PLOVER CHICKS

It was pleasing to find a very young ringed plover chick being looked after by its parents near the beach at East Mersea Point on Monday 12th.

After a few minutes, the young ringed plover chick ran over to the mother and huddled underneath.

The presumed male ringed plover was keeping a close eye on anyone walking along the beach.

A second pair of ringed plovers was found with four very young chicks also near the East Mersea Point but in the area of the old blockhouse fort near the seawall corner. This pair had escaped our notice and managed to nest successfully on the beach near here. The four young chicks were hard to locate at first as they were all being brooded by the mother, who herself blended in well with the pebbles on the mud. Three chicks are pictured, the fourth ran off quickly to the right.

Also seen at Cudmore Grove on Monday were 80+ oystercatchers, 16 ringed plovers, ten curlew and a redshank on the mud. Four common terns and a great crested grebe were in the Colne.

A hobby flashed over the Golfhouse and grazing fields which alarmed the small flock of swallows. A kestrel flew with prey to the copse behind the park pond and was greeted by its mate calling. One sand martin was by the cliff and a tufted duck was on the pond, also two broods of mallard ducklings. Two families of pied wagtails were seen, each with three fledged young.

Seven reed warblers were singing at the park on Monday with this one showing by the dyke. Two lesser whitethroats and a Cetti's warbler were heard.

Two male marsh harriers were quartering the Strood fields at the same time on Sunday 11th, with a female also noted later. Three buzzards also seen flying about.

A cuckoo flew over from Ray Island calling, also Mediterranean gull, two common terns, one curlew and a great crested grebe in the channel.

A skylark seemed to be panting in the heat of Sunday along the Strood seawall. One yellow wagtail, mallard with six ducklings, two sedge warblers and four reed buntings were noted while ten swifts were over the houses.

Insects of note included a common blue, small heath, holly blue, meadow brown butterflies and an emperor dragonfly.

A cream-spot tiger moth was photographed by Caroline White on Saturday during her walk on the Island. Two great spotted woodpeckers and a Cetti's warbler were noted from Cross Lane, while a yellowhammer was seen nesting between Coopers Beach and Rewsalls Lane.

Walking from Reeveshall to Maydays, there were two Mediterranean gulls, common tern, marsh harrier, four corn buntings, Cetti's warbler and reed warbler calling. A speckled wood and 15 small heaths were also noted.

A male yellowhammer was singing near the Maydays seawall on Saturday 11th.

A hobby provided a great view as it flew low overhead, three marsh harriers, three buzzards, four Mediterranean gulls, great crested grebe, four curlew, five little egrets and a singing meadow pipit also noted. Two lapwings were seen with one bird still sitting on her nest in the field.

Four hairy dragonflies, three meadow browns, three common blues and four small heaths were seen along the Maydays seawall on Saturday.

This Mother Shipton moth was disturbed in the grass along the Maydays seawall on Saturday.

Andy Field walked the Shop Lane / Dairy Lane area in East Mersea on Saturday and noted the willow warbler still singing in the same area of birches after a month, chiffchaff, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, blackcap and a buzzard,

Michael Thorley photographed this four-spotted chaser in his East Mersea garden on Saturday.