SEAWALL SOAKING

An ominous black cloud bore down on the Island on Sunday 16th bringing a deluge of rain and hail for twenty minutes or so. The morning walk along the Maydays seawall had been quite pleasant to start with but then the clouds gathered and the rain pelted down. After sheltering under a rather bare tree, the walk along the seawall later provided views of a cuckoo, pair of shoveler, three gadwall, pochard, four lapwing, pair of marsh harriers and eight greylag geese.

Along the Pyefleet channel were 160 dunlin, 24 grey plover, curlew, four redshank and six great crested grebes.

A male yellowhammer was by the Maydays seawall on Sunday morning, also counted were 11 singing reed warblers, nine whitethroats, four sedge warblers, three corn buntings, six reed buntings, Cetti's warbler and a pair of yellow wagtails. Four swifts were flying around over Reeveshall.

Martin Cock also got quite wet during his Sunday morning walk near the East Mersea Oyster Fishery area whilst noting three Cetti's warblers, two lesser whitethroats, a young tawny owl seen in flight, two common terns, two marsh harriers, blackcap, chiffchaff, whitethroats, two cuckoos, as well as a fox and a muntjac deer.

A whitethroat was photographed by Andy Field as it perched in a rosemary bush in Feldy View on Saturday 15th. 

Later on Saturday Jonathan Bustard noted along the Strood channel a wheatear, yellow wagtail, two swallows, a pair of kestrels, pair of swans, reed buntings, skylarks and a Cetti's warbler singing by the Strood reservoirs.

In the Coopers Beach and Rewsalls area on Saturday the cuckoo was calling, a little owl seen at the Youth Camp, mistle thrush at Rewsalls farm, three pairs of yellow wagtails while by the lake and marshes were a whimbrel, two pairs of shelduck, two pairs of oystercatchers, reed warbler, two little egrets, grey heron, 18 swallows and two whitethroats singing.

At Firs Chase a common buzzard and a sparrowhawk were seen over the garden on Saturday.

On Friday 14th a wheatear was seen along the Strood channel seawall, also a cuckoo calling, sedge warbler singing as were six reed warblers from the dyke. Three reed buntings and a yellow wagtail were also seen while a marsh harrier was seen passing over. Along the channel at low tide were three avocets, whimbrel, five dunlin, two grey plover and two pairs of common terns.

Martin Cock had a wet Friday morning walk near the East Mersea Oyster Fishery and Cudmore Grove area and reported five sedge warblers, six reed warblers, three Cetti's warblers, two cuckoos, two whimbrel, hobby, two greylag geese with four goslings, two Canada geese, three lapwing chicks at Cudmore Grove, the avocet still sitting near the Golfhouse and forty sand martins around the park.

A male yellowhammer perched on a tree between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane on Thursday 13th. Two common buzzards also perched together on one tree, while a marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and another buzzard were seen flying over the fields. Three pochard were seen at a pond east of Shop Lane and a cuckoo was heard in three different locations, maybe different birds involved.

Singing birds noted along the various hedgerows and copses were 21 whitethroats, nine blackcaps, seven chiffchaffs, four lesser whitethroats, two Cetti's warblers, three green woodpeckers and a reed warbler singing in Meeting Lane.

At West Mersea Steve Entwistle saw thirteen turnstones by the West Mersea Hard on Thursday morning.