Also seen along the Strood seawall were 20 whimbrel, four common terns, pair of shoveler, pair of gadwall, seven pochard and two mute swans in the dyke. Three reed warblers, sedge warbler, lesser whitethroat and a corn bunting were all heard singing and eight stock doves were feeding in a field.
Butterflies seen in Martin Cock's garden on Sunday included a green hairstreak, comma, speckled wood and a holly blue, while Andy Field watched a brimstone and orange-tip in his garden.
It was nice to feel the warmth in the sunshine again along the Maydays seawall, after several chilly and grey days recently on the Island. The first look at a cuckoo this spring was a female doing its bubbling call as it flew across a field. Later a male cuckoo was heard on the Langenhoe marshes opposite.
Eight avocets were seen on the Golfhouse pools on Friday morning, including this bird sitting presumably on a nest. Also three redshank on the pool, two marsh harriers flew over the fields.
A knot was present on the beach at the East Mersea Point on Friday, although no sign of its mate.
A pair of reed buntings was seen in the sea-blite bushes at the Point.
A wheatear was feeding in the horse paddock at the Golfhouse on Friday. Two Cetti's warblers were singing at the park, also willow warbler by the park entrance, three sedge warblers, three lesser whitethroats, and three whitethroats singing too.
A male wigeon was still in the park's grazing fields, with five teal also noted.
A pair of shelduck was on the park pond on Friday, also four pochard and four tufted ducks, eight greylag geese were doing lots of squabbling with one of the females still sitting on her nest. A water rail was heard calling, while the long-tailed tit nest by the park pond was lost to a marauding magpie.
A female siskin was first spotted at the bird feeder in the Firs Chase garden on Thursday 28th. It made at least a couple of visits during the afternoon, feeding on the sunflower hearts.
A little owl perched in a couple of trees near the pond close to the Waldgraves seawall on Wednesday 27th. A sedge warbler and Cetti's warbler were singing close to the main fishing lake at Waldegraves.
Looks like a new pond is being excavated alongside Cross Lane as part of the new housing development. Birds noted along Cross Lane on Wednesday were a sparrowhawk hunting low down along the lane, lesser whitethroat, two whitethroats and three blackcaps. Five common terns were flying along the coastline.
The warm weather also saw lots of marsh harrier activity with seven noted, especially displaying males calling while flying way-up high in the sky. Also a couple of buzzards seen, two sparrowhawks over Maydays, while a hobby was watched flying about over Langenhoe.
In the Pyefleet channel birds noted were four common terns, two Mediterranean gulls, four great crested grebes, 30 grey plover, ten whimbrel, three bar-tailed godwits and 20 dunlin. Two sedge warblers, six reed warblers, two whitethroats were heard singing, three yellow wagtails and a meadow pipit were noted from the seawall while a Cetti's warbler sang near the Haycocks yard. An adder, two common seals, brown hare and brimstone butterfly were also of interest.
A female siskin visited the bird feeder in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 29th for the second day running. A closer look at the pictures taken of it, showed it had a metal ring on its right leg - unfortunately too far off to read.
Andy Field walked from Shop Lane, meeting up with me along the Reeveshall seawall and had noted two Canada geese, six corn buntings, six swallows and a corn bunting.
In the Colne were five great crested grebes.
Steve Entwistle on Friday noted at the Strood fishing lakes two yellow wagtails and two skylark nearby, Cetti's warbler, lesser whitethroat and two swallows. Later Steve managed to catch a distant glimpse from St Peters of a long-tailed duck at the entrance to Tollesbury channel, also a distant peregrine on Bradwell power station, while a pale-bellied brent goose, seven brent geese were at Cobmarsh and a Cetti's warbler singing at St Peters.
Martin Cock noted along the Strood seawall early on Friday morning three sedge warblers, one reed warbler, whitethroat, two Canada geese, four whimbrel and the shag on a pontoon.
A cuckoo was heard calling at the back of the Strood fields, also a whimbrel, two buzzards, two Mediterranean gulls, two common terns, lesser whitethroat noted. Later a sparrowhawk and a buzzard were chased by crows in the afternoon over Feldy View, also four linnets here.
A buzzard flying low over Reymead wood on Thursday was mobbed by crows.
A pair of Egyptian geese was seen on Cobmarsh Island by Steve Entwistle on Thursday, also two common terns and 31 sanderling there. Along the Strood were noted a bar-tailed godwit, five whimbrel, cuckoo on wires, reed bunting pair and three swallows.
Shaun Bater noted in Cross Lane on Thursday whitethroat, chiffchaff, blackcap, while on the Rewsalls side-lake was one avocet.
At the Rewsalls marshes an avocet briefly landed on the side-lake, six whimbrel flew over while four little egrets were also noted. A lesser whitethroat and whitethroat were heard singing here.
In the Shop Lane and Oyster Fishery area Martin Cock reported on Wednesday morning the nightingale still singing, cuckoo, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, two Cetti's warbler, six pochard, three marsh harriers, two buzzards.
The previous day Martin saw the shag and two common terns opposite the Dabchicks.
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