STROOD DEER

A Chinese water deer was grazing in a corner of one of the Strood fields close to the seawall on Thursday 25th.

After a couple of minutes grazing, it lifted its head up to look at me, before bolting to the back of the stubble field to join up with the second Chinese water deer that had been hiding in some long grass. The two deer have been seen here a few times over the last week. Chinese water deer have been present on the island for just under three years.

A grey seal caught a fish in the Strood channel on Thursday.

A whinchat was seen along the Strood borrowdyke on Thursday, also a wheatear, four corn buntings, yellow wagtail, five reed buntings, two reed warblers and a whitethroat.

Along the Strood channel were 100 black-tailed godwits, 16 golden plover and a Mediterranean gull.

A buzzard perched on a bush on the Strood fields on Thursday, a sparrowhawk was also seen by Feldy View.

A skylark was feeding in a stubble field at the Strood on Thursday.

A painted lady butterfly was well camouflaged on the brown grass in Feldy View on Thursday.

A song thrush enjoyed having a refreshing bath in the Firs Chase garden on a hot Thursday.

Late on Thursday night a badger was seen in the Firs Chase garden for the first time, looking for food under the bird feeders.

A hummingbird hawk-moth is a regular visitor to the Firs Chase garden and on Thursday it was seen resting on a hazel fence panel.

A normal view of the hummingbird hawkmoth in the Firs Chase garden is a blurr of wings, such as this visitor on Monday 22nd.

A honey buzzard was watched by Steve Entwistle flying west over the East Mersea Golfhouse on Thursday afternoon. Also a hobby chasing some of the 40+ swallows, one sand martin and three house martins in the area. A garden warbler and a mistle thrush were also seen near the bus turning circle.

Martin Cock reported seeing ten blackcaps, four chiffchaffs and a whitethroat near Meeting Lane on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday 24th Martin Cock walked the Strood seawall and saw a red kite, hobby, three whinchat, wheatear, four corn buntings, twenty reed buntings, whitethroat and one Chinese water deer.

A visit to the Rewsalls marshes on Wednesday 24th provided views of 300 golden plover that flew off in a flock, 100 redshank, 30 turnstone, 15 little egrets, five ringed plovers, two whimbrel and two Mediterranean gulls.

A flock of 12 dunlin was feeding in the side lake at Rewsalls, next to the boating lake. 

Ten swallows and six house martins were seen, also a reed bunting too.

Steve Entwistle visited the Rewsalls side lake on Wednesday and saw two common sandpipers, 12 little grebes and two redshank, while offshore were four turnstone, eight golden plover, three dunlin and 12 ringed plover.

A small copper was beside the East Mersea Youth Camp on Wednesday, also common blue and five small heaths.

At Rewsalls marshes and side-lake on Tuesday 23rd during the high tide period, there were 350 golden plover, 220 redshank, 50 turnstone, 24 little egrets, 20 ringed plover, 14 little grebes,10 Mediterranean gulls, eight dunlin, two common sandpipers, whimbrel, pochard, willow warbler, Cetti's warbler and three reed buntings. Offshore were seven common terns seen flying past, while a hobby was sat in a stubble field west of the East Mersea church.

A kingfisher was seen in the East Mersea Golfhouse borrowdyke by Anne Cock and Nicola on Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday evening a ring-necked parakeet called loudly as it flew high and fast over the Firs Chase garden as it headed east. Only the sixth record for the island and the first since 2014. A swift was flying with 20 swallows over Firs Chase on Tuesday evening.

At Maydays Steve Entwistle on Tuesday evening saw two common sandpipers, two buzzards, two linnets, three grey plovers and three reed buntings.

A flock of fifty golden plover was on the mud near East Mersea Point on Monday 22nd. Also fifty black-tailed godwits, 100 turnstones, 30 ringed plovers, four avocets on the Golfhouse pools and a sanderling. Ten common terns were seen in the Colne.

A lapwing was feeding beside the country park borrowdyke on Monday. 

In the fields were a kestrel, 25 yellow wagtails and a flock of 300 starlings, while four whitethroats and three lesser whitethroats were seen in various bushes. Two teal and 12 little egrets were at the park pond. A wheatear was feeding in a field next to the Golfhouse.

A hobby raced over the bus turning circle where 30 swallows, four house martins, four sand martins and four swifts were flying about.

Five Mediterranean gulls were feeding on the mud by the East Mersea Point just after high tide on Monday.

A clouded yellow flew along the Park seawall on Monday, resting on flowering bristly ox-tongue plants. A presumed second individual was seen on Monday along the seawall near the Oyster Fishery by Martin Cock.

A migrant hawker rested on a bush at the country park on Monday.

Martin Cock and Andrew Tilsley walked the East Mersea seawall on Monday between the Golfhouse and Shop Lane and reported three whinchats, wheatear, 25 yellow wagtails, sedge warbler, Cetti's warbler, whitethroat, six lesser whitethroat, hobby, marsh harrier and a water rail feeding in the open along the borrowdyke by the Oyster Fishery for ten minutes.

Two Chinese water deer were seen in one of the Strood fields on Sunday 21st, hiding in an area of long grass.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday were 150 black-tailed godwits, also 20 golden plover, buzzard, sparrowhawk, two stonechats, three corn buntings, two whitethroats and a Mediterranean gull.

A lapwing was feeding on the mud beside the Strood seawall on Sunday.

On Sunday two willow warblers were feeding in the Firs Chase garden, also one in Martin Cock's garden in The Coverts and one in Michael Thorley's garden near Meeting Lane.