SEAWALL GREEN HAIRSTREAK

A green hairstreak took a short flight on the top of the Strood seawall on a windy Monday 10th, before it settled down amongst the grass. Once it closed its wings it would've been hard to find amongst all the greenery if I hadn't seen where it landed.

Two painted ladies were noted on Monday's walk, this one in the field beside the Firs caravan park and another one seen briefly along the Strood seawall. Martin Cock saw a painted lady in the morning at Cudmore Grove.

Two cuckoos were following each other across the Firs Road cemetery and perched up on wires with one bird calling. Later one cuckoo was on overhead wires by the Strood fields calling continuously. One sedge warbler was doing its display flight over the reeds while three reed warblers were heard singing along the dyke too. Two male reed buntings were chasing each other, whitethroat and yellow wagtail were also noted. Along the channel during the high tide, a common tern, 12 brent geese, grey plover and three whimbrel were seen and a buzzard was in the air on the Peldon seawall.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday, Michael Thorley took these two digiscoped photos of a whimbrel feeding in the grazing fields.

Also noted by Michael were six linnets, two male reed buntings and skylarks at the East Mersea Point.

Earlier in the morning Martin Cock at Cudmore Grove saw two Egyptian geese, two brent geese, three lapwing chicks getting quite big now, greenshank, 30 sand martins, two cuckoos and plenty of warblers.

A walk along the whole of the north side of the Island on Sunday 9th revealed four single wheatears at four different locations - one at the country park, this one pictured on the Reeveshall saltmarsh, one at Maydays and another on the Strood seawall.

Two whimbrel and a pair of teal were of interest in the park's grazing fields on Sunday, while on the saltmarsh were two pairs of avocets. Three reed warblers were singing beside the dyke and two common terns and two great crested grebes were in the river.

Two Cetti's warblers were singing either side of the Oyster Fishery, two male pochard were on a nearby pond while along the Pyefleet channel were eight grey plover, one whimbrel,12 dunlin, seven pairs of oystercatchers, 27 brent geese with two greylag geese while two common terns and two great crested grebes were along the Pyefleet. On Reeveshall was the pair of marsh harriers, seven lapwings in the fields, yellow wagtail and two little egrets. 

Further along the seawall walk on Sunday, there was a common sandpiper in the Maydays creek with five redshank while two whimbrel, curlew also noted. Two sedge warblers, two whitethroats and a reed warbler were singing, a yellow wagtail flew over and eight house martins were flying over the farmyard.

Three gadwall flew over the marshes from Bower hall farm, three whimbrel, three redshank, eight turnstone and a great crested grebe were also seen. An escaped helmeted guineafowl ran off the seawall and sprinted for cover in the nearby field, adding a brief African flavour to the walk!

Steve Entwistle on an afternoon visit to Maydays farm on Sunday reported three cuckoos, five grey plover, six dunlin, four lesser black-backed gulls a pair of yellowhammers and four painted ladies.

Andy Field photographed the yellow wagtail with the dicky left leg, when he saw it on Sunday morning along the Strood seawall. Earlier he watched a spotted flycatcher briefly down the side of the Firs Caravan park which didn't stay around for long. Two wheatears were in the Strood field, cuckoo, three common terns, two lesser whitethroats, sedge warbler, seven reed warblers were also recorded.

Michael Thorley later along the Strood added a common tern, three yellow wagtails, two male reed buntings, two linnets, two little egrets and a painted lady butterfly.

My last leg of Sunday's walk along the north side of the island was the Strood channel late afternoon where two avocets, 20 whimbrel, six shelduck and a buzzard were seen.

At the country park on Sunday two Egyptian geese were seen again in the grazing fields by Shaun Bater, while Martin Cock earlier in the day at the park saw the wheatear, three whimbrel, four avocets, two brent geese, sedge warbler, 500 dunlin, 30 ringed plovers, a willow warbler and sedge warbler at Ivy Farm and three Cetti's warblers, two cuckoos and lesser whitethroat near the Oyster Fishery.

A greenshank, common gull, Canada geese pair and yellow wagtail were also added by Steve Entwistle on Sunday at the park.

Ian Black reported in his Mersea Avenue garden on Sunday, an orange-tip and painted lady butterfly and a sparrowhawk checking out where the starlings are nesting.