BUTTERFLY DISPLAY

Good numbers of butterflies have been on the wing in recent days in the nice sunshine. A good variety of species have been on the wing in the Feldy View cemetery on the edge of West Mersea. This male gatekeeper was one of 25+ seen fluttering around the flowering plants. As well as 50+  meadow browns there were 10+ ringlets in the field too.

An unexpected sight on Thursday 11th in the Feldy View field was this marbled white butterfly seen briefly on a knapweed plant for only about 20 seconds before it flew off and not seen subsequently. This is the first ever sighting on the Island of this species which is more common in the southern half of Essex, although its range has been slowly expanding north.

Also on Feldy View on Thursday was this brown argus flying about low over the grassland. A couple of common blues were also seen in the area too, as was a painted lady, peacock, small white, large white and red admiral.

Several Essex skippers were seen nectaring on some of the Feldy plants such as the lavender.

A willow emerald damselfly was a surprise visitor to the Firs Chase garden on Wednesday 10th when it turned for a few minutes to rest by the back door. This the first sighting in this garden  and only a handful of other sightings on the Island, although it has spread widely elsewhere since it was first discovered in the UK only ten years ago.

During a walk along the Strood seawall on Thursday 11th birds of interest noted included 2 greenshank, whimbrel, 6 yellow wagtails, sedge warbler, 2 reed warblers, common tern, great crested grebe, 30 swifts and 150 house sparrows.
A sparrowhawk flew over Firs Chase with about 30 swallows mobbing it on Thursday.

A curlew was feeding along the edge of the mud as the tide receded by St Peters on Wednesday 10th. Offshore 7 great crested grebes and 12 common terns were seen, also a Mediterranean gull while two reed warblers were singing at either end of St Peters marsh.

The proposed development field near Cross Lane was showing lots of colourful clumps of poppies on Tuesday 9th. From the Waldegraves seawall six Mediterranean gulls, 2 common terns and 2 little egrets were offshore, while 70 mallard and a reed warbler were at the nearby lake. Two lesser whitethroats were at the bottom of Cross Lane.

A colourful black-tailed godwit still in its summer breeding plumage was feeding close to the Strood seawall on Monday 8th, as was a second bird. Also along the channel were 2 greenshank, whimbrel, 2 common terns, 70 redshank and a great crested grebe. Three yellow wagtails, singing corn bunting and 30 swifts were also noted from the seawall.

A skylark was seen crouching down on the top of the Strood seawall, hoping it could stay undetected to passers-by.