SPRING SUNSHINE

Several butterflies such as this comma were enjoying the spring sunshine on Thursday 24th beside the footpath between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane. 

Five small tortoiseshells and four peacock butterflies were also seen along the path, while a brimstone was seen flying along Shop Lane.

Four brambling were seen near Shop Lane, two flying away calling and two others calling from tree-tops such as this brambling perched up. Three siskins flew over calling towards Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane. A woodcock flew out of a ditch calling and then flying low along the hedgeline out of sight. A Cetti's warbler called from its usual corner, five chiffchaffs were singing, a sparrowhawk and three buzzards were also noted.

The lesser celandine flowers added some spring colour to one of the ditches east of Meeting Lane.

Michael Thorley at his house near Meeting Lane noted eight greenfinches after a long absence of them from his garden this winter.

On Wednesday 23rd during a walk along the Strood seawall, birds noted included the male red-breasted merganser, ten wigeon, eight teal, 15 shelduck, five avocets, 25 grey plover, 15 dunlin and two Mediterranean gulls. Two buzzards passed over, a corn bunting flew onto one of the fields, ten linnets in a field and the Cetti's warbler sang at the Strood reservoirs. A brimstone butterfly flew along the seawall and one was seen in Firs Chase too.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday a Cetti's warbler sang near the car park while ten snipe flew off the grazing fields.

Along the Strood on Tuesday 22nd were fifty brent geese, male red-breasted merganser, great crested grebe, 42 grey plover, 27 black-tailed godwits, 21 dunlin and two avocets. Four buzzards were seen flying, while in the fields were three corn buntings, 30 linnets, a meadow pipit and the Cetti's warbler by the Strood reservoirs.

Also on Tuesday in Firs Chase the male siskin was back at the garden feeder as was the overwintering female blackcap, also a brimstone passed through, while a male siskin was also seen by Ian Black at his garden feeder in Mersea Avenue. On Tuesday afternoon a siskin called as it flew over the southern end of Shop Lane.

Shaun Bater walked from Seaview to the East Mersea boating lake and noted 100 brent geese west of the Youth Camp, a red-legged partridge at the Youth Camp, also sanderling, two shelduck, curlew and four Mediterranean gulls.

Two red-legged partridge were seen in Chapmans Lane by Steve Entwistle on Tuesday.

Andy Field and I walked the north side of the island to do the monthly wildfowl count. The main highlight was a red kite circling over the Langenhoe ranges which seemed to stir up some of the buzzards and marsh harriers there. Seven marsh harriers and five buzzards were noted during the walk.

Birds counted included 357 brent geese, 131 curlew, 540 redshank, 80 teal, 241 shelduck, 2 pairs of pintail, 17 black-tailed godwits, while at the country park were 252 wigeon, pochard, 8 gadwall, two snipe, ten shoveler, four avocets and ten lapwing. Two lapwing chased off a marsh harrier on Reeveshall and forty were noted, some on Pewit Island.

A juvenile pale-bellied brent goose was with a small flock of dark-bellied brent geese along the Pyefleet on Monday.

A pair of siskin visited the feeder in the Firs Chase garden on Monday, here the male tucking into some sunflower hearts.

At least four greenfinches have been regular visitors along with some of the 30+ goldfinches in the Firs Chase area.

On Sunday 20th a flock of 100 wigeon were on the saltmarsh pools by the Golfhouse at East Mersea, also eight avocets, two tufted ducks, ten shoveler, ten teal and two little egrets seen.

Along the Pyefleet were seven marsh harriers, three red-breasted mergansers, six great crested grebes, an avocet on Reeveshall, chiffchaff and two siskin flying north-east near the Oyster Fishery.

A Cetti's warbler sang at Maydays farm, while along the Bower Hall seawall seven corn buntings perched up. Three red-breasted mergansers were in the Strood, Cetti's warbler by the Strood reservoirs, 2000 brent geese flew off Feldy Marshes with most landing in the Ray Channel,

Earlier on Sunday morning three sparrowhawks circled above the Firs Chase garden.

Martin Cock saw a male siskin on his garden feeder in The Coverts on Sunday morning and two great northern divers were seen offshore from the Esplanade by Jonathan Norgate on Sunday morning.

On a windy Saturday 19th, birds noted at Maydays included a red-breasted merganser, six great crested grebes, 200 dunlin, four marsh harriers, buzzard, two linnets and two reed buntings.

Michael Thorley reported seeing a pair of avocets, an oystercatcher pair and a mallard pair beside the East Mersea boating lake on Saturday

Some of emperor moth caterpillars that have been pupating for the last ten months finally emerged to be set free in the Firs Chase garden. This female was one of a handful that were released. These are the offspring from eggs laid by a female that visited the garden moth trap at the very end of March last year.

A handful of male emperor moths with their orangey hind-wings were also successful in emerging and then released into the garden.