LADY BY THE LAKE

A fresh painted lady was feeding beside the East Mersea boating lake on Monday 25th - a second one was also seen by the beach just west of Waldegraves.

Four recently fledged shelduck were resting beside the Rewsalls marshes on Monday, as was a black-headed gull in the picture. Twelve little egrets were roosting here during the high tide, seven little grebes were on the sidelake but surprisingly no waders roosting. Passing west overhead were ten swifts and two sand martins, also a feeding flock on the marshes of 200 starlings. Offshore six common terns were seen.

Lots of clumps of sea holly on the beach in front of the boating lake and also near Waldegraves too.

At Cudmore Grove a barn owl was sitting outside the nestbox near the park pond, hissing loudly at 6.30am on Monday, seen by Nicola.

The first swift chick of three was seen to have fledged and left the nestbox on Andy Field's house in High St North.

On a hot Sunday 24th a brown hare was keeping a watch-out from a lucerne crop to the west of Shop Lane. A clouded yellow flashed over the crop while at least twenty common blues were also noted here.

A large skipper was resting beside the path near Gyants Marsh on Sunday, while in an oak tree above a purple hairstreak was seen fluttering about the canopy. Other butterflies seen included peacock, comma, small tortoiseshell, four brown argus, meadow brown, gatekeeper, ringlet, speckled wood, small white, large white and Essex/small skipper.

Several ruddy darters were seen west of Shop Lane on Sunday, also a couple of migrant hawkers.

A colourful carpet of fleabane near Shop Lane is usually good for butterflies, although it was a bit breezy for them on Sunday.

Birds noted included a buzzard, kestrel, fifty swallows, two house martins, Cetti's warbler, yellowhammer, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, six linnets and three whitethroats.

A hobby was seen flying past Andy Field's garden in High St North on Sunday early evening.

A female yellow wagtail perched on a post at Maydays farm on Saturday 23rd. A yellowhammer was singing from bushes along the dyke, two reed warblers, two whitethroats, Cetti's warbler and a corn bunting also noted. Along the Pyefleet were fifty curlew, forty redshank, three little egrets and also a marsh harrier seen.

Butterflies noted on the sunny Saturday along the Maydays seawall included this small copper.

Eight common blues were seen at Maydays along the seawall.

Also at Maydays on Saturday were three brown argus - this one landing close beside me whilst I was sitting down. A small tortoiseshell was feeding along the seawall too.

Steve Entwistle reported from Cudmore Grove on Saturday seeing blackcap, four whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, sand martin, two common gulls, four turnstone, two dunlin and 45 black-tailed godwits.