WHINCHATS AND WHEATEAR

It was nice to see the six whinchats still beside the Strood seawall for their second day on Thursday 29th. Presumably this group are all the same birds seen the previous day, as two of the birds seen on Wednesday were 500m away in a different field. A wheatear was also with the whinchats on the top of the seawall for the second day, all hopping along the path ahead of me as I walked along.

Also noted from the seawall were 2 common buzzards, 100 linnets, 100 house sparrows, corn bunting, yellow wagtail, common sandpiper calling, 10 Mediterranean gulls, greenshank. Two whitethroats were on bushes by the dyke, while a willow warbler was by the Feldy View field.

A quick cursory glance at some long grass in the Feldy View cemetery field revealed five wasp spiders splayed out on their distinctive webs amongst the long grass. No doubt many others also in the grass elsewhere in the field. First time they've been seen in this field on the edge of West Mersea.

A hornet hoverfly buzzed along the path beside the Feldy View field, stopping for a moment on the hedge. Another one was seen feeding on the ivy flowers along the folly path between Firs Chase and the Lane, where there were also ten red admirals noted.

Twenty painted ladies were seen along the Strood seawall on Thursday.

Four whinchats were feeding by the Strood seawall near a flock of 100 house sparrows on Wednesday 28th. Another two whinchats were feeding further along beside a ditch between two of the fields. A wheatear was flying back and forth along the seawall dodging the many walkers on the path.
Three corn buntings flew away from the house sparrow flock, calling as they headed over the fields. Ten reed buntings were also perched on bushes near the house sparrow gathering. Two grey herons stood in the middle of a field and two kestrels flew over the back of the Strood Hill field.

At Cudmore Grove country park on Thursday morning, Andy Field heard the water rail calling at the park pond, also 34 little egrets in the trees, 3 pochard and the tufted duck brood in the park dyke, while in the Colne were 20 common terns, 2 little terns and 2 Sandwich terns.
Three whinchats and ten Mediterranean gulls were seen near the Golfhouse on Thursday by Simon Patient.

In the dull drizzly conditions on Wednesday, two spotted flycatchers were in the "flycatcher-corner" along the side of the Firs Chase caravan site. Two willow warblers, lesser whitethroat, 50 goldfinches and a sparrowhawk also seen here.
On Wednesday afternoon, 2 swifts, yellow wagtail, two Mediterranean gulls flew over the Firs Chase garden and a willow warbler was in the usual birch tree.

At the east end of the Pyefleet Channel near the Oyster Fishery on Tuesday 27th, a female eider was feeding near Langenhoe Point, also four little terns and a common sandpiper noted. Two green sandpipers flew over calling near the Oyster Fishery. Ten golden plover were on the mudflats near the Golfhouse and five yellow wagtails were in the horse paddock.
A red squirrel was seen by Fishponds Wood, crossing up and over the track back into the wood.

A sparrowhawk was seen hunting along the dyke near the Oyster Fishery before circling up and over the Pyefleet.

It was hot along the Strood seawall on the bank holiday Monday 26th, Ben had me carrying his water.

A spotted flycatcher was along the side of the caravan site, two common buzzards perched in bushes close-by to each other, four common snipe flew west down channel, 100 house sparrows at the ditch end by the seawall while a willow warbler called from a tree in the dyke. 

A willow warbler was also seen in the Firs Chase garden.

On Sunday 25th a walk along the Reeveshall seawall produced views of 2 greenshank and 3 wheatears by the pool, 400 swallows and two sand martins over the fields, yellow wagtail and muntjac deer also. A peregrine flew over the Pyefleet channel before heading back north again, a marsh harrier flew over Langenhoe and a common buzzard over Reeveshall.

At the country park on Sunday, Martin Cock noted 14 little terns sitting on the beach at the Point first thing in the morning, also seen 100 sand martins, 100 house martins, sedge warbler, 2 wheatears, four pochard and the water rail heard calling at the park pond. Later in the day a red squirrel and lesser whitethroat were seen by the park pond by Steve Entwistle.

A common buzzard stood in the field close to the East Mersea Road at Bocking Hall on Sunday.

A red squirrel was seen in Martin Cock's garden in The Coverts on Sunday, and a red squirrel was also seen in Meeting Lane by Martin on both the 21st and 23rd.

Daniel French found and photographed a large convolvulus hawkmoth in his Windsor Road garden on 22nd August. It's been a few years since one of these rare immigrant moths has been seen on the Island. There's currently a small influx into southern England of convolvulus hawkmoths during this latter part of August.

The moth trap in the Firs Chase garden has picked up one or two interesting moths such as this Webb's wainscot, a nationally scarce moth usually found near wetland and marshy areas.

There seems to be masses of latticed heath moths turning up at various traps in north Essex. On the night of the 27th, 250 latticed heaths were counted among a total moth catch of 500.

The second small ranunculus of the summer here turned up on the 27th, a species that is continuing its spread in southern England.
Also on the 27th the dainty migrant Palpita vitrealis was noted, another immigrant on the night along with a few silver Y's and white-points.

A lesser stag beetle was found beside the moth trap on the 27th - the first garden record.