STROOD PEREGRINE

A peregrine flew across the Strood channel and then headed over the Strood fields towards West Mersea on a breezy and damp Easter Monday 10th. 

The great white egret was stalking along the Strood borrowdyke on Monday.

The great white egret then flew onto the nearby field beside three little egrets that were also there.

Ten black-tailed godwits were feeding on the last of the mud before high tide along the Strood on Monday, also eleven avocets feeding too. 

A pair of shoveler on the Strood fields was unusual on Monday, 21 shelduck and two ringed plovers were also on the fields, while five pochard flew off the Strood reservoirs and landed on the mainland side. Two swallows were flying over the Firs caravan park, a blackcap was singing down the side and a sparrowhawk was being followed by eight goldfinches in Firs Chase.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday Shaun Bater reported the pond very quiet with just a pair of mallard and two little grebes, while two greylag geese, a brent goose and two swallows were in the grazing fields. The little owl was in the kestrel box, two avocets on the Golfhouse pools and two linnets by the Golfhouse. A red-legged partridge was seen in Dawes Lane.

Three sand martins were seen flying along the park dyke on Monday by Caroline White.

On Sunday 9th Caroline White saw three corn buntings, two red-legged partridges, kestrel and a brown hare in Dawes Lane, while at Maydays five corn buntings, two yellowhammers and three reed buntings were seen. A greylag goose, nine shoveler, fifty brent geese and a brown hare were on Reeveshall. 

At Cudmore Grove Caroline reported two blackcaps, three chiffchaffs, kestrel and a water rail calling, two Canada geese, two green woodpeckers, pochard, two little grebes and a swallow. At Rewsalls boating lake some linnets, five reed buntings, while near Cross Lane were two chiffchaffs, greenfinch, Cetti's warbler and also a marsh harrier over fields at the top of the lane.

On Saturday 8th Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit and photographed this swallow perched on wires near the horse paddocks, also two buzzards seen here too. Other birds noted on the walk were five chiffchaffs, two blackcaps, two Cetti's warblers heard, at least three water rails heard at the park pond, three lapwings on the fields including a pair mating, two Canada geese flew over, ten pairs of shoveler, five pochard, five avocets on the Golfhouse pools, also on the walk were a red squirrel and a muntjac deer.

An adder was basking on the Maydays seawall on Saturday, in the same location 100m east of the seawall corner, where one was often seen last spring too. A peacock butterfly was seen beside the seawall.

A barnacle goose flew down the Pyefleet channel on Saturday along with two Canada geese, also five greylag geese noted during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls.

Two pairs of red-breasted mergansers and five great crested grebes were in the Pyefleet channel, as was a common seal. Four marsh harriers, at least eight buzzards and a sparrowhawk were noted flying about. 

A swallow was hunting over Reeveshall fields and two brown hares were in one field. A Cetti's warbler and four chiffchaffs were singing at Maydays while the northerly breeze helped carry the songs of two Cetti's warblers and a chiffchaff from Langenhoe across the Pyefleet to the Maydays seawall.

Caroline White saw a marsh harrier in Chapmans Lane on Saturday morning, also chiffchaffs and five greenfinches in Cross Lane.

There were six little egrets feeding on the Maydays and Bower Hall saltmarsh on Saturday.

Eight black-tailed godwits were feeding close to the Strood seawall on Friday 7th, also two avocets and a great crested grebe in the channel. A great white egret flew from the Strood fields over the seawall towards Feldy marsh on the mainland.

A few birds of prey enjoyed the sunny weather on Friday with this tatty buzzard over Feldy View one of seven buzzards noted. A red kite flew over the top of Strood Hill and was later seen flying west over the Hard, while two marsh harriers and two sparrowhawks were also seen. Three swallows, yellow wagtail heard and four calling chiffchaffs were also noted. 

In the Firs Chase garden a chiffchaff, brimstone and peacock butterflies were seen.

Caroline White walked the Cudmore circuit on Friday morning and noted five chiffchaff, little owl in the kestrel box, an avocet on the pools, buzzard, reed bunting, pair of greylag geese, great tit nesting in an old great spotted woodpecker hole along the horseride. Later in the day two avocets were on the Golfhouse pools, a cormorant eating an eel in the dyke while a buzzard was seen hunting over a field at Chapmans Lane.

Shaun Bater reported a chiffchaff heard in Empress Avenue and great spotted woodpecker in Broomhills Road on Friday morning while later in the afternoon a little owl was heard calling near the top end of Cross Lane.

Three swallows flew west past Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Friday.

Steve Entwistle counted 74 corn buntings at Maydays alongside Haycocks Lane on Wednesday 5th, also ten yellowhammers, Cetti's warbler by the seawall, two mute swans and six geese possibly Canada geese.

Martin Cock walked from Cudmore Grove to the Oyster Fishery on Wednesday and found a sedge warbler singing at the park pond, also a swallow, sand martin, little owl, 13 pochard, a few chiffchaffs, leucistic redshank, three marsh harriers and a pair of ringed plover at the Point.

Steve Entwistle didn't see the sedge warbler but did see the little owl chase the female kestrel from the nestbox at the park, also a swallow and the calling water rail at the pond.

No Landing signs were erected on Cobmarsh Island and Packing Marsh Island with the help of Kieren Alexander of the RSPB and with the help of Jim Pullen's boat. The signs ask people not to land on parts of the islands during the bird nesting season. People can still land on Packing Marsh but there is a roped off area of beach for nesting birds that is signed.

The signs were put up on Wednesday just in time with one ringed plover starting to lay eggs on Cobmarsh - one well camouflaged newly laid egg is pictured in the middle foreground. Five ringed plovers were seen on Cobmarsh Island, also five sanderling, fifty oystercatchers, reed bunting, Egyptian goose, little egret, 100 brent geese, along with 300+ herring gulls and a couple of lesser black-backed gulls. A buzzard and a red kite were seen flying west over the Mersea Quarters.

Two sloe carpets were on the side of Marion Potifar's house in Shop Lane on Sunday morning, taking a picture of one of them. The last time she had had seen them here was in 2018 on two dates that April. Sloe carpets have become nationally scarce in recent years with Essex one of the last strongholds for them now.

A red chestnut was in the Firs Chase moth trap on Sunday 9th.

Only one or two hebrew characters have been in the garden moth trap in the last fortnight.