STROOD KESTREL

A male kestrel was perched on a bush beside the Strood seawall on Wednesday 31st.

A pair of buzzards was also perched on bushes at the back of the Strood fields, while another buzzard was being mobbed by a black-headed gull while perched on Ray Island.

Two great white egrets flew slowly up the Ray Channel and appeared to drop down behind the trees on Ray Island. Three little egrets were seen in various locations from the seawall.

Birds noted along the Strood channel included 15 teal, 120 redshank, 20 curlew, five grey plover, golden plover, twelve shelduck and a little grebe. 

Hearing the song of a yellowhammer was a nice sound for the Strood seawall. The bird had been perching beside the male kestrel, before both flew off with the yellowhammer dropping down into the nearby field, pictured above facing away. Six linnets, three reed buntings and a meadow pipit were also seen.

Later in the day a swallow was seen flying over Coast Road near the Dabchicks and continued flying round into the early evening. A whimbrel was heard calling as it flew high over West Mersea by Ian Black in late afternoon. A chiffchaff was heard singing in Cross Lane by Shaun Bater.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday morning, Martin Cock heard the sedge warbler by the pond, three distant presumed sand martins, also two blackcaps, four chiffchaffs, three Cetti's warblers singing, one showed well near the Oyster Fishery, two avocets on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools.

In the afternoon at Cudmore Grove, Steve Entwistle recorded 200 turnstones, 50 ringed plover, a sanderling, 80 redshank, 100 oystercatchers on the mud, two pairs of avocets on the Golfhouse pools, two pairs of pochard, pair of tufted duck and little grebe pair on the dyke and a buzzard perched by the park pond.

An empty country park beach on a sunny Tuesday 30th greeted the first three sand martins back to the Island for the summer. The birds were flying back and forwards across the beach over to the cliff to check out potential nest holes. Also newly arrived was a sedge warbler singing at the side of the park pond but not revealing itself. Later in the morning a short-eared owl was seen briefly flying over the grass field behind the pond. A blackcap was seen by the park entrance and nine pochard and two greylag geese were on the pond.

On the grazing fields were ten lapwing, five snipe, 70 teal, ten wigeon while some of the 400 brent geese were in the fields and others on the saltmarsh as was a pale-bellied brent goose. Three Cetti's warblers were singing and in the river four red-breasted mergansers and five great crested grebes were noted.

Along the footpath from Meeting Lane to Shop Lane, Michael Thorley reported on Tuesday two chiffchaffs seen and three heard, sparrowhawk, grey partridge, long-tailed tit pair, skylarks and a great spotted woodpecker drumming in Gyants Marsh. Steve Entwistle also had a chiffchaff in Meeting Lane, while at Coopers Beach 15 greenfinches and six linnets were seen and then later at the park saw two sand martins, blackcap and a red squirrel near the entrance.

A chiffchaff was seen by Jonathan Bustard in his garden in the Chatsworth area of West Mersea on Tuesday.

The first swallow on the Island was seen by Jonathan Bustard over Feldy View early afternoon on Monday 30th. It was also reported by Kevin Payne that he saw two house martins over the Strood reservoirs on Monday.

A great white egret flew onto the pond at the back of the Strood fields on Monday morning. Seven golden plover were in the fields, while along the channel were two avocets, 22 shelduck, 25 teal and two knot. A chiffchaff was singing in Feldy View and another one nearby.

At Maydays on Monday a short-eared owl and barn owl were seen flying about in late afternoon by Steve Entwistle, also there were ten corn buntings, three pairs of reed buntings, buzzard, kestrel, three mute swans, 20 linnets and two pairs of lesser black-backed gulls.

At the nearby Reeveshall / Shop Lane area Andy Field noted seven marsh harriers, 3 buzzards, singing chiffchaffs and blackcap and lots of skylarks.

Martin Cock reported three chiffchaffs, blackcap, Cetti's warbler, two buzzards and two mistle thrushes between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane.

Brimstone butterflies were reported by Andy near Shop Lane, Martin saw two between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane, Steve saw one in his Empress Drive garden and Nicola saw one in her Fairhaven garden. A slow-worm was in the Firs Chase garden.

A flock of 400 brent geese was grazing a field at Reeveshall on Sunday 28th. Also seen were five marsh harriers, two buzzards, eight greylags, 30 curlew, four lapwing and 36 teal. A large number of herring gulls were in the Pyefleet with 150 seen on Pewit Island with a further 150 flying around the eastern end of the channel, Two red-breasted mergansers and five great crested grebes were in the Pyefleet.

In Shop Lane a chiffchaff and blackcap were singing and a pair of red-legged partridge was in a field.

Steve Entwistle saw ten pied wagtails by the beach huts at West Mersea on Sunday morning.

A female siskin made a couple of visits to the Firs Chase garden feeder on Saturday 27th, also the female blackcap still overwintering and visiting the feeder.

A male siskin was sadly found by Roger Munday under the window of his house in Cross Lane on Saturday. Nearby a buzzard was seen over the Estuary Park garden by Shaun Bater, while a Mediterranean gull was heard calling over Andy Field's High Street garden, being picked up by his trail-camera.

At Coopers Beach 70 curlew, three little egrets and ten redshank and two teal were on the marshes on Saturday just after midday. Earlier Michael Thorley watched a buzzard being mobbed by a gull, a cormorant in the dyke and three linnets.

The great white egret was seen at the back of the Strood fields on Saturday by Steve Entwistle.

A little egret was stalking the edge of the Strood dyke on Friday 26th, two others were also seen in the area. Along the Strood seawall were a marsh harrier, buzzard, 14 golden plover, five ringed plover and reed bunting.

Ian Black reported a large female sparrowhawk with a wood pigeon in his Mersea Avenue garden and also two Mediterranean gulls passing over.

The first wheatear onto the Island was found by Martin Cock in the country park grazing fields on Friday morning. Also at the park were 12 pochard, and singing Cetti's warbler and chiffchaff.

One of two red squirrels that are regular visitors to the feeder in the Firs Chase garden, this male seen on Monday 29th, also a female is being seen too.