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.