Saturday 18 March 2017

FIRST MIGRANTS BACK

Eleven Canada geese dropped in the country park dyke on Tuesday 14th, six of them in the picture above. After a few minutes they all clambered out of the water into the field and began grazing, as were 200 brent geese and 700 wigeon while 200 teal were around the flooded area.


Also in these fields 15 lapwing were making their presence known with lots of displaying and calling to each other. A pair of redshank was also calling as if setting up a breeding territory for the spring.
Nine little egrets perched in bushes at the back of the pond on Tuesday.


Near the Point six red-breasted mergansers were in the Colne, while over the saltmarsh a meadow pipit performed its parachute display flight and a rock pipit flew past.


The first summer migrant back to the park this year was a chiffchaff seen on Thursday morning singing by Martin Cock. A marsh harrier flew low over the pond and fields as it headed north-west.The Cetti's warbler was also very vocal late afternoon, singing and showing from the pond-edge nearest the hide. Two male pochard and ten tufted ducks were also noted at the pond.
In the fields 80 redshank and a black-tailed godwit were seen on the pools at high tide.


On Friday a redwing was seen briefly in trees by the park entrance at the start of the day. On Saturday 18th two chiffchaffs were calling from the park and a red-legged partridge was calling from the field to the west of the car park.
Just after dark on Saturday a barn owl was seen in the car headlights alongside the East Mersea road between Haycocks and Bocking Hall.
A green sandpiper was seen flying out of a ditch by the Strood on Saturday by Steve Entwistle.


The little owl was photographed at the Youth Camp on Thursday 16th by Andy Field who also noted during a walk around the area a common buzzard, 20 meadow pipits with some doing their song-display flight, 20 fieldfares and a few redwing in the Vineyard, great spotted woodpecker drumming and a pair of red-legged partridge east of Weir Farm.


On Wednesday 15th a woodcock was flushed from the north end of Fishponds Wood by Phil Carter, who also reported a Cetti's warbler towards the Oyster Fishery and a grey partridge near the entrance to Cosways caravan site. A barn owl, chiffchaff, Cetti's warbler and siskin were also noted on Wednesday near the Oyster Fishery by Martin Cock.
A short-eared owl was seen at Maydays on Wednesday by Jack Hoy.


This red squirrel was seen on Thursday by Andy feeding on a pine cone in Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane.

The adders at the park have been very elusive this spring so far, but this one was found by John Fevearyear during his visit on Saturday 11th.


A harbour porpoise was seen fairly close in-shore from the park near the groynes by Chris Balchin who watched it through his telescope whilst on the opposite side of the river at Colne Point on Sunday 12th.

There was a reasonable number of moths to the trap at the park during Tuesday night with 105 individuals of about eight species noted, including this first early grey of the season.

This satellite moth was the first one of the season, although usually only one or two get recorded each year.
Three-quarters of the other moths were common quakers, also small quaker, March moth, early thorn, chestnut and Hebrew characters





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