PECKISH FOX

A peckish fox was tucking into some over-ripe strawberries that were scattered under a tree in the Firs Chase garden. It has a very distinctive tail with a narrow band of fur missing half-way along its length.

On Friday 14th along the Strood channel there were two brent geese, 16 little grebes, 70 wigeon, ten teal and 200 golden plover of note. A Cetti's warbler, ten corn buntings, 30 skylarks, two chiffchaffs and a buzzard were in the fields, with a rock pipit flying along the seawall and a chiffchaff in Feldy View.

A red squirrel ran across Firs Chase, then crossing the Yacht Club car park under the parked cars.

A buzzard was mobbed by crows as it flew over the Firs Chase garden.

Nice and sunny on Thursday 13th for a walk alongside the Strood Channel. The bearded tit was still in the main reedbed for a second day, at one point flying high into the air as if to fly over to Ray Island, before dropping back into the reeds. Two stonechats were feeding along one of the hedgelines.

Birds of note along the channel included 300 golden plover, 50 grey plover, 70 ringed plover, 70 black-tailed godwits, 70 dunlin, knot, two greenshank, five Mediterranean gulls, greylag goose and 70 wigeon.

A goldcrest was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Thursday.

Andy Field walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Thursday morning and noted 34 little egrets, 280 dunlin, 30 grey plover, 80 curlew, 30 wigeon, 18 Mediterranean gulls on the Golfhouse paddock included a white-ringed 3118 bird, also three chiffchaffs, goldcrest, two blackcaps, Cetti's warbler, 20 long-tailed tits, two stonechats, six meadow pipits and the very pale reed bunting again at the Point. Offshore a harbour porpoise was seen and also three seals.

Michael Thorley heard the little owl beside his East Mersea house near Meeting Lane on Thursday evening.

A little egret was feeding along the Strood Channel on Wednesday 12th. A bearded tit was heard pinging from the reedbed and showed a couple of times as it flew across the tops of the reeds. A buzzard, stonechat and fifty skylarks were feeding in the fields.

A little stint was seen at the top end of the Strood channel with 50 dunlin, 80 ringed plover, 370 golden plover, three greenshank, 12 Mediterranean gulls, 110 wigeon and 20 teal.

A clouded yellow butterfly was seen crossing the Strood channel.

A mistle thrush and a low flying male marsh harrier were seen at the Firs Road cemetery.

A little owl was heard calling near Michael Thorley's house near Meeting Lane on Wednesday evening.

A peacock butterfly was feeding at the back of the East Mersea boating lake on a sunny Tuesday 11th.

A red admiral was feeding on blackberry juice near the East Mersea church - two others were also seen over the Rewsalls fields heading west.

The tide was starting to flood the Rewsalls marshes on Tuesday with birds noted being 120 redshank, 18 little egrets, ten ringed plover and ten dunlin. On the side-lake were 27 little grebes and four teal. Also seen in the area were 25 common gulls, three Mediterranean gulls, two Cetti's warblers, chiffchaff, mixed flock of ten goldfinches, 20 house sparrows and 15 reed buntings. In the fields were 50 skylarks, ten linnets, ten pied wagtails, three buzzards and two kestrels.

A sub-adult male eider was seen on Tuesday by the shingle island off Waldegraves and a Sandwich tern perched on a nearby buoy, while 45 great crested grebes were on the sea.

The eider was seen later on Tuesday afternoon by Steve Entwistle from Waldegraves, also a sanderling, 60+ Mediterranean gulls and 41 great crested grebes. 

Later on, a goldcrest was seen in Shop Lane by Steve and two chiffchaffs on the west side of the West Mersea Esplanade near Broomhills.

A strikingly silvery-coloured reed bunting was at the East Mersea Point on Monday 10th. It was feeding with three other reed buntings in the sea-blite bushes and a pair of stonechats, also two rock pipits in the saltmarsh. 

Andy Field took this picture of the very pale reed bunting, some sort of leucistic plumage. The bird was heard calling like a reed bunting.

Helping to do the monthly WeBS count, at least one family with young brent geese was seen in the Colne in a flock of 37 birds. Other ducks noted at the country park were a shoveler, gadwall, 17 teal and 51 wigeon, while 82 curlew were on the grazing fields. Along the foreshore near the Point were 11 sanderling, ten ringed plover, while other birds at the park were a snipe, buzzard, 19 little egrets and a Cetti's warbler.

Andy Field walked the north side of the Island doing the monthly WeBs count and found this male bearded tit with two other birds in the reeds in the dyke at Maydays on Monday morning. A water rail was in the dyke at Ivy Dock, pair of stonechat at Maydays and 34 Mediterranean gulls in Reeveshall bay in the Pyefleet.

Two Sandwich terns were seen off Victoria Esplanade by Steve Entwistle on Monday.

Two black rustic moths were in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the night of Wednesday 12th.

Common marbled carpet.

Least carpet has made a late appearance, a second generation after the warm summer.