STROOD SHOWERS

Managed to time my morning walk along the Strood seawall on Monday 30th with a spell of rain that left me very soaked. The incoming tide brought some waders close in such as this colourful black-tailed godwit, one of a handful seen.
Other waders included 10 grey plover, 17 golden plover, 4 whimbrel, 50 curlew and 150+ redshank.
A marsh harrier flew over Ray Island and was later mobbed by a peregrine when it reached the Pyefleet. A sparrowhawk flew over the seawall and low across the fields. Also noted were 15+ little egrets, grey heron, 2 Mediterranean gulls and 2 common terns.

A pair of yellowhammers was feeding in a stubble field by the seawall, an uncommon sight along here. Four reed buntings, 50 house sparrows, sedge warbler, 2 reed warblers, whitethroat and 15 linnets were seen in the fields or dyke.
By the Strood Hill 25 house martins and 2 sand martins flew around while high overhead 25 swifts flew south onto the Island.
At East Mersea four little terns and two common sandpipers were seen near the Shop Lane seawall by Martin Cock on Monday 30th. The previous day Martin reported two common sandpipers and a common seal at Maydays.

On Saturday 28th there were two willow warblers calling as they fed among the trees in Feldy View, West Mersea - the first returning warblers of the autumn. A house martin was still in its nestbox in Firs Chase and later 25 swifts flew over the houses.
At East Mersea a harbour porpoise was found washed up dead on the beach near the Point.

The hot weather on Friday 27th was ideal for lots of butterflies such as this small copper in the Feldy View field.

Half a dozen common blue butterflies were seen in the Feldy View area, also brown argus, holly blue, small white, large white, meadow brown, gatekeeper and speckled wood.

A sand martin perched obligingly on wires right above the entrance to the Company Shed in Coast Road on Friday 27th.

The sand martin was keeping company with a group of a dozen swallows on the wires. Along the Strood 12 little egrets, a greenshank was heard calling and two black-tailed godwits by the Dabchicks.
On Friday 27th a nightingale was seen and heard croaking by Martin Cock near the East Mersea Oyster Fishery.

Just off the Island the nationally rare white-spotted pinion moth was discovered on the Langenhoe firing ranges during a mothing session on Saturday 28th, as part of a bio-blitz weekend with the MOD.
 Earlier in the day Andy Field and Richard Hull noted on Langenhoe a curlew sandpiper, 3 green sandpipers, common sandpiper, bearded tit, 200 avocets and a family of marsh harriers with four juveniles.