CUCKOO CHICK

 

A recently fledged juvenile cuckoo was perched in bushes down the side of the Firs Chase caravan site on Thursday 7th July.

The cuckoo was seen being fed by a dunnock at one point - the cuckoo chick dwarfing the little adult foster parent!

Along the Strood seawall that morning were a marsh harrier, kestrel, two whitethroats, two corn buntings, four yellow wagtails, while along the channel were 30 curlew, six little egrets and 130 redshank.

A red squirrel was seen doing a high-wire balancing act as it ran along an overhead cable above Firs Chase.

On Wednesday 6th Martin Cock visited the Reeveshall seawall and noted 85 black-tailed godwits, 20 curlew, 32 avocets, buzzard, three marsh harriers, yellow wagtail and a pair of shelduck with six young.

In Shop Lane on Tuesday 5th two white-letter hairstreaks were seen in Shop Lane by Steve Entwistle as well as one in the south-west corner of Cudmore Grove country park. The barn owl was seen sitting at the entrance to the nestbox behind the park pond by Steve in the morning.

A four-spotted chaser was photographed by Steve Entwistle at the country park on Monday 4th. A white-letter hairstreak was seen in the southwest corner of the country park and possibly three maybe four of them in Shop Lane near the old decoy bunker.

At least four white-letter hairstreaks were seen in elms chasing each other on Sunday 3rd by Simon Patient, in the south-west corner of the country park - the first park record of them.

On Friday 1st Steve Entwistle walked the Cudmore circuit past the Point and the Golfhouse and noted three sand martins, pair of ringed plovers with two chicks, four reed warblers, two male reed buntings, pair of linnets, nine long-tailed tits, female pochard with two ducklings in the dyke, three blackcaps and chiffchaff. Later a hobby was seen near Blue Row.

A purple hairstreak was seen by Martin Cock in Meeting Lane on Friday.

At East Mersea Point on Wednesday 29th June four ringed plover chicks with two adults seen by Martin Cock. Also in the area ten curlew, seven avocets and two common terns.

On Tuesday 28th in Shop Lane area Martin reported three Cetti's warblers, lesser whitethroat, common whitethroat, buzzard as well as ringlets and a small skipper.

Gary Petley reported on Tuesday three sparrowhawk chicks were close to flying their nest just inside the main entrance to Mersea Park. The birds were flapping their wings in preparation for them fledging

Michael Thorley photographed this sputnik gall wasp Diplolepsis nervosa, on the underside of hybrid T-rose leaves in his East Mersea garden on Monday 27th.

A singing corn bunting was the only bird of note reported by Martin Cock after his visit to Maydays farm on Monday 27th.

On Friday 24th at East Mersea Point, three sanderling, two ringed plovers with four small chicks (hatching against all the odds on the busy beach) and a golden plover on the Golfhouse pools were noted by Martin Cock. The same birds were seen later by Steve Entwistle along with four common terns.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen feeding on red valerian by Andy Field in his High St North garden on Thursday 23rd.

Two barn owls were seen by Martin Cock on Monday 20th hunting the Cudmore Grove grazing fields in the morning. The ringed plover pair was still sitting on four eggs at the Point, five sand martins and small skipper seen too.

On Sunday 19th at Maydays Martin reported a new sedge warbler singing, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, yellowhammer, six curlew as well as large skipper and small skippers.