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.