Wednesday 13 September 2017

SPOTTED FLY CORNER

A spotted flycatcher was watched feeding in a sheltered scrubby corner beside the Firs Chase caravan site on Monday 11th, the same location where one was seen just over three weeks earlier.
Also in this area was a noisy group of 100 house sparrows, a few goldfinches and greenfinches, 3 blackcaps and a chiffchaff.

Not as many waders seen along the Strood channel at low tide as seen on recent visits. This curlew was inspecting the seaweed covered polder scheme - as was the starling just behind it.

A Mediterranean gull flew along the channel while little grebe numbers are slowly building up with seven now present among the moorings.

Four greenshank were the most interesting waders seen along the Strood while a flock of 100 black-tailed godwits were seen near the Dabchicks.

Also seen from the Dabchicks just after mid-day on Monday 11th was an osprey circling over Salcott Channel. It was in the air for twenty minutes at least, flying down to the entrance of the channel before circling back up channel towards Copt Hall.

A hobby was seen chasing after a small bird over the Strood fields on Monday morning, also two kestrels noted. A flock of fifty linnets was feeding in the fields. A sparrowhawk was weaving in and out of the bushes on Ray Island and a sand martin was seen flying over the Island too.

At East Mersea a lone swift flew low over the fields by Bromans Lane heading westwards on Monday morning.

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