FELDY VIEW BLUES

A common blue butterfly was flying about Feldy View on the sunny morning of Monday 2nd.

A couple of brown argus butterflies were also in Feldy View on Monday, also a painted lady, peacock, comma, small white, ringlet, meadow brown, gatekeeper and skippers sps. Inside the Strood seawall a clouded yellow flew along the middle section before settling among some yellow flowers of bristly ox-tongue.

A skylark was gathering a mouthful of food by the Strood seawall on Monday. Two corn buntings, four yellow wagtails, six whitethroats and a mallard in the dyke with five ducklings were seen from the seawall. Along the channel were five common terns, 200 redshank, whimbrel, tufted duck and a lapwing. A peregrine flew past the front of the Firs Caravan park, then passed over the jetty at the Hard and onto Old Hall. A young sparrowhawk was calling in The Lane, ten swifts were over the houses with another 30 heading north-west off the Island, and two willow warblers were feeding in Feldy View.

At East Mersea on Monday morning, Martin Cock reported a green sandpiper and three little egrets on the Reeveshall pool, also two greenshank, four turnstones, two avocets in the Pyefleet while two yellow wagtails and two willow warblers also noted.

At Maydays on Monday, Steve Entwistle reported  two common sandpipers, eight little egrets, ten curlew, two whimbrel, yellowhammer, five reed buntings, whitethroat, five common terns, buzzard, marsh harrier, greylag goose, two avocets and five stock doves.

Earlier in the day the willow emerald was seen by Steve at Maydays again, as well as migrant hawker, southern hawker, emperor dragonfly and ruddy darters.

A record shot taken with the phone of three red squirrel siblings on the cedar tree in the Firs Chase garden late afternoon on Monday. One individual is sticking its head out of the squirrel nest-box, the other two siblings on the limb beneath.

Another phone-shot of two red squirrels, what looked like the mother appeared as usual at the feeder, but here one of the youngsters is lying on top of the nut feeder. The other two youngsters were higher up the tree. The mother is a regular visitor but these grown up youngsters didn't appear to have been here before and spent lots of time exploring and smelling the trunk and branches.

A male willow emerald damselfly was found resting on a bush at Maydays farm on Sunday 1st.

A painted lady was seen along the Maydays seawall - as was a stoat briefly before it disappeared into the long grass.

A walk from Maydays taking in part of the Reeveshall seawall produced in the Pyefleet eight greenshank, two common sandpipers, whimbrel, 150 redshank, three knot, five black-tailed godwits, snipe calling overhead, four common terns, three great crested grebes, 100 grey plover and two shelduck with nine ducklings.

Three marsh harriers were on Maydays and Reeveshall with another two seen on Langenhoe, two buzzards on Reeveshall, two corn buntings, yellowhammer, twelve stock doves, reed warbler and ten little egrets were also noted.

In Shop Lane the white-letter hairstreak was seen by Martin Cock on Sunday morning near Fishponds Wood, also two teal seen on the Reeveshall pool.

A great white egret was seen flying over the Strood causeway by Oliver Cottis as he drove across on Sunday afternoon.

The two swift chicks continue to grow well inside the nestbox on Andy Field's house in High street North. They appeared to be doing press-ups in readiness for them leaving soon.

On Saturday 31st along the Strood a hobby was seen circling high in the sky with a buzzard. A female pochard flew down channel and two mallard broods were in the dyke with five and seven ducklings. In the channel were two avocets, four black-tailed godwits, four common terns and two whimbrel, while two yellow wagtails and a corn bunting were also noted. Twenty swifts were over the houses with a drifting flock of 80 swifts also seen heading north-west off the Island.

In Shop Lane the white-letter hairstreak was seen by Fishponds Wood by Steve Entwistle on Saturday morning also gatekeeper, holly blue, red admiral, southern hawker and eight southern migrant hawkers. In the Pyefleet were 104 black-tailed godwits, four lesser black-backed gulls and an avocet.

On a very windy Friday 30th this juvenile wheatear with its speckly back was feeding on the top of the Cudmore Grove seawall, trying to keep out of the wind. Nearby a flock of 150 starlings were foraging.

A flock of 60 black-tailed godwits was feeding on the mudflats along with several oystercatchers. In the dyke were a pochard, tufted duck with a couple of ducklings, also a little grebe too.

Thirty sand martins were flying low over the cliff, fields and dyke.

A mistle thrush perched on wires just to the north of the country park on Friday.

A male linnet perched on wires over a horse paddock to the north of the country park on Friday.