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.