PYEFLEET OSPREY

The osprey that has been frequenting the Colne estuary in recent days, was photographed by Richard Brown when he visited the Langenhoe ranges on Monday 6th. The bird shows a pale blue ring on its leg which sadly couldn't be seen closely enough to read the number.

It turns out the same osprey had been photographed five days earlier by Simon Cox at Colne Point. The ring number of 677 reveals this is an osprey born this spring and was ringed by the Tweed Valley Project in the Scottish borders.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday 6th, there were 66 little egrets roosting in the trees behind the park pond with a further four birds standing on the saltmarsh near the Point. The first wigeon back for the winter were seen with three birds, also three teal on the pond. Three mistle thrushes were seen flying over the car park and a sparrowhawk was seen flying to the north of the park.

Four Sandwich terns were in the Colne and 20 common terns were resting on a buoy. A wheatear fed by the pillbox at the Point, 12 ringed plovers flew west along the foreshore and a green sandpiper was heard calling in flight. Butterflies of interest were two clouded yellows on the grazing fields, also a brown argus and common blues seen. A large number of sea aster mining bees were buzzing low amongst the sea purslane at the Point.

On Monday afternoon Steve Entwistle visited the park and also noted the wheatear, a pair of gadwall, 7 teal and 3 wigeon on the pond, singing Cetti's warbler, lesser whitethroats, whitethroats, reed bunting as well as chiffchaff, willow warbler and long-tailed tit to the north of the park.

A male redstart was found in Feldy View cemetery on Tuesday 7th, staying all day this picture was taken by John Ward in the early evening, when it gave good views. The bird was first glimpsed in the birches early morning and proved elusive at times, calling occasionally. When the redstart did show, it had a faded orange chest, greyish head and face and the distinctive orange tail. It seemed to spend most of the time in the same north-west corner of the cemetery where a male was seen back in the spring.

There seemed to be a small influx of warblers here with six willow warblers, chiffchaff, two blackcaps and a whitethroat feeding in the trees, while a yellow wagtail flew over.

Along the Strood seawall on Tuesday morning 70 black-tailed godwits were feeding, also 25 grey plover, five grey plover, common tern and also three mute swans were seen in the Ray Channel. Three wheatears were feeding in a stubble field along with two yellow wagtails.

Martin Cock visited Maydays on Tuesday morning and noted sedge warbler, yellowhammer, greenshank, two knot and a brown argus. Later on in the evening at the Oyster Fishery he noted a kingfisher and three marsh harriers.

At least twenty red admirals were feeding on a flowering ivy bush along a footpath near Feldy View on Tuesday.

A brimstone butterfly was photographed by Rusty Marshall in his Firs Chase garden on Sunday 5th.

A speckled bush cricket was photographed inside Michael Thorley's house near Meeting Lane.