BUZZARD PASSAGE

Common buzzards were on the move over Mersea Island during Sunday 12th with at least forty birds seen. The first group seen was above the Mersea Barns car park in East Mersea about mid-day when a mewing buzzard made me look skywards and saw five buzzards soaring with a sparrowhawk.

During an afternoon walk along the north side of the Island from Shop Lane to the Strood, another flock of buzzards were seen whilst walking the seawall with 22 buzzards counted in the air together over the Shop Lane area about 12.30pm. Most drifted westwards. At least another 13 buzzards were counted whilst walking Reeveshall to Bower Hall and it seemed they were heading off the Island near the Strood northwest towards Peldon. The only other report of buzzards was of five over the Dabchicks seen by Mark Farrant. Other large buzzard counts in Essex reported during Sunday of birds on passage were 16 at Holland Haven and 31 over Chelmsford city centre.

Other birds of prey noted were the osprey was still fishing the Pyefleet channel at the west end near Maydays mid afternoon, also a peregrine flying low over the Strood channel towards Ray Island, three marsh harriers and 6+ kestrels seen during the walk.

The tide was coming in at the saltmarsh near Bower Hall farm on Sunday, two Sandwich terns were fishing along the channel, four common seals were also seen in their usual place. Two whinchats were beside the seawall here, earlier a wheatear was in the Reeveshall seawall and on the Maydays section were three meadow pipits flying west and a yellowhammer seen on a bush.

On the Strood section were 12 Mediterranean gulls, fifty golden plover in a field, three yellow wagtails and three sand martins in a flock of fifty swallows.

A clouded yellow butterfly and 20+ small heaths were on the Reeveshall seawall and a painted lady on the Maydays section.

Earlier on Sunday near the Oyster Fishery, Martin Cock reported 16 wigeon, a few Sandwich terns, seven yellow wagtails, two blackcaps, lesser whitethroat and two Cetti's warblers.

At Maydays farm on Sunday evening a little owl, two kestrels, hobby, Sandwich tern and two common seals were seen by Steve Entwistle.

A wheatear was photographed by the Reeveshall seawall by Shaun Bater on Saturday 11th - one of three seen there. Also seen there were four marsh harriers, 200 redshank, two shelduck, great crested grebe, little egret, kestrel, common tern, turnstone, ringed plover, stock dove and green woodpecker. 

There was no sign of the osprey in the Pyefleet on Saturday.

Martin Cock had two green sandpipers flying over Reeveshall on Saturday and a male pintail flying over Langenhoe.

A walk along the Shop Lane seawall to East Mersea Point on Saturday provided views of waders as the tide came in in the middle of the day. There was a large flock of 220 black-tailed godwits, three knot and 12 avocets feeding near the Oyster Fishery while nearer Ivy Dock were three curlew sandpipers with 60 dunlin, bar-tailed godwit and 150+ redshank. Fourteen Sandwich terns were resting on the mud by the Golfhouse and ten common terns were on a raft. A hobby was flying about on Langenhoe.

A second hobby was seen chasing one of the birds from the 200+ mixed hirundine flock of sand martin, house martin and swallows by the Golfhouse. A swift was also seen flying with the hirundines. Eight yellow wagtails and 30 goldfinches were by the Golfhouse while six wheatears were reported at the Point, also 70 linnets here.

Andy Goodey reported from his walk round the Cudmore seawall to Shop Lane on Saturday a buzzard, two Sandwich tern, 7 turnstone, little grebe, Cetti's warbler, 3 yellow wagtail, leucistic starling with thirty starlings, also a grey squirrel seen in Shop Lane.

At least three clouded yellows were along the seawall between Shop Lane and Ivy Dock on Saturday. A red squirrel was seen crossing Shop Lane near Fishponds Wood.

At Coopers Beach on Saturday Andy Field reported 500 golden plover, 50 redshank, 20 dunlin, 30 turnstone, five curlew, 20 ringed plover and seven black-tailed godwits.

A wheatear was seen along the Strood seawall on Saturday by Jonathan Bustard.

The osprey spent most of Friday 10th morning perched on a post in the Pyefleet Channel near Pewit Island. 

The view from Reeveshall looking across to Pewit Island showing the distant osprey perched on top of the thin post in the middle of the picture. The osprey switched posts a couple of times, watching the tide coming in below its perch. At one point the osprey looked up to see two buzzards passing overhead. After mid-day it took off and went fishing behind the island before being lost to view.

A peregrine flew down channel, five marsh harriers were seen on Langenhoe, four buzzards in total, three Sandwich terns, ten common terns, 100 black-tailed godwits, 80 grey plover, 15 avocets and two knot were along the Pyefleet.

An obliging wheatear perched on a fence on the Shop Lane seawall on Friday. Also on Reeveshall were 15 stock doves and a snipe flying over. A clouded yellow butterfly was flying about.

At the Rewsalls Marshes on Friday, Steve Entwistle reported a few Mediterranean gulls, ten golden plover, 20 little egrets, 30 redshank, eight mallard and a common gull, while offshore were lots of gulls and terns by the shingle island.

Andy Field photographed the osprey on Thursday 9th perched beside Pewit Island in the Pyefleet Channel and then it was seen flying around the ranges and the Geedons.

Also in the area were a hobby, stonechat, four green sandpipers, marsh harrier, two Sandwich terns, two common terns. A kingfisher was along the borrowdyke near Shop Lane and a chiffchaff in Fishponds Wood.

Birds noted at Rewsalls Marshes by Martin Cock during the Thursday high tide included 210 redshank, 50 turnstone, 20 ringed plover, 20 black-tailed godwits, 3 dunlin, 3 little grebes and 14 little egrets. 

In Meeting Lane Steve Entwistle reported ten greenfinch, two lesser whitethroats, two whitethroats a pair of blackcaps and a linnet.

Along the Strood channel on Thursday morning were three greenshank, fifty golden plover, fifty grey plover, 100 black-tailed godwits, five teal, mute swan, two common terns and a little grebe. In the fields were 12 reed buntings, three yellow wagtails, buzzard and twenty linnets.

On Wednesday 8th a spotted flycatcher, garden warbler and two blackcaps were seen beside Meeting Lane by Martin Cock. Along the Reeveshall seawall Martin reported the osprey seen briefly, hobby, three marsh harriers, six green sandpipers, five teal, two Sandwich terns and also two clouded yellow butterflies.

Steve Entwistle reported on Wednesday 3 lesser whitethroats, whitethroat, five blackcaps, two kestrels, buzzard, marsh harrier and stock dove in Meeting Lane, while in Shop Lane two red-legged partridges and a stoat was seen chasing a baby rabbit.

Michael Thorley watched two yellow wagtails feeding on his floating pondweed in his garden near Meeting Lane.

Along the Strood seawall on Wednesday were seen five wheatears, three corn buntings, 20 linnets and a yellow wagtail in the fields. In the Strood channel were four greenshank, ten golden plover, 25 grey plover, two Mediterranean gulls, little grebe and two common terns. A willow warbler was heard calling from birch trees in Feldy View.

A hummingbird hawkmoth visited abelia flowers in Andy Field's West Mersea garden on Friday morning.