RINGED PLOVER ROOST

A flock of 46 ringed plovers roosted on a ploughed section of field by the Strood seawall on Monday 26th.

The high tide on Monday ended up being half a metre higher than originally forecasted and covered all of the saltmarshes, as pictured above in front of the Firs Caravan park. As the sea covered the marshes waders and wildfowl were flying about, such as 30 wigeon, six teal, 30 little egrets, an impressive count of at least 60 Mediterranean gulls near the Strood causeway, snipe, avocet, bar-tailed godwit, as well as marsh harrier and buzzard.

A wheatear was seen feeding in the Strood field on Monday as were 100 linnets, stonechat, four corn buntings, 10 skylarks and six meadow pipits. Three swallows and 20 house martins flew north-west off the island and a blackcap was in Feldy View.

Two speckled wood butterflies were in Feldy View and a hummingbird hawkmoth was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Monday.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday Martin Cock walked the circuit round the seawall and reported ten chiffchaff, blackcap, 44 little egrets on the park pond, 90 curlew, a few swallows and house martins.

On Sunday 25th at Maydays farm, Martin Cock saw two wheatears, stonechat, greenshank, common sandpiper, two Mediterranean gulls and a marsh harrier.

Andy Field walked along the seawall from Shop Lane to East Mersea Point on Saturday 24th and noted a red squirrel, two chiffchaff, 100+ dunlin, 30 grey plover, five knot, 35 black-tailed godwits, two bar-tailed godwits, fifty turnstones, 60 avocets, marsh harrier, hobby, 20 wigeon and ten teal.

Steve Entwistle on Saturday saw a common sandpiper, greenshank, two black-tailed godwits, 22 little grebes, 11 Mediterranean gulls and two linnets at Rewsalls marshes / boating lake, while at the Coopers Beach there was a wheatear, kingfisher and six great crested grebes on the sea. At Cudmore Grove a Cetti's warbler, six wigeon and two gadwall were at the pond while two buzzards were seen last thing at Maydays by Steve.

In Shop Lane on Friday 23rd four chiffchaffs, four lesser whitethroats, yellow wagtail, yellowhammer, great spotted woodpecker and a red squirrel were seen by Martin Cock, who also reported six house martins over his West Mersea house.

Steve Entwistle reported a chiffchaff in Feldy View on Friday morning.

A marsh harrier was seen by Michael Thorley on Thursday 22nd as it briefly hovered low over Meeting Lane then heading west over his garden, also two buzzards soaring high over the garden as they drifted west.

On Wednesday 21st Martin Cock walked the seawall from the Golfhouse to Shop Lane and reported a grey wagtail over the Oyster Fishery, six lesser whitethroats, yellow wagtail, two blackcaps, reed warbler, chiffchaff, common tern, bar-tailed godwit, 140 turnstone, 200 black-tailed godwits, two knot, three snipe, 90 avocets, forty swallows and house martins, also some brent geese heard but not seen.

The osprey was seen perched on a post in the Geedons by Martin Cock from the Oyster Fishery on Monday 19th, also two buzzards, later a chiffchaff in his West Mersea garden.

Andy Field visited Feldy View and the Strood seawall on Monday and noted 6-7 chiffchaffs, corn bunting, 30 linnets, 50 black-tailed godwits, 200 golden plover, 200 redshank, two bar-tailed godwits, 12 grey plover, 20 curlew, ten turnstone and a buzzard. 

Eight Canada geese and a bar-headed goose were seen flying along the Strood Channel by Steve Entwistle from Feldy View on Monday, also two mute swans seen.

On Saturday 17th Michael Thorley visited Cudmore Grove and noted seven wigeon there, while at the Golfhouse there were two mistle thrushes and seven pied wagtails, also 27 little egrets were on the nearby pools.