CLOSE CALL

After a few days off Mersea, returned on Saturday 27th and managed an evening walk along the Strood seawall as a thunderstorm passed close-by to the west of the Island. At one point the clouds darkened as in the picture above and briefly threatened to head towards West Mersea. It stayed close and muggy during the evening with little wind blowing to freshen the air up.

The tide was out along the Strood Channel and a few more waders were seen compared with the very quiet period during mid May to mid June. Two greenshank, green sandpiper, 20 curlew, 30 redshank, lapwing and 12 oystercatchers were seen on the mud while flying down channel were 3 avocet and 10 black-tailed godwits.

Two marsh harriers could be seen hunting over marshes in the distance at either end of the Strood causeway. Four little egrets were seen as were several little terns and common terns along the channel.


The sun peaked briefly out from behind the big cloud, just before sunset, providing a colourful view across the Strood Channel to Ray Island, pictured above.
There was still a nice selection of songs from various birds along the seawall such as sedge warbler, 3 reed warblers, 2 corn buntings, reed bunting, common whitethroat and skylark.
Several meadow brown butterflies were still fluttering along the grassy side to the seawall as the sun set.

Andy Field in recent days has seen a hobby by Chapmans Lane and the little owl at Weir Farm. On the pool in the park grazing fields 2, possibly 3, wood sandpipers were seen on the 26th, which seems very early for the return passage here on the Island. A hobby, marsh harrier near the fields, 56 black-tailed godwits on the mudflats and a badger in Bromans Lane, 2 adders in the park have all been seen recently.

On the park pond 9 tufted ducklings, little grebe chick were noted as was a young redshank chick by the pool in the fields. Two kestrel chicks emerged from the nestbox to perch in the oak tree.
Martin Cock saw 7 sandwich terns along the Pyefleet Channel at the beginning of the week along with the yellow-legged gull by the Strood.