GARDEN HUMMER

A hummingbird hawkmoth was photographed by Michael Thorley when it visited his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Sunday 19th June.

The hummingbird hawkmoth was first seen in the morning and then again four hours later when it visited some sweet William flowers. 

There haven't been many sightings so far this summer on the island of hummingbird hawkmoths, although Martin Cock saw one the previous day on Saturday 18th in his West Mersea garden in The Coverts feeding on lavender and another one that day seen by Kate Entwistle in her Empress Drive garden.

On Friday 17th Steve Entwistle visited the East Mersea area by the Golfhouse and reported a stonechat which was either a juvenile or tatty female near the dyke, redshank, ringed plover on the Point, three lesser whitethroats, linnet, two reed warblers, yellow wagtail, two sand martins, four swallows and two emperor dragonflies.

Andy Field photographed the kestrel nestbox at Cudmore Grove on Friday 16th, which appears to show at least three chicks. Also that morning the barn owl was hunting the park, grazing fields and the pond meadow and taking a vole back towards the nestbox at one point.

Three pochard were on the park pond, two Cetti's warblers, two sedge warblers and six reed warblers, also a family group of 6 lesser whitethroats, three chiffchaffs, common tern but no birds on the Golfhouse pools after a recent high tide.

Andy also photographed this bumblebee hoverfly Volucella bombylans at the park on Friday.

An immature blue-tailed damselfly at the park photographed by Andy.

At Maydays farm on Friday, Steve Entwistle watched a great white egret flying close to Bower Hall marsh as it headed towards Reeveshall marsh.

Also seen were a hobby, pair of grey partridge, cuckoo, two great crested grebes, Mediterranean gull, two reed warblers, whitethroat, curlew, redshank, oystercatcher and four house martins by farmhouse.

A rose chafer was photographed by Rusty Marshall in his Firs Chase garden on Thursday 16th.

On Wednesday 14th a spoonbill was seen by Paul Rowe from Old Hall, as it flew from Bradwell and over the Mersea Quarters.

Steve Entwistle walked the Strood seawall on Wednesday and noted common tern, six curlew, ten swallows in wires and sedge warbler by dyke.

There was the eye-catching sight of a bright moon-set over the Mersea Quarters at 3.40am from the Hard on Tuesday 14th June.

A cuckoo was heard calling in Empress Drive at 3.20am in Steve Entwistle's back garden.

Later on Tuesday Steve reported seeing from Cross Lane male marsh harrier, two house martins, three swifts, cuckoo, jay, blackcap, two greenfinch and two chiffchaffs.