GARDEN WILDLIFE

A few things of interest have been seen in the Firs Chase garden over the last week or so.

Butterflies have been a bit scarce in the garden during the cloudy and chilly days of the last week, however a green hairstreak was nice to see resting beside the back door of the house on Friday 26th. Up to five holly blues have been fluttering around various parts of the garden recently, also at least one small white occasionally. 

A large red damselfly was resting in the sunshine in the garden on Friday 26th - not always seen each year here. A hornet seemed to be feeding in a decaying cavity in the wooden pergola on the 24th - first garden sighting.

Several birds have been prostrating themselves in the sunshine, this great tit leaning over at such an angle it looked like it was just about to topple off its perch!

A recently fledged great tit has quickly learnt about the benefits of sunbathing in the garden!

A pair of stock doves has paid almost daily visits to the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden recently.

A male sparrowhawk was displaying over the Firs Chase garden, with a second bird higher in the sky on Saturday 27th.

At least three red squirrels have been visiting the Firs Chase garden in recent days usually individually, although three were seen at once on Friday 26th.

At least one of the red squirrels has taken a fancy to the peanut feeder for the birds.

Another unusual mammal sighting for the Firs Chase garden was a badger on the front doorstep trying to wrestle open the big tub of peanuts stored beside the doorstep, late at night on Saturday 27th.

Moth-trapping has been very poor this spring because of the cold nights and has only been operated on five nights during May. This lime hawkmoth was a nice surprise in the garden moth trap on Wednesday 24th.

The buff-tip was resting beside the trap on Friday 26th - looking like a snapped-off twig.

A small ranunculus was a nice moth to record on 21st May, only the one was seen last year.

The Scarce Forest Tubic- Dasycera oliviella, was noted on the 21st and 31st May - a distinctive looking micro moth.

Up to four cockchafers have also been recorded at the moth trap during May, with four seen on the 26th.

LINGERING OSPREY

A pair of avocet was feeding in the pond in the Strood fields on Thursday 25th, with another three feeding in the Strood channel.

A casual scan of the skyline looking from the Strood seawall towards the Peldon Rose provided a distant view of an osprey slowly flying east over the Mersea Road as it headed into the Pyefleet. It was watched for a couple of minutes as it flew into the distance and dropped down out of view somewhere near the Langenhoe solar farm. 

Later in the day, the osprey was seen by Jonathan Norgate feeding on a large fish, while Jack Hoy also saw it flying over the Bower Hall saltings. It was also distantly visible through the heat haze from near the Strood causeway. This bird is likely to be the same one that has lingered in the Pyefleet as one was first seen there ten days earlier. The osprey was also seen in the Pyefleet the previous day by Andy Field as it perched on a fencepost by the solar farm.

The male gadwall was feeding on one of the shrinking wet flashes in the Strood field on Thursday.

The male oystercatcher was keeping vigil over its mate on the nest in the wheat field at the Strood on Thursday. Along the dyke were four singing reed buntings, four reed warblers, also two yellow wagtails by the seawall. A Cetti's warbler was singing at the Strood layby and another on Ray Island where a cuckoo was also calling. 

A female linnet was feeding on the top of the Strood seawall on Thursday. A male marsh harrier hunted over the fields and later a female marsh harrier seen in the area too. Two buzzards were noted while in the channel down to the Hard were four common terns.

On Wednesday 24th the osprey was seen perched in front of the Langenhoe solar farm, here pictured perched distantly on a fencepost just above the bush by Steve Entwistle from the Maydays seawall.

Andy Field reported the osprey earlier on Wednesday during his walk along the seawall from Shop Lane to Maydays. 

Also seen were five marsh harriers including a food pass over on Langenhoe, three buzzards, common tern, two or three cuckoos, two corn buntings, two yellow wagtails, six reed warblers, sedge warbler and two Cetti's warblers. Martin Cock added a whimbrel and a curlew to the morning list.

A pair of brown argus butterflies were photographed by Andy during his walk along the Pyefleet seawall on Wednesday.

At Cudmore Grove a green hairstreak was seen by Simon Patient on dog rose beside a path between the car park and the hide on Wednesday morning.

Two brown argus butterflies seen by Andy.

A male marsh harrier circled over the Strood seawall and fields on Wednesday morning, the bird displaying and calling as it flew high over the field. A second bird was seen over the fields too and a buzzard. 

Along the Strood dyke were two sedge warblers, three reed warblers, three whitethroats, three reed buntings and four yellow wagtails. A grey heron flew over and four little egrets were in the area. A cuckoo was calling from Ray Island, four avocets and three common terns were along the Channel while ten swifts were flying over the houses.

A single sea pink / thrift plant had almost fifty flowers gently swaying the breeze along the Strood seawall.

In Feldy View three rose chafers were seen feeding and flying about beside the flowers of the Photinia type bushes.

A male marsh harrier was hunting the Strood fields on Tuesday 23rd, passing over a couple of carrion crows here. Also noted along the seawall were gadwall, four avocets, two grey plover, ringed plover, curlew, common tern, two sedge warblers, three reed warblers, two whitethroats, three yellow wagtails, cuckoo on Ray Island, Cetti's warbler at the Strood layby and 15 swifts and a sparrowhawk over the houses.

Two brown hares were in the Strood fields, this one happy to watch folk walk along the seawall.

Four avocets were feeding along the Strood channel on Tuesday.

In Feldy View on Tuesday a striking rose chafer was watched feeding on a flowering bush - possibly a Photinia bush. Also in Feldy View a small copper, speckled wood and holly blue butterflies.

A cuckoo perched on the wires over the Firs Road cemetery on Monday 22nd with a male heard later calling on Ray Island. Along the Strood seawall a hobby was over the Peldon seawall, two buzzards, gadwall, five avocets, whimbrel, curlew, greenshank heard, five little egrets, Cetti's warbler on the Ray, sedge warbler, three reed warbler, two whitethroats, three yellow wagtails and ten swifts over the houses.

Three brown hares were in the Strood hill field - one was seen unwittingly walking too close to a nesting oystercatcher which flew at the hare to force it away. Also a small heath was along the seawall.

STROOD FIELD AVOCET

An avocet was feeding at the new pond that was scraped out a few months ago in one of the Strood fields on Sunday 21st. This is the first time an avocet has been seen feeding inside the seawall here. Two other avocets were in the Strood channel. Two gadwall and five common terns were seen, a cuckoo calling from Ray Island and 12 swifts over the West Mersea houses.

A sub-adult Mediterranean gull was at the West Mersea Hard on Sunday afternoon.

A male yellowhammer was singing beside the Bower Hall seawall on Sunday, while on the nearby saltmarsh were five little egrets and a pair of greylag geese.

Lots of thrift is in flower on the Bower Hall saltmarsh.

A common tern was fishing in the Maydays creek on Sunday, also in the area were four redshank, a pair of lapwing nesting in a field, cuckoo, red-legged partridge, pochard and a pair of yellow wagtails.

A small heath butterfly was resting beside the Maydays seawall on Sunday.

A greenshank was feeding on the Reeveshall pool on Sunday.

A pair of shoveler was on the Reeveshall pool, also a coot and little egret, two pochard flew over, singing corn bunting in the field, cuckoo and male marsh harrier were over Reeveshall while on Langenhoe were a hobby chasing a small bird, calling cuckoo, while on Pewit Island 14 grey plover and a pair of Canada geese.

Four redshank were on the Golfhouse pools on Sunday, no signs of any chicks just yet. A whimbrel was on the edge of the saltmarsh, pair of greylag geese in the park dyke with at least one gosling, also singing Cetti's warbler and reed warbler heard.

A grass field between Ivy Farm and the Golfhouse had a thick cover of yellow rattle in flower.

Around a hundred presumed azure damselflies egg-laying were photographed by Andy Field on the Cudmore Grove pond on Saturday 20th.

Birds noted by Andy on the Cudmore circuit were eight reed warblers, Cetti's warbler, four blackcaps, family of 12 long-tailed tits, little owl in the kestrel box, six greylag geese with at least one gosling, cuckoo calling to the north of the park, sand martin using a hole in the cliff, house martin, twenty swallows and four common terns of the Point.

Later on Saturday Caroline White noted three greylag goslings in the fields, while two pairs of tufted duck on the dyke and an avocet on the Golfhouse pools.

Two green hairstreak butterflies were spiralling together in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday afternoon.

A large red damselfly was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Friday 19th.

On Wednesday 17th at Maydays Martin Cock reported a red kite, two marsh harriers, two buzzards, sparrowhawk, three kestrels, four cuckoos, four common terns, Chinese water deer and a brown hare.

A brief visit to Feldy View by Andy Field on Wednesday morning saw two yellow wagtails on the wires, a buzzard over the Strood and a distant cuckoo calling.

An osprey was seen flying up the Pyefleet Channel past Maydays and then hovering near the Strood causeway on Tuesday 16th just after mid-day by Martin Cock, it was then seen heading towards Abberton. 

Also seen by Martin at Maydays were four buzzards, two cuckoos, sedge warbler, ten singing reed warblers, Cetti's warbler, two brimstone butterflies and three common seals. 

A reed warbler was singing in Martin Cock's West Mersea garden in The Coverts. A swift was flying over Steve Entwistle's house in Empress Drive.

Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit on Tuesday and reported 12 singing reed warblers, sedge warbler, ten whitethroats, four lesser whitethroats, six blackcaps, two chiffchaffs, two Cetti's warblers, ten swallows, four curlews, whimbrel, four greylag geese but no lapwings in the fields.

An Early Mining Bee was photographed by Andy Field at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday.

Early Mining Bee by Andy.

A family of greylag geese with 4+ goslings was photographed at Cudmore Grove on Monday 15th by Caroline White.

Earlier on Monday afternoon Caroline noted on her walk between the Strood and Feldy View, six avocets, four whimbrel, curlew, two marsh harriers quartering the fields together, five buzzards over the Ray, two sedge warblers, seven reed buntings, four reed warblers, meadow pipit, seven shelduck and two common terns.

Martin Cock walked between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane on Monday and reported four Cetti's warblers, several whitethroats, blackcap, lesser whitethroat, nightingale still singing in Shop Lane, six shelduck and a buzzard.

On Sunday 14th Caroline White covered a good chunk of the Island starting off with a song thrush, blackcap and six house martins in Dawes Lane. Between the Strood and Reeveshall, three yellowhammers - one pictured, two yellow wagtails, six whitethroats, eight reed warblers, great crested grebe, two common terns, mute swan, two Cetti's warblers, marsh harrier, two lapwings in fields, three corn buntings and a marsh harrier perched on Langenhoe.

Between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane Caroline on Sunday reported two willow warblers, three swallows, two whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, two blackcaps, chiffchaff, 12 shelduck, great spotted woodpecker and a green woodpecker.

A Chinese water deer was photographed by Caroline in a field at Maydays on Sunday.

Three latticed heaths were seen by Caroline on Sunday, also four orange-tip butterflies.

CLOSE-UP CORMORANT

Jon Ward had a grey and breezy walk between the East Mersea Golfhouse and Cudmore Grove on Saturday 13th and photographed this passing cormorant flying close-up. Two of them were in the park dyke. A distant whimbrel with a curlew was in the grazing field.

One of four little egrets seen and photographed by Jon.

Around ten swallows were seen by Jon, this pair posing nicely for him.

A ringed plover, pictured by Jon, 15 oystercatchers and a sanderling were on the beach.

Sedge warbler, reed warbler, lesser whitethroat were heard and a common whitethroat seen. From the hide were two pochard and four tufted ducks on the park pond.

A buck muntjac deer was photographed in the park's grazing fields by Caroline White on Saturday morning, also six greylag geese seen there. Walking the East Mersea seawall to Reeveshall, a lesser whitethroat and a reed warbler gave good views near the Oyster Fishery, a cuckoo flew overhead and a marsh harrier was seen towards Maydays. A willow warbler was seen singing between Shop Lane and the East Mersea road.

Andy Field walked between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane on Saturday morning and photographed this orange-tip butterfly.

An orange-tip with wings folded photographed by Andy.

A holly blue photographed by Andy.

Dark-edged Bee-fly photographed by Andy.

Noon Fly photographed by Andy.

Noon fly photographed by Andy.

Birds noted by Andy on Saturday at Reeveshall were two common terns, five marsh harriers, while between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane were six each of whitethroats and blackcaps, lesser whitethroat, two buzzards, Cetti's warbler and the nightingale sang briefly in Shop Lane.

In the evening two buzzards flew west over Andy's house in High Street North.

A green hairstreak was photographed by Steve Entwistle at Cudmore Grove on Saturday morning. The barn owl was seen sitting in the entrance to the nest box by the park pond.

A coot was photographed by Caroline White during her walk at Cudmore Grove on a blustery evening on Friday 12th. On the grazing fields were two swans and six greylag geese, a cormorant on the dyke and a fleeting glimpse of the barn owl.

A walk along the Strood seawall on Friday 12th provided views of three yellow wagtails, two corn buntings, three reed warblers, sedge warbler, 45 stock doves, marsh harrier, seven avocets, four black-tailed godwits, common tern, grey heron, three swifts over the houses and three lapwings over the Peldon side.

A male shoveler was on one of the wet flashes on the Strood field again and another male flew past on Friday, also the male gadwall seen and seven pochard flew up the Strood channel. Forty brent geese were by Cobmarsh and Packing Marsh.

A female great spotted woodpecker was at the sunflower hearts in the Firs Chase garden on Friday.