GARDEN HAWK

A male sparrowhawk suddenly appeared in the Firs Chase back garden, landing on the bird bath by some bird feeders on Friday 3rd. Birds that had been quietly feeding a few seconds earlier, rapidly dived into cover.

Also visiting the garden feeders was a family of goldfinches with this youngster waiting to be fed some sunflower hearts.

Another recent garden visitor was this male great spotted woodpecker pictured at the squirrel feeder on the 25th June.

Phil Passfield managed to take this great picture of the male great spotted woodpecker feeding a youngster in his back garden in Yorick Road. The woodpeckers are still occasionally visiting the garden, a month after they finished nesting in the cherry tree there.

On Friday 3rd during a walk along the Strood seawall, two sand martins, 30 swifts, two yellow wagtails, 8 little egrets, two kestrels, corn bunting and a lapwing were noted.

There were grey skies above the Strood channel on Thursday 2nd July during a late morning walk along the seawall. Birds noted included 70 swifts, four sand martins, six house martins and 15 swallows hawking over the fields. Also two singing corn buntings, two common terns, 45 carrion crows and 25 linnets.

At Coopers Beach two stonechats with their two juveniles were seen by Martin Cock on Thursday.

There were lots of butterflies such as this ringlet, enjoying the sunshine in East Mersea along the path between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane on Wednesday 1st. Half a dozen ringlets were fluttering through the grass and beside the hedges, also a fleeting glimpse of a purple hairstreak high up an oak by Gyants Marsh.

A small skipper posed on a bramble flower to show the orange-tips to the underside of the ends of the antennae. At least 30 skippers seen either small or Essex skippers noted. Other butterflies seen included large skipper, small copper, meadow brown, gatekeeper, comma, small heath, large white and small white.

Birds of interest on Wednesday in the Shop Lane area were the large numbers of sand martins with 200+ flying over the fields with more crossing over from Langenhoe. Also 70+ swallows and a passage of 50+ swifts heading west. Not surprisingly a hobby was seen over the field by the Shop Lane seawall a couple of times. An hour later either the same hobby or a different hobby was seen flying west with another hobby, heading in the same direction as the hirundines - so certainly two hobbies, maybe three.

Two common buzzards circled over, a male marsh harrier quartered Reeveshall and a sparrowhawk was seen near Fishponds Wood on a couple of occasions. Two yellowhammers were singing as was a lesser whitethroat.

Martin Cock had noted two fledged lapwing chicks and two oystercatcher chicks from the Shop Lane seawall on Wednesday morning.

The aptly-named Swollen-thighed beetle with its shiny green thighs was seen feeding on a bindweed flower along the Shop Lane footpath on Wednesday.

A red squirrel was trying to hide in Fishponds Wood as I walked along the nearby footpath on Wednesday. It tutted and flicked its tail for a moment having had its foraging interrupted.

Ian Black noted on Wednesday during a visit to the Strood, hobby, two corn buntings, four yellow wagtails and Mediterranean gull.

On Tuesday 30th June a little tern provided a nice view as it flew down the Strood channel. Two little terns were seen a little later near Packing Shed Island. Six common terns were also seen along the channel and in the moorings.
Other birds along the Strood were two great crested grebes, 15 redshank, five curlew, lapwing, four yellow wagtails and a singing corn bunting. Thirty swifts were seen near the houses with another thirty seemingly heading west, two house martins were near Strood Hill.

At Maydays on Tuesday Martin Cock noted the usual yellowhammers, corn bunting, reed buntings, meadow pipit, several yellow wagtails, reed warbler and sedge warbler, marsh harrier, 75 redshank, 25 curlew and a great crested grebe.

Three oystercatcher chicks could be seen on Monday 29th in the dinghy near the Dabchicks sailing club. They have been raised inside the boat and have their food brought to them, usually lugworms, by their parents.

A westwards passage of swifts was noticeable through the day with ten over Firs Chase garden early in the morning and another sixty still flying west in the early evening. Along the Strood 200+ swifts were seen streaming west from Strood Hill, over the fields and then onto the mainland. A sand martin was also seen heading west.
A sparrowhawk was seen a couple of times, five yellow wagtails, green woodpecker, 12 goldfinches and three curlew were the other birds of note seen near the Strood on Monday.

A cattle egret was seen on Monday just north of the Island on Langenhoe ranges by Richard Brown.

This toadflax brocade caterpillar was found by David Nicholls in his Queen Ann Road garden- once a rare moth, it has increased in recent years. This one was seen feeding on David's purple toadflax.

A crab spider was photographed by Andy Field in his High Street North garden on Monday 29th.

A hedgehog was seen in Peter Cock's garden in Seaview Avenue on Wednesday 24th - the first sighting for Peter here for many years.