SWEET TEETH FOR SWEET CORN

Some field voles or short-tailed voles, were having a field day with the maize in Michael Thorley's garden near Meeting Lane.

Looks like the field voles have a sweet tooth for the sweet corn! There's a whole field of maize at the back of Michael's garden.

Also photographed on Monday 31st by Michael Thorley in his garden was a juvenile / female yellow wagtail.

Yellow wagtails aren't usually associated with gardens. There are some small flocks at the moment feeding with the cattle and with some horses too.

This yellow wagtail will be getting ready to head south for the winter in the next fortnight or so.

A juvenile goldfinch was photographed by Michael in his garden near Meeting Lane on Monday.

The juvenile goldfinch showing off the yellow wing bar in flight.
Also seen in his garden by Michael were a great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker and a sparrowhawk.

At Reeveshall on Monday 31st were five whinchats feeding along this fenceline - a regular stop-off point for whinchats in late summer. Along the Maydays dyke were a couple of calling reed warblers, two reed buntings, two willow warblers and a yellowhammer. Over the fields were two common buzzards and a passing flock of 25+ swallows. Along the Pyefleet were a common sandpiper, greenshank, four great crested grebes, ten little egrets as well as three common seals and a grey seal. Two marsh harriers were hunting over Langenhoe.

In the Firs Chase garden on Monday a willow warbler, song thrush and two great spotted woodpeckers were seen.

On Sunday 30th Jonathan Bustard reported good views of two whinchats and a wheatear on the Strood seawall. Also bar-tailed godwit and black-tailed godwits, golden plover flock, little egrets and little grebes in the river and dyke.

A hobby was seen near Strood Hill by Steve Entwistle on Sunday afternoon. A hobby was also reported earlier on Sunday morning flushed from grass on Ray Island by David Nicholl, with a common seal in Ray Channel too.

Two little egrets were feeding along the Strood channel on Saturday 29th. Also a ruff seen only in flight as it headed up-channel, 150 golden plover, eight dunlin, five ringed plover, two knot, ten Mediterranean gulls and two common terns. Two whinchats were along one of the ditches, 70+ linnets and a sparrowhawk were also noted.

Five red-legged partridge were seen beside Dawes Lane on Saturday by Steve Entwistle.

On Friday 28th along the Strood were two whinchats, wheatear, greenshank heard, two sand martins, three common terns, ten Mediterranean gulls, five ringed plovers, two common buzzards, marsh harrier and two kestrels. Two willow warblers were seen along the dyke and also in the Firs Chase garden two willow warblers were present.

At Maydays on Friday two whinchats, common sandpiper and a greenshank were seen by Martin Cock.
Andy Field reported a very quiet circuit around Cudmore Grove on Friday with ten yellow wagtails, 3 chiffchaffs and a couple of common terns being the highlights.

Along the Reeveshall and Shop Lane seawall on Thursday 27th, six whinchats and four wheatears were seen, also a marsh harrier, three buzzards, sparrowhawk and twenty stock doves. In the Pyefleet were 90 avocets, four little terns on Langenhoe Point mud, three common terns, single bar-tailed godwit, 50 grey plover, ten dunlin, 45 golden plover, while along the dyke near the Oyster Fishery were a couple of willow warblers and two lesser whitethroats. Ten yellow wagtails were by the Golfhouse and five were at Reeveshall.
A red squirrel scampered across the path at Fishponds Wood and 20+ small heaths were seen in the seawall field.
A Sandwich tern was seen flying out of the Colne estuary on Thursday by Chris Tyas.

A common blue was enjoying the sunshine in Feldy View field on Wednesday 26th, also a common lizard there too.

Along the Strood seawall on Wednesday were seen a whinchat, wheatear, common buzzard, yellow wagtail, ten house martins, twenty golden plover, 15 grey plover, ten Mediterranean gulls, three common tern.

Two sparrowhawks and a great spotted woodpecker and a very vocal Mediterranean gull were reported on Wednesday by Ian Black.

A wheatear was beside the Strood seawall on a wet and windy Tuesday 25th.
Three whinchats were also seen by the seawall while along the Strood channel were two avocets, four knot, 20+ Mediterranean gulls, common tern and two ringed plover. A willow warbler and blackcap were in Feldy View - as was the first wasp spider of the year there.

A spotted flycatcher was a surprise sighting in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday, seen briefly in the morning drizzle feeding beside the garden driveway.