STROOD SEDGES

Three sedge warblers were singing along the Strood dyke on Thursday 27th. Two males were singing from two bushes close together, at the end of the central ditch. The bird pictured had just risen into the air and then parachuted back to the reeds where it continued singing. A third bird was singing near the corner reedbed.

A reed warbler, two whitethroats were also singing along the dyke, yellow wagtail and two corn buntings flew over. In the recently sown Strood Hill field there were 300 wood pigeons, 30 carrion crows and 20 linnets.

Five black-tailed godwits were feeding along the Strood channel on Thursday, also 12 whimbrel, 18 avocets, four dunlin and three great crested grebes.

The pair of shoveler was seen again beside one of the pools in the Strood fields on Thursday, 16 shelduck and seven little egrets also noted.

Two marsh harriers were seen on Thursday, this male hunting over the wheat field by Feldy View, also five common buzzards and two kestrels seen from the seawall.

At Cudmore Grove on Thursday evening, Caroline White noted yellow wagtail, pair of wheatears, pair of teal, pair of greylag, pair of shoveler, two pairs of tufted duck and a pair of mute swans. The barn owl was hunting the area near the park pond, also here a blackcap, chiffchaff, and a muntjac deer. At the Golfhouse pools were four shelduck, avocet and little egret.

On Wednesday 26th a little egret flew out of a muddy creek in the saltmarsh and stood on the path in front of the Firs Caravan park.

At least fifteen whimbrel were seen along the Strood channel on Wednesday, some in small groups on the mud, others feeding in the saltmarsh and some flying past whistling. Also along the channel were 17 avocets, four black-tailed godwits, two common terns and a Mediterranean gull.

Eight buzzards were noted, some being passage birds seen high up, lower down a marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, also two sedge warblers, yellow wagtail and a whitethroat.

In East Mersea eleven brent geese and a whimbrel were seen from the Shop Lane seawall by Martin Cock on Wednesday, while Michael Thorley watched a sparrowhawk hunting in his garden near Meeting Lane, also eight goldfinches there.

A confiding male yellow wagtail was feeding along the top of the Strood seawall on Tuesday 25th.

Three sedge warblers were singing, also a reed warbler and two whitethroats beside the seawall, while three sand martins crossed over the Strood channel and five swallows seen too.

Three buzzards were seen, while on the Strood Hill field 200 wood pigeons and 30 carrion crows were feeding on a recently sown crop.

Three avocets were doing a bit of bickering along the Strood channel on Tuesday, some of the 14 birds present. Two whimbrel, two curlew, four black-tailed godwits and three grey plover were the other waders noted.

Four great crested grebes were seen resting together in the Strood Channel on Tuesday, while in the Mersea Quarters there were still 30 brent geese near Packing Marsh island and Cobmarsh.

 

A very big female grass-snake was resting beside the path at Feldy View on Tuesday - so long at nearly four feet, it was difficult fitting the whole snake into the photo!

The head of the grass-snake facing the hedge, which is where the snake disappeared into after a few minutes.

A barn owl was seen emerging from the box at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday evening and photographed by Caroline White. It was seen perching on a post for about ten minutes and stayed in the area for over half an hour up until 7pm.

Also seen at Cudmore by Caroline were ten shelduck, four greylag geese, lapwing pair, pochard pair, mute swan pair, two pairs of tufted ducks, shoveler pair, reed warbler all noted in the grazing fields or the dyke. In the park and the pond area were three chiffchaffs, blackcap, sedge warbler, pair of tufted ducks, pair of little grebes and six sand martins.

Jon Ward also visited Cudmore Grove on Tuesday and reported two reed warblers, sedge warbler, pochard and swallows being the highlights there.

A wheatear was photographed by Andy Field at East Mersea Point on Monday 24th.

Also seen during Andy's circuit of Cudmore Grove were four whitethroats, two lesser whitethroats, two sedge warblers, reed warbler, two Cetti's warblers, willow warbler singing in the park, six swallows, two sand martins, house martin, pair of lapwings, 150 black-tailed godwits on the mud, whimbrel, red kite over the grazing fields, buzzard, four greylag geese, wigeon, pochard and a brent goose.

An evening circuit of Cudmore by Caroline White on Monday saw being reported three whitethroats, sedge warbler by the hide, Cetti's warbler by the hide path and another by the Golfhouse dyke, pair of lapwings, four greylag geese, mute swan pair, three ringed plovers, turnstone on beach and a song thrush by the park entrance.

Two swallows rested on wires beside Meeting Lane in East Mersea on Monday 24th. On a walk between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane, there were four buzzards, sparrowhawk, three Cetti's warblers, three blackcaps, four chiffchaffs, four whitethroats and one lesser whitethroat all singing. Two Mediterranean gulls flew over calling.

A sedge warbler sang from a small bush on the Reeveshall seawall on Monday. On Reeveshall were two gadwall, six teal, five lapwing and 27 shelduck. In the Pyefleet were two Canada geese, three greylag geese, two Mediterranean gulls and a whimbrel while on Langenhoe were a calling cuckoo, three marsh harriers, two buzzards and two pochard flying in.

SQUIRREL SIBLINGS

Two red squirrels fed beside each other at a bird's peanut feeder in the Firs Chase garden on a drizzly afternoon on Sunday 23rd. The two squirrels seemed to have a similar grey colour tone to the coat and appeared happy to feed together, so it's possible these two are siblings. Will have to keep an eye out for their future visits. 

There were two sedge warblers singing along the Strood borrowdyke on Sunday, also a reed warbler, and two yellow wagtails perched on wires.

Ten black-tailed godwits were feeding along the Strood Channel, as were 12 avocets, a whimbrel, four Mediterranean gulls flew over and a male gadwall was feeding in the waterlogged field.

Two kestrels were beside the Firs Caravan park on Sunday and a buzzard was seen over the fields.

Shaun Bater reported seeing during his Sunday morning dog-walk in West Mersea, a house martin, three blackcaps and a whitethroat in Saltings Crescent, a skylark and marsh harrier in Dawes Lane, four greenfinch, chiffchaff and two blackcaps in Cross Lane and a swallow in Estuary Park Road.

Also on Sunday Martin Cock managed a quick walk in the morning between the showers and noted three Cetti's warblers, two sedge warblers, two reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, five chiffchaff, yellow wagtail, marsh harrier and four Mediterranean gulls.

On Saturday 22nd, there was the unexpected sight of a hoopoe flying close in front of me as I walked towards the seawall at Maydays farm. The distinctive black and white pattern on the wings, the pale pink / brown body and the undulating flight provided a memorable sight. The hoopoe appeared from behind a small copse of trees and flew east over the Maydays fields and was watched continuing over Reeveshall until it was a distant speck and then lost to view. It wasn't seen to land unfortunately and was not seen again. The last hoopoe on Mersea was twenty-five years ago when one stayed in West Mersea for several days in late 1998.

Also at Maydays on Saturday were two common terns in the Pyefleet channel, three great crested grebes, twenty Mediterranean gulls flying over in their noisy pairs, four little egrets, three marsh harriers, four buzzards and two gadwall over Langenhoe.

Twelve whimbrel were seen at Maydays on Saturday including this group of six on the mud.

Along the dyke were two singing sedge warblers, lesser whitethroat, Cetti's warbler, also a house martin by the farm-house.

Jack Hoy saw two grey partridges fly off the Maydays seawall and headed over the fields on Saturday, also a muntjac deer. 

White patches of scurvy grass are dotted about the saltmarsh at the moment, this one at Maydays.

In Firs Chase on Saturday a willow warbler was singing beside the road and later a marsh harrier flew over the garden.

Andy Field visited the Strood seawall on Saturday morning and watched two ravens flying south over Feldy View, four blackcaps, two chiffchaffs, four Mediterranean gulls, common tern, three sedge warblers, reed warbler, corn bunting, two whimbrel, ten black-tailed godwits, two bar-tailed godwits, two avocets.

Later in Shop Lane a lesser whitethroat, Cetti's warbler and two buzzards were seen.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit on Saturday and noted three pochard on the pond, whitethroat, sedge warbler heard, ten swallows, six chiffchaff, four Cetti's warblers, three sedge warblers in reeds by dyke, reed warbler, 30 brent geese, ten black-tailed godwits, little egret, 15 shoveler and five blackcaps.

Walking the seawall between the Golfhouse and the Oyster Fishery on Saturday, Oliver Cottis reported the leucistic redshank, five bar-tailed godwits, knot, lesser whitethroat, yellow wagtail, sedge warbler, three whitethroat, six common terns, sparrowhawk and five swallows.

On Friday 21st four bar-tailed godwits were feeding on the mud near the West Mersea Hard with three of the birds in their russet breeding plumage.

Another of the bar-tailed godwits was this pale individual in its non-breeding plumage.

Along the Strood channel on Friday were seen five brent geese, pochard, great crested grebe, 18 avocets, whimbrel and ten black-tailed godwits.

A marsh harrier flew over the fields, sedge warbler and yellow wagtail also noted.

In the dull conditions of Friday morning, the rusty belly of the swallow could be seen as it perched on wires near the Dabchicks - six other swallows seen.

Martin Cock also walked the Strood seawall on Friday and also noted sedge warbler, blackcap, 12 whimbrel, 20+ Mediterranean gulls, male pochard flying, two marsh harriers, two great crested grebes, three yellow wagtails, six grey plover and a few black-tailed godwits.

Two grey partridge were seen at Maydays near the farm reservoirs on Friday by Jack Hoy.

Two ravens were seen flying east over Old Hall Marshes towards Mersea on Friday late morning by Colin Mackenzie-Grieve.

A rare sight at the west end of the Island was seeing this rabbit hopping along the footpath beside the Firs Caravan park on Friday. Not an animal that occurs in this corner of the Island. After it saw me move, it turned swiftly round and ran away along the path.

On Thursday 20th at Cudmore Grove the pair of ringed plover was on the beach at the East Mersea Point, although no sign of a nest yet - a third bird was also on nearby mud.

Twenty dunlin were also by the East Mersea Point just before high tide.

The leucistic redshank was with 70 others roosting on the Golfhouse pools, also an avocet here.

Elsewhere around the park were five shoveler, ten teal, pochard, two tufted ducks, water rail heard, two lapwing on the fields, six sand martins, three swallows, Cetti's warbler, three chiffchaff, two blackcaps and also two sparrowhawks circling together to the north of the park.

A tan-coloured adder was well camouflaged beside the central track across the country park on Thursday, a second adder was also seen.

Caroline White visited Cudmore on Thursday early evening and reported a great spotted woodpecker, three sand martins, six shelduck, four avocets, kestrel, lapwing, greylag goose, six teal, chiffchaff, eight sand martins, barn owl at the pond, five pochard, two little grebes, pair of coots nesting, water rail calling, song thrush, whitethroat and two green woodpeckers, also a muntjac deer in the fields.

At the Strood Steve Entwistle on Thursday saw the sedge warbler displaying, two whimbrel, three linnets, three reed buntings, nine avocets, 12 shelduck, black-tailed godwit.

Martin Cock saw lesser whitethroat singing, Cetti's warbler, chiffchaff, buzzard and two brimstone butterflies at Maydays farm on Thursday.

Shaun Bater saw a chiffchaff in Cross Lane also a female pochard and a mallard on the Sanderling Reach pond on Thursday.

Michael Thorley photographed this Dark-edged Bee-fly in his greenhouse near Meeting Lane in East Mersea.

GARDEN GREAT SPOT

 

A female great spotted woodpecker was a surprise visitor to the Firs Chase garden, feeding on the sunflower hearts in a bird-feeder, on Wednesday 19th. 

A small tortoiseshell was resting in the morning sunshine along the Strood seawall on Wednesday. 

A great crested grebe was swimming up the Strood Channel just before high tide on Wednesday. Two common terns were also heading up the channel, a whimbrel flew off the saltmarsh by the caravan park, two pairs of Mediterranean gulls flew past and 150 brent geese were still in the area. A female marsh harrier flew over Ray Island while later a male marsh harrier flew over the Strood fields. Two buzzards were also noted.

A sedge warbler sang briefly from the corner reedbed, the Cetti's warbler sang from the Strood reservoirs, while on the Strood fields were a lapwing again, 16 shelduck and a small number of gulls roosting. Two swallows were flying about the Dabchicks and two blackcaps singing beside the Firs Caravan park and a sparrowhawk seen as well.

At Maydays farm on Wednesday, Steve Entwistle saw two house martins and a male marsh harrier.

A pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over Andy Field's garden in High St North.

A pair of avocet was on the side-lake at Rewsalls on Tuesday 18th for the second day running at least. 

Other birds seen on the marshes were ten curlew, 25 redshank, two shelduck, three little egrets, a dunlin and four Mediterranean gulls flew over the marshes.

A Cetti's warbler, singing blackcap and a swallow were noted as well.

A small group of turnstones was stood on the broken Rewsalls seawall having to dodge the waves splashing on the concrete at high tide.

One of the fifteen turnstones seen on the old Rewsalls seawall at high tide on Tuesday.

Just one sanderling was on the beach at high tide by the boating lake on Tuesday with some of the turnstones.

At Cudmore Grove Shaun Bater walked the circuit on Tuesday morning and reported a marsh harrier over the bus turning circle, two swallows over the horse paddocks, Cetti's warbler in nearby hedge, song thrush and blackcap singing at park entrance, while at the pond were a blackcap, Cetti's warbler, chiffchaff, long-tailed tit pair, pochard, two little grebes, water rail heard and a small number of swallows and sand martins over the pond.

Seen on the fields by Shaun were teal, shoveler, a greylag goose, and two Canada geese on the Golfhouse pools - which earlier had been on the fields.

Early evening on Tuesday Caroline White watched the two barn owls at the nestbox by the country park pond, also little owl, kestrel, two noisy little grebes, moorhens and mallard on the pond, calling water rail, five sand martins over the pond, swallow, chiffchaff, blackcap, long-tailed tit, also 15 shelduck, five tufted duck and two lapwings in the fields. Two green woodpeckers and a great spotted woodpecker were along the Golfhouse track. Four muntjac deer were also very vocal and active.

At West Mersea the rusty-coloured swallow was seen with two other swallows at the Hard on Tuesday by Steve Entwistle, also a turnstone.

A brambling was reported by Paul Harrison at his garden feeder in Waldegraves Lane on Tuesday.

There was more sunshine on the Rewsalls marshes on Monday 17th when the two avocets were seen on the side-lake.

The avocets have been feeding in the Rewsalls side-lake at times and also having a rest on the muddy spit.

There was gathering of about 100 herring gulls on the Rewsalls marshes on Monday, most of the birds sub-adult / presumed non-breeding birds.

Also in the area during high tide were 60 turnstones, 50 redshank, six dunlin, five curlew, two shelduck, two Mediterranean gulls flew past and four great crested grebes offshore.

A whitethroat was singing from bramble scrub along the bottom of the East Mersea Vineyard, 12 linnets, blackcap, Cetti's warbler and two swallows also in the Youth Camp area.

A pair of pochard on the Cross Lane pond beside the new Sanderling housing development was an interesting sighting for here, a pair of mallard also here on Monday.

A Cetti's warbler sang again at the bottom of Cross Lane and another beside the Waldegraves fishing lake. Also in Waldegraves were a little egret, blackcap, 10 linnets and three chiffchaffs singing including one sounding part willow warbler in its song.

The first speckled wood of the spring was fluttering along the path at the bottom end of Cross Lane on Monday. A brimstone was also seen in Cross Lane.

Also enjoying the sunshine on Monday was a comma in Cross Lane.

In Firs Chase a holly blue and large white butterflies were the first of the spring in the garden.

Caroline White enjoyed watching two barn owls beside the nest-box behind the pond at the country park on Monday early evening. One of the birds she photographed here.

Two barn owls photographed here by Caroline on Monday - one bird just to the left of the box and the other bird higher up to the right of the box. One of the barn owls was seen flying out of the box while the second bird watched on from nearby.

Earlier on Monday along the Strood seawall, Caroline reported the great white egret, four avocets, 15 shelduck, five linnets and two swallows, also five peacocks and three small tortoiseshells. There have been two brimstone sightings in her Dawes Lane garden. 

On Sunday 16th a red kite flew from Langenhoe over to Maydays and after a short flight over the fields, returned back to Langenhoe. Six marsh harriers and four buzzards were seen from the Reeveshall and Maydays seawall. A yellow wagtail flew over Maydays, while in the Pyefleet were a pair of red-breasted mergansers, four great crested grebes, four Canada geese, four greylag geese, two brent geese and two Mediterranean gulls.

On Reeveshall on Sunday were four lapwing, gadwall, 16 teal, two shoveler and a swallow. A pair of red-legged partridge flew off the seawall at Bower Hall and another pair were in the Strood Hill field. Along the Strood channel were 12 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, four Mediterranean gulls, two marsh harriers, buzzard and two swallows.

The first whitethroat back on the Island this spring was a singing bird at Ivy Dock on Sunday, also a Cetti's warbler singing near there too. In the river Colne were two common terns, while in the park's grazing fields were 15 black-tailed godwits, two lapwing- one bird possibly sitting, three swallows and a sand martin along the dyke.

There are some colourful patches of red dead-nettle along the seawalls at the moment, this one near Ivy Dock on Sunday.

A red squirrel was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Monday 17th climbing up the hand-rail of the wooden stairs on the side of the house. It's hoped it wasn't looking at a robin's nest nearby in some ivy.

Another red squirrel sighting in the Firs Chase garden on Monday was this one eating the flowering buds on a cherry tree.

A batch of 15+ emperor moths has recently hatched out and been released into the Firs Chase garden. This female is one of several that originally hatched out last spring and reared indoors on bramble leaves fed to the batch of hungry caterpillars. After a period of six or so weeks, they pupated and have been kept in the garage over the winter.

The male emperor moth is slightly smaller and has the orange hind-wings and the feathery antennae. More females emerged than males this year.