STROOD CYGNETS

It was sunny and warm on Monday 14th during a walk along the Strood seawall. I walked the full length to see the 4 mute swan cygnets that I'd been told were present here. The family seemed content in their small section of borrowdyke, probably because this eastern section has the most amount of pondweed for the youngsters to feed on.

A yellow wagtail also dropped down to the water's edge, juvenile grey heron also seen in the dyke, while nearby a corn bunting sang from the field. Also heard during the walk were a sedge warbler, 3 reed buntings and 4 reed warblers singing. A Mediterranean gull flew over the nearby houses calling and a kestrel was watched hovering over the seawall.

The tide was up along the Strood so not much to be seen here, although 85 herring gulls with a few lesser black-backed gulls roosted on the Ray saltings, while a curlew, 4 shelduck and a little tern were also noted.

This little brown butterfly caught my eye as I walked through an area of long grass and flowers near the Firs Chase caravan site. This picture confirms it as a brown argus butterfly with the arrangement of various spots on the underwing separating it from a female common blue - several of which were also flying around nearby.

The brown argus has been elusive on the Island in recent years since it was first discovered on Reeveshall about 1997. It arrived at a time when the population in north Essex seemed to have rapidly expanded. After a few years of individuals being seen in several localities on the Island, numbers have since dwindled. The last one I saw was beside the Pyefleet seawall near the Oyster Fishery about 3 summers ago.

Other butterflies seen during this Strood walk included a red admiral, peacock, common blue, large white, small white, green-veined white and small heath.

The sunshine brought many dragonflies out beside the watercourses with emperor, four-spotted chaser, hairy dragonfly, large red damselfly, azure damselfly and blue-tailed damselfly all noted.


This Mother Shipton moth with the distinctive markings of the old lady's face, was seen flying low amongst the long grass. One of the few day-flying moths of meadows and old grasslands, it seems to be a slightly better year for them, compared with previous summers.
Also seen were several colourful cinnabar moths with the red and black wings.

Trying to stay unnoticed on a thistle plant was this angle shades moth, which would have been better camouflaged if it rested on the ground amongst the brown leaves.