SMART SPRING WHEATEARS

A male wheatear in its smart breeding plumage perched on a post beside the Maydays seawall on Saturday 15th.

Unfortunately a closer view of the same wheatear at Maydays was partially obscured by a tuft of grass on top of the fence-post.

Two more male wheatears were also seen near the Reeveshall seawall feeding in a grass field on Saturday.

Also on Reeveshall were 114 curlew, three lapwings, three swallows, while in the Pyefleet channel wader numbers were low although a greenshank was heard calling. Five buzzards and three marsh harriers were seen, three Mediterranean gulls and two great crested grebes too.

Five yellowhammers were seen near the Maydays seawall on Saturday, also a Cetti's warbler was heard singing, as was one over on Langenhoe. A brimstone and two peacock butterflies were seen too.

At Cudmore Grove a wheatear was seen on the seawall on Saturday by Caroline White.

Two yellow wagtails and a long-tailed tit were seen near Feldy View by Steve Entwistle.

A red kite was seen near the East Mersea church by Rob Lee on Saturday.

The male swallow with the rusty coloured underparts perched over the Dabchicks sailing club on Friday 14th - the third summer this bird has been seen here. Two other swallows were also flying about.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday was a lapwing on the flooded field which is an encouraging sighting as the fields look ideal for nesting waders. Three brent geese, 13 shelduck were also in the wet field, while a yellow wagtail flew over and a sedge warbler was heard singing from bushes at the end of the central ditch. A pair of coot was on the small pond at the back of the fields.

In the Strood channel were 15 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, 150 redshank, ten dunlin, five grey plover and five great crested grebes. Two buzzards, two kestrels and four Mediterranean gulls were seen too.

A couple of early cuckoo reports for Friday were from Dave Royce at the Firs Carvan park while near the Mersea Barrow a female cuckoo was heard making its bubbling call by Rob Lee.

A red squirrel was spotted on the cedar tree in my Firs Chase garden and photographed from the road-side, as I began my morning walk on Friday.

A great white egret stood in one of the Strood fields after feeding in the nearby dyke on Thursday 13th, also three little egrets and 17 shelduck seen. Along the Strood channel were five grey plover, black-tailed godwit and a bar-tailed godwit. Two buzzards, two marsh harriers, two swallows were seen flying. 

Five avocets were feeding along the edge of the Strood channel at low tide on Thursday.

Five Mediterranean gulls flew over the Firs Chase garden and a blackcap was singing near the Firs Caravan park.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park on Thursday, Caroline White photographed this mallard standing on the nestbox resulting in the little owl flying away. In the fields were two Canada geese and two muntjac deer while a water vole was seen in the borrowdyke.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit on Thursday and noted a sparrowhawk over the park entrance, three little grebes, pair of pochard, water rail calling and a greylag goose on the park pond. A blackcap, Cetti's warbler and three chiffchaffs were heard along the park horse-ride, two swallows over the dyke and four more near the Golfhouse.

On the grazing fields were the two Canada geese, shelduck, shoveler, lapwing displaying, kestrel, little owl in the nest-box, six linnets and also 15 brent geese on the saltmarsh.

Jack Hoy reported seeing a Chinese Water Deer at Maydays on Thursday.

On Wednesday 12th the great white egret was feeding along the Strood dyke again, also four little egrets in the area too. A pair of shoveler was resting by one of the pools in the fields for the third day.

A pair of avocet and a pair of shelduck were feeding near the Strood sluice outflow on Wednesday. Eight avocets in total were seen, two Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, 15 brent geese and five teal also noted. Three swallows including the rusty-coloured male seen near the caravan park, two linnets, meadow pipit were along the seawall while a chiffchaff and two blackcaps were singing near the Firs caravan park.

A black cloud skirted the Strood seawall during the morning walk on Wednesday.

Andy Field photographed these two sand martins at Cudmore Grove during his visit there on Tuesday 11th. Two were seen flying over the park pond and four were seen prospecting holes in the cliff by the beach. The little owl was seen at the old kestrel nestbox again, two pairs of pochard were on the park pond, eight chiffchaffs, blackcap, 100 brent geese, two greylag geese, two Canada geese, pair of lapwings, two wigeon, few teal and a shoveler were all on the grazing fields. Two Mediterranean gulls flew over and a house martin was seen flying over horse paddocks north of the park.

A swallow was seen flying over Chapmans Lane by Andy on Tuesday.

Two house martins were seen at Maydays farm by Jack Hoy on Tuesday.

Caroline White visited Cudmore and reported 30 turnstones and three sanderling on the beach, while in the fields were a large group of curlew, two greylag geese, two linnets and a cormorant diving in the dyke.

The first slow-worm seen by Caroline White this year was photographed in her garden compost bin, also a young grass-snake by her pond, plus peacock, brimstone and red admirals seen there too.