STROOD SONGSTERS

A common whitethroat was one of the birds heard singing during a walk along the Strood seawall on Saturday 25th. There appear to be three singing whitethroats at various points in bushes along the dyke.
A sedge warbler was singing in the corner reedbed and doing its aerial song-flight a couple of times. It has been a month since this bird was last heard singing here, if it is the same bird. At least six reed warblers were also singing with two of them still singing from the rape crop.

A male reed bunting was singing from the top of a bush, one of three males holding territory along the dyke.
A pair of yellow wagtails were by the seawall, a cuckoo called from Ray Island and another bird from the Firs Chase caravan site, also a male marsh harrier on the Peldon side, while along the channel were a whimbrel, pair of Mediterranean gulls and a common tern.

Andy Field and I watched from different locations Saturday late morning, a distant large bird of prey fly over Firs Chase towards the Strood before heading back down channel. At times the bird appeared to be a kite although the markings didn't seem right, at other times the bird looked like a common buzzard. The bird had initially been seen flying with another large raptor presumed to be a buzzard which flew south.

A speckled wood was seen along the sheltered footpath along the top of the Firs Chase caravan site on Saturday.

Birds noted on Friday 24th along Cross Lane and along the beach to Waldegraves included two singing reed warblers, 8 swifts, 2 house martins, grey heron, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, green woodpecker and two little egrets.

On Thursday 23rd a hobby was seen tussling with a sparrowhawk over the field near the bottom of Strood Hill. A sedge warbler, 2 yellow wagtails, pair of greylag geese and five dunlin were seen from the Strood seawall.
An evening walk on Thursday around the country park revealed a pair of pochard on the park pond also there a mallard with at least five ducklings and the singing Cetti's warbler. On the mudflats were 30+ oystercatchers, 2 whimbrel, 2 little egrets and 2 common terns.
A little owl perched on a telegraph pole beside the East Mersea road to the east of Weir Farm.

Three common buzzards were seen on Wednesday 22nd from the Strood seawall, also 2 common terns, 3 ringed plovers, 4 Mediterranean gulls, 2 greylag geese, 10 swifts, 2 yellow wagtails and a singing corn bunting.

A little owl was seen perched beside the road near the Strood reservoirs by Matt Cock on Tuesday 21st. At Maydays on Monday 20th two little terns and a singing sedge warbler were seen by Martin Cock.