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.