SINGING SEDGES

 

A sedge warbler posed nicely to be photographed by Andy Field as it sang from the reedbed beside the Strood seawall on Tuesday 26th. A second sedge warbler was also heard singing further along the Strood dyke.

Apart from the sedge warbler showing its back to Andy, two reed warblers were heard singing along the Strood dyke, a yellow wagtail, six whimbrel, three Mediterranean gulls, as well as the shag on a buoy opposite the Firs caravan park were seen.

The most notable bird found by Andy on Tuesday morning was a female black redstart seen briefly beside the Firs caravan park. It perched up briefly on a bush but disappeared presumably into the caravan park and not seen again.

Thousands of St Marks flies were flying about during Andy's walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday.

At Coopers Beach on Tuesday morning, a sedge warbler and Cetti's warbler were singing by the football pitch. Also noted were three whitethroats singing, grey heron, two swallows while offshore was a marsh harrier flying east to Colne Point and also two great crested grebes on the sea.

The green-winged orchids were putting on another nice display in Dave Chadwick's back garden on the Esplanade on Tuesday. However the very dry spring appears to have brought the flowering season forward a fortnight and also most plants looked very stunted and shorter than in previous years, presumably due the dry soil.

There were probably over 300 flowering spikes of the green-winged orchids while the distinctive leaves of the common spotted orchids were getting ready for their flowering season later next month.

 

The immature shag was perched on a buoy behind the Dabchicks sailing club on Monday 25th, the bird was last seen about three weeks previously.

Birds seen during a walk along the Strood seawall included a pair of gadwall, 11 whimbrel, black-tailed godwit, four Mediterranean gulls, greylag goose, two sedge warblers, Cetti's warbler, reed warbler, lesser whitethroat, house martin, yellow wagtail, five corn buntings, 42 carrion crows in a field, also two jays flying high to Ray Island. 

At Maydays farm on Monday Steve Entwistle reported a pair of grey partridge, common tern, reed warbler, greylag goose, two cuckoo, three whimbrel, two whitethroat and a hobby perched on a sign on Langenhoe marshes.

Martin Cock walked from the East Mersea church to the Rewsalls boating lake on Monday and noted a willow warbler, three lesser whitethroats, many whitethroats, two yellow wagtails, five whimbrel, six turnstones, two great crested grebes offshore and a Cetti's warbler near the church.

On Sunday 24th along the north side of the Island there were 11 whimbrel seen in the Pyefleet channel and another ten in the Strood channel just prior to the high tide. Also along the Pyefleet were 120 shelduck, ten grey plover, two bar-tailed godwits, while a hobby was swooping after insects on the Langenhoe seawall and a cuckoo heard calling from there too. Also five marsh harriers, two buzzards, five lapwing on Reeveshall and a nightingale still singing in Shop Lane. 

Lots of scurvy grass was in flower on the saltmarsh below Bower Hall farm on Sunday. Also two yellow wagtails, buzzard, lesser whitethroat, singing corn bunting and two reed buntings on this section.

Steve Entwistle walked the Shop Lane section of seawall on Sunday afternoon and noted three Canada geese, two greylag geese, two marsh harriers and a buzzard.

A green hairstreak butterfly rested beside the back door of the Firs Chase garden on both Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th, sheltering from the wind whilst enjoying the sun.

The nightingale was heard singing from the scrubby field near the north end of Shop Lane on Saturday.

Steve the red squirrel was busy handing out small hazel trees to local residents outside the Life in Eco shop on Saturday. As well as some home deliveries, 650 hazels were eventually handed out to help the red squirrel population to thrive.

At Cudmore Grove on Friday 22nd, Andy Field photographed one of the two knot seen close into the beach at the East Mersea Point. Also at the park were four avocets, buzzard, kestrel sitting in the box, two lesser whitethroats, two swallows and seven pochard.

Andy photographed the sedge warbler when it appeared on a bramble bush in front of the park pond.

In Shop Lane a sparrowhawk and kestrel was seen over Chris Burr's garden on Friday as well as an adder heading to a pile of brash.

A male pied wagtail stood on the edge of the Strood saltmarsh on Thursday 21st.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall included a whimbrel, brent goose, yellow wagtail, corn bunting, yellowhammer, three black-tailed godwit, Cetti's warbler, 30 linnets, buzzard, sparrowhawk, 16 Mediterranean gulls and three common terns.

Martin Cock also walked the Strood seawall on Thursday and noted six whimbrel, two yellow wagtails, two Mediterranean gulls, whitethroat and Cetti's warbler.

Steve Entwistle photographed this green hairstreak at St Peters by the well decking on Thursday, also the Cetti's warbler showing well there too, 54 brent geese and greylag goose on Cobmarsh Island. Over Old Hall were seen two marsh harriers and two greylag geese.

Later on Thursday Steve noted at Maydays two great white egrets flying over, two grey herons, 32 stock doves and nine yellowhammers.

Moth trapping continues to be very quiet in the Firs Chase garden due to the cold nights. This purple thorn was one of only half a dozen moths seen in the evening of Wednesday 20th.

A coronet was an unexpected early sighting for the season in the moth trap on Wednesday 20th