SEAWALL STROLL

A lapwing was seen feeding on the mud along the Strood channel, during a stroll along the seawall on Sunday 23rd.

As well as the lapwing on the mud, the only other waders of note other than 50+ redshank and a few oystercatchers and curlew, were six black-tailed godwits. A male marsh harrier was quartering the Strood fields, also two kestrels seen, three yellow wagtails, grey heron, four little egrets and ten swifts over the houses. Two brown hares were in one of the grass fields.

At Cudmore Grove on Saturday 22nd, Andy Field and Steve Entwistle managed to add the black-winged kite that was flying about in the distance at Colne Point, onto their list -and onto the Island list! With the assistance of a running commentary over the phone from the Colne Point area, the bird was located as it hovered and flew about, at a range of about three miles!

Martin Cock saw little tern, Sandwich tern in the Colne near East Mersea Point, also two young marsh harriers on Langenhoe Point on Saturday.

A whitethroat was foraging in the ripe wheat field beside the Firs caravan park on Saturday 22nd. Also two yellow wagtails, ten swallows were seen over the field.

A kestrel perched above the footpath beside the Firs caravan park on Saturday and a green woodpecker was seen in Feldy View.

As the weather deteriorated on Saturday afternoon with the strong wind blowing from the west with periods of rain, a flock of 200 swifts were swirling back and forth over the Firs Chase area. By early evening the flock had grown to 500 swifts flying around, it seemed they didn't want to continue their journey westwards off the island in the rough weather. Earlier in the afternoon Andy Field watched 20 swifts flying south down High Street North.

A grey squirrel was photographed by Mark Halladay on Saturday morning in Fishponds Wood.

On Friday 21st a spoonbill seen flying down the Strood channel was an unexpected sight, as it headed in the direction of the Hard. Three avocets and  28 black-tailed godwits were noted - twenty of the latter opposite the Hard. Also seen from the seawall were five little egrets and four yellow wagtails.

A rose chafer was on thistles beside the Firs Caravan park on Friday 21st - the same spot where one was seen a couple of years back.

Also on the same clump of thistles beside the Firs Caravan park was this hornet hoverfly.

Andy Field reported the two swift chicks had fledged and flown from his nestbox on the High St North house on Friday morning.

Michael Thorley photographed a crab spider in his East Mersea garden on Friday.

A marbled white was photographed by Steve Entwistle at Maydays after accidentally flushing it on the seawall on Thursday 20th - only the second sighting on the island. Three brown argus and lots of meadow browns and gatekeepers seen too. A common sandpiper was seen in the Maydays creek.

Earlier in the day Steve reported seeing a song thrush in his Empress Drive garden, the first for a few years, also a hornet hoverfly.

Jonathan Norgate visited East Mersea Stone Point on Thursday and saw two Sandwich terns, two little terns and a common tern.

On Wednesday 19th at East Mersea Stone Point, Steve Entwistle watched six little terns feeding in the Colne with two common terns, also Sandwich tern flying west, 70 black-tailed godwits, two Mediterranean gulls and an avocet on the saltings. The ringed plover was still sitting on the roped off nest on the beach.

In the evening on Wednesday Steve reported three greenshank, a partridge species and ruddy darter.

Along the Strood seawall on Wednesday 19th a sedge warbler was seen among the reeds, also two reed warblers, four whitethroats, five yellow wagtails, 30 house sparrows and six linnets. A male marsh harrier and kestrel were over the fields, while fifty swifts were seen in the air.

In the Strood channel were two whimbrel, dunlin, three lapwing, three common terns and two Mediterranean gulls.

A red squirrel was feeding on the nuts on the hazel bush beside the path at the top of the Firs Caravan park on Wednesday 19th.

The red squirrel paused for a moment before scampering away through the branches.

 A brimstone butterfly was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Wednesday late afternoon.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday 18th during a walk of the circuit with Norfolk birder Steve Joyner, we saw at least one barn owl chick in the nestbox with an adult in the kestrel nestbox and a water rail called from the pond. On the mudflats 300 black-tailed godwits were noted as the tide came in, also a leucistic redshank, greenshank, five dunlin, Mediterranean gull and 20 little egrets on the mudflats. 

Two Sandwich terns and three little terns were feeding in the shallow waters just in behind the Point, also three common terns seen, while five ringed plovers were by the beach. Twenty sand martins and thirty swallows were seen, earlier a hobby had got the swallows anxious as it flew near them over the bus turning circle. Two lesser whitethroats, yellow wagtail and a sparrowhawk also noted.

A painted lady, two brown argus and ten bee-wolves at the Point were the main insects of note.

Martin Cock visited Maydays on Tuesday and noted common sandpiper, greenshank, marsh harrier, yellowhammer, shelduck with four young and a brown argus butterfly.