SEAWALL WALK

A male linnet showing its colourful pink chest perched on a bush beside the Bower Hall seawall on Sunday 5th.
 

A meadow pipit was feeding amongst the saltmarsh opposite Bower Hall on Sunday. Two yellow wagtails were seen nearby, in the area of the old red-hill.

Two male yellowhammers were singing alongside the Bower Hall seawall, two fields apart from each other.

A golden plover flew over the seawall calling as it headed inland - an unusual record for early June. A common tern was hunting up the channel and six redshank were feeding along the mud.

At least two oystercatcher chicks were seen with the parent in a dinghy behind the Dabchicks sailing club on Sunday. This is the third year running at least, that a pair has nested in this boat with the adults bringing lugworms regularly to the chicks for the first two or three weeks.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday were two gadwall, pochard, two little grebes in the dyke, great crested grebe, male marsh harrier on the Strood Hill, three yellow wagtails, singing corn bunting and a distant Cetti's warbler heard singing on Ray Island. At least twenty-five swifts were flying high over the West Mersea houses.

 Earlier on Sunday during the walk along the Reeveshall and Maydays seawalls, five avocets were feeding along the edge of the mud, three grey plover, dunlin, two lapwing, three great crested grebes, two gadwall, four Mediterranean gulls, two common terns and two great black-backed gulls on Pewit Island. Four marsh harriers, two buzzards, cuckoo, two yellow wagtails, yellowhammer, meadow pipit, single singing corn buntings at Reeveshall and Maydays and a grey partridge that was nearly stood on along the top of the Maydays seawall before flying quickly off into the nearby fields.

The northerly breeze was carrying the sounds on Langenhoe of a cuckoo, Cetti's warbler and a few marsh frogs, across the Pyefleet to Reeveshall. In Shop Lane a great spotted woodpecker and chiffchaff were heard in Fishponds Wood. Along the seawall walk along the north side of the Island six red admirals and at least five yellow shell moths were disturbed from the grass.

Martin Cock reported on Sunday morning seeing a brent goose, an avocet still sitting near the Golfhouse and six redshank during his walk from the Oyster Fishery.

The resident song thrush was seen in the Firs Chase garden again on Sunday morning.

A singing reed warbler was an unusual visitor to Adrian Amos's garden on Sunday near the East Road /Oakwood Avenue junction.

A flock of 300+ starlings was feeding along the Maydays seawall on Saturday 4th, later the flock moved onto the saltmarsh to feed. Along the Pyefleet were 62 shelduck, two avocets, 15 grey plover, 16 curlew and a great crested grebe, while two marsh harriers and three buzzards were seen. 

The cuckoo was heard calling, two lapwings over Reeveshall, two swifts over, two house martins, three reed warblers, two yellow wagtails, six stock doves, four whitethroats, meadow pipit displaying and a singing yellowhammer were the main birds noted from the seawall. A painted lady butterfly was seen briefly.

Lots of the purple flowers of salsify were open up during the morning walk along the Maydays seawall on Saturday.

A pseudoscorpion was found at Cudmore Grove near the old fort on Saturday by Andrew Jewels.