October 2007

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STOP PRESS

A Pallas's warbler was watched by a good number of local birders in trees at Holland Haven in the third week of October. lt was present with goldcrests and firecrests. This tiny goldcrest-sized warbler is an autumn vagrant from Siberia, and sometimes comes to eastern counties with yellow-browed warblers.

October is a rewarding month for the field naturalist. Winter visitor birds are arriving from Scandinavia, the Baltic and the Siberian tundras and our estuaries and marshes are packed with wildfowl and waders. Ian Rose, the CNHS fungi expert, is very busy throughout the month leading popular fungus forays in local woods. Look out for the dates on Websites or in local papers and wildlife newsletters. One for your diary, if you do have time to spare mid-week, is the fungus foray led by Ian at Hillhouse Wood, West Bergholt. Meet him at the West Bergholt old church, next to the West Bergholt Hall at 10am on October 31.

Walton Naze was the birding hot spot at the beginning of October. The rarest arrival was a Radde's warbler, a rare autumn vagrant to Britain from central and east Asia. In the first few days of the month there were also sightings of yellow-browed warblers, red-breasted flycatchers and firecrests while Philip Smith and Hugh Owen found a brambling there on October 4. They also saw a late wall brown-butterfly on the same day, evidence of a partial third brood. Local birdwatchers were also delighted by the arrival of a great grey shrike at Holland Haven. The great grey shrike is a winter visitor from the Continent. Look for one of these beautiful grey, white and black birds on top of a post or bush or on overhead wires.

Reports also coming in of the arrival of redwings and fieldfares from northern Europe. Look for them on berry-laden hawthorn hedges and on moist grassland and pastures. Frank Keen reported an early redwing in his garden at Tiptree on October 3 and Philip Smith reported another at Walton on October 4.

Short-eared owls arrive in coastal areas of Essex and Suffolk in October from the Continent and look for them hunting for voles and other small rodents at Walton Naze, East Mersea, Goldhanger, Tollesbury Wick reserve and the RSPB's Old Hall Marsh reserve, Tollesbury. The old name for the short-eared owl in East Anglia was "woodcock owl" as their arrival coincided with an influx of woodcocks from the other side of the North Sea.

Now's the time to enjoy some marvellous coastal and reservoir bird-watching. Dark-bellied brent geese are back in numbers from their Siberian tundra breeding haunts and by the end of the month you should see thousands on the grasslands at Cudmore Grove, East Mersea; the Walton Backwater area; Tollesbury; Goldhanger and St Osyth.

With them are big flocks of wigeon. Large flocks of golden plovers are a delight at East Mersea, Tollesbury Wick and in the Stour estuary, and another wading bird attraction is the big number of black-tailed godwits. These tall, elegant birds with long bills have come from Iceland breeding sites to winter with us along our estuary muds and at local reservoirs.
Some butterflies are still flying on the warmest autumn days. Red admirals and commas feed up on golden ivy blooms before hibernating. In the case of red admirals this habit is recent and probably yet another indication of global warming. Our winters are much milder with no long spells of frost and ice. Only a few years ago red admirals didn't survive our winters but commas have always been successful hibernators. Some late small coppers and speckled wood butterflies are still being seen in mid October. Members of Essex Moth Group are reporting small numbers of traditional autumnal species such as the sallow group; feathered ranunculus; lunar underwing; Blair's shoulder knot and beaded chestnut.

Pallas's warbler, an autumn vagrant

Wall brown butterfly: Philip Smith reported a late one at Walton Naze on October 4, possibly a partial third brood? Once widespread, now uncommon.

Redwings being seen early this year. One reported from a Tiptree garden on October 3.

Flocks of fieldfares, winter visitors from northern forests, are a feature of October. They love feasting on the berries on hawthorn hedges.

Short-eared owls are arriving along the Essex and Suffolk coast from the Continent to hunt for voles along sea walls and in grazing pastures.

Thousands of dark-bellied brent geese back in Essex estuaries and on grazing grassland from their tundra breeding areas.

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