SINGING SEDGE

A sedge warbler has been very vocal at East Mersea Point, singing from the thick stand of sea-blite bushes. First seen here on Wednesday 7th, it was still performing well the next day, as seen in these two photographs taken by Andy Field.

This area of saltmarsh bushes isn't the traditional sort of habitat normally used by sedge warblers on the Island. Maybe it will move to the ditches and reedbed areas inside the nearby seawall, where they used to nest in the past.

At the Point on Wednesday the ringed plover was found to be now sitting on four eggs and still safe inside the roped off section of beach. On the nearby saltmarsh lagoons twelve avocets were noted along with 3 chicks, three common terns still sitting as were at least 3 black-headed gulls. One golden plover was also noted here.

Two reed warblers were singing from the dyke and eight swifts were seen flying over the park during the day. The female kestrel was perched on the tree at the back of the grazing fields on Wednesday and the following day at least three chicks were seen in the nestbox.

A common tern spent several minutes hawking up and down a section of the dyke by the Strood seawall on Monday 5th. Also noted here were 6 house martins, 5 swallows and a swift, while a corn bunting, yellow wagtail, displaying meadow pipit, 2 singing reed warblers and a nesting oystercatcher were also seen. A pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over the Hard car park calling.

A common buzzard was photographed by Andy as it perched on a bush near the Shop Lane seawall on Wednesday 31st. Presumably one of the locally breeding birds.

In the nearby Fishponds Wood in East Mersea this red squirrel was seen by Andy on Wednesday 31st.