.

In the fields on Tuesday were 220 redshank roosting while behind the pond were a kestrel and sparrowhawk perched close to each other and the water rail showed by the edge of the pond. Three chiffchaffs were singing at the park and the first blackcap was heard singing from trees near the pond.
Fifty curlew and a black-tailed godwit were at the pools on Wednesday 22nd.

The water rail showed well by the pond for Charles Coltman on Thursday 23rd and two marsh harriers were seen over Langenhoe Point by him too.

A couple of pairs of long-tailed tits have been at the park recently, this one along the park's horseride.

The skulking Cetti's warbler paused long enough inside the bushes near the Oyster Fishery at East Mersea for Andy Field to snap this image above.

A corn bunting was singing from the roadside near Chapmans Lane on Thursday 23rd. A chiffchaff was singing back in Firs Chase on Thursday morning.

A grey squirrel was found run over on the East Mersea road about 100m to the east of Church Lane first thing on Wednesday 22nd. It was picked up by Chris Burr who reported that the squirrel was first seen near East Mersea Hall the previous day. A few traps had already been placed out to try and catch the grey squirrel but it appears it met its fate with a car instead.
A few days earlier a red squirrel had a luckily escape when I braked sharply to allow it to cross the East Mersea road carrying a walnut, near the old PYO field on Sunday 19th.

Despite the overnight rain on Wednesday 22nd, there were 75+ moths in the trap by the next morning including this worn dotted chestnut. A recent colonist to Essex, it is now a regular species at the park each early spring since first appearing here in 2011.

The first blossom underwing of the season was another noteworthy species to find in the trap. The first of several over the coming month.

Three red chestnut moths were noted along with lots of common quakers, several Hebrew characters, small quakers and clouded drabs.