PYEFLEET SEALS

A common seal was resting on the pontoon in the Pyefleet Channel on Sunday 21st, with a second common seal resting on the saltmarsh further up channel. A grey seal was also watched checking out the Maydays creek just before high tide, looking for somewhere secluded to rest up.

A common sandpiper flew along the Maydays creek, while along the Pyefleet were 5 greenshank, whimbrel, 200+ redshank, 2 grey plover, 4 great crested grebes, 2 common terns and two shelduck broods of 3 and 5.

A corn bunting was singing beside the Maydays dyke with a second bird singing from a nearby field. Three yellowhammers were singing from bushes along the dyke too and five linnets also noted.

Two hobbies were watched from the seawall, one distant hobby trying to catch a small bird at the back of Reeveshall, while a second hobby a minute later flew along the Reeveshall seawall towards Maydays providing a nice close fly-past. Two marsh harriers were seen from the seawall on Langenhoe. A big mixed flock of 500+ rooks and jackdaws was feeding on the Reeveshall grass fields.

On Saturday 20th during a walk along the Strood seawall, 4 greenshank, 10 black-tailed godwits, a turnstone, 4 yellow wagtails, marsh harrier and common buzzard were noted along with 2 common terns, 2 little grebes in the Strood channel.
At East Mersea Point two ringed plover chicks were seen on the beach on Saturday by Helen Shore.

Two broods of avocet chicks were feeding on the pool by the Reeveshall seawall on Friday 19th. One brood of three chicks and a second brood nearby of four chicks were being closely watched over by their parents. On the nearby Pyefleet channel were 8 avocets on the mud.

Also along the Pyefleet were a common sandpiper on Pewit Island, 40 black-tailed godwits, whimbrel, 4 little egrets, common tern and a little tern fishing by Langenhoe Point. Two marsh harriers flew over Reeveshall and another three on Langenhoe while also seen over Reeveshall were two common buzzards, sparrowhawk and a kestrel.

During a cloudy end to Friday a flock of 100 swifts circled in the grey sky above Firs Chase.

Five sand martins were seen crossing the Strood Channel on Thursday 18th as they headed west off the Island. Also seen from the Strood seawall were 2 common terns, whimbrel, 5 ringed plover, 3 black-tailed godwit, yellow wagtail, 100 house sparrows and 14 linnets.

A siskin was heard calling as it flew west over Firs Chase on Tuesday 16th.
In East Mersea, Martin Cock noted the two broods of 2 and 3 avocet chicks at Reeveshall, also the coal tit in Fishponds Wood. A brood of 3 avocet young were also seen on the mud by East Mersea Point. A kingfisher seen near the Golfhouse is an early autumn sighting, also 6 sand martins seen too.

The large oak eggar moth was a nice visitor to the Firs Chase garden moth trap on Thursday 18th.

Only one ruby tiger has been noted in the last fortnight in the garden trap.

A single pebble hook-tip on 16th was the first one this year in the garden.
Up to four elephant hawkmoths are being noted in the trap most recent nights, while privet and pine hawkmoths were seen on 18th. A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen briefly in the garden near the end of Sunday 21st.