AUGUST GARDEN MOTHS

The moth trap operated in the Firs Chase garden on thirteen nights during August with a variety of interesting species noted. One Old Lady came to the trap on 29th.

Only one Sandhill Rustic has been recorded during the month, on the 27th.

A Beautiful Hook-tip was on the 27th.

The immigrant Scarce Bordered Straw was on the 26th.

The second garden record of Rosy-striped Knot-horn was on the 21st - the first record was 8th July.

Treble-bar on the 21st.

Sallow Kitten on the 21st.

Pebble Prominent on 17th.

Orange Swift was noted on several nights in the second half of the month.

Common emerald on the 15th.

Drinker on the 15th.

Oak Processionary on the 15th.

Toadflax Brocade on the 14th.

Probably the highlight of the summer, the first Jersey Tiger here on the left, on the same night as the increasingly scarce Garden Tiger on 12th August.

REDSTART REVEALED

The immature male redstart was still by the footpath near Feldy View cemetery and revealed itself nicely for Andy Field to take these three pictures on Sunday 27th. It came out of the nearby hawthorns to perch on the fence three times.

The redstart has now been present for five days, although proving very elusive at times. The morning sunshine highlights the orange underparts nicely.

At times the redstart has flown into nearby hawthorn trees and remained hidden for long periods - photos by Andy. Three willow warblers were seen in the nearby Feldy View.

Later on Sunday morning Andy visited Shop Lane and the Reeveshall seawall and noted willow warbler, chiffchaff, 50 swallows, two house martins, three whinchats, wheatear, green sandpiper, Mediterranean gull, 260 redshank, two turnstones on the mud and two noisy water rails in the borrowdyke club-rush.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday a wheatear and two whinchats were near the borrowdyke, while three kestrels and ten linnets were flying over the fields. in the channel were four little grebes, 40 golden plover, 200 black-tailed godwits, 20 Mediterranean gulls, while two marsh harriers seen flying. A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen nectaring at some mallow flowers on the seawall.

Two willow warblers were seen in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday.

A flock of eight cattle egrets flew across the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday 26th and landed among the herd of cattle on Reeveshall.

The cattle egrets followed a few cows around but sadly only for ten minutes before they flew off, heading west along the Pyefleet towards the Strood. The last time a flock of cattle egrets was seen on Mersea was just under two years ago, 23rd October 2021 on Reeveshall.

Other birds seen during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawall on Saturday included a wheatear, two sand martins, two house martins with 100 swallows, yellow wagtail, two Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, three buzzards, great crested grebe, greenshank, 210 grey plover, eight bar-tailed godwits, ten black-tailed godwits, four dunlin and one knot. Also a common seal and a grey seal in the Pyefleet.

An osprey was seen by John Fell looking from Old Hall Marshes on Saturday, flying over the Feldy Marshes and Strood Channel area being mobbed by a female marsh harrier. It dived into Salcott Channel a couple of times.

The redstart was still beside the path down the side of the Firs Caravan park near Feldy View on Friday 25th, allowing itself to be partially photographed by Shaun Bater.

The redstart was photographed by Shaun, in the overgrown corner perching on dead branches and also a dead grass pile on Friday.

Earlier on Friday the redstart had not shown itself despite waiting and looking for it. Just after mid-day it was seen perched on the fence during a quiet period when no-one was walking the footpath. When someone walked past, it seemed to vanish inside a thick hawthorn tree and stayed hidden from view.

Three willow warblers were in Feldy View and three buzzards were seen soaring over the West Mersea High Street mid morning on Friday.

Two whinchats were still seen from the Strood seawall on Friday as was the wheatear and ten linnets in the fields. Along the channel were an avocet, two little grebes, 22 golden plover, 40 grey plover, 200 redshank, four Mediterranean gulls, also seen from the seawall were a marsh harrier, two kestrels and a sparrowhawk.

A black-tailed godwit was photographed along the Strood channel by Michael Thorley on Friday.

A clouded yellow visited a few flowering bristly ox-tongue flowers on Friday, before flying off. First sighting on the Island this year I think.

A fresh painted lady also along the Strood seawall on Friday.

The Strood wheatear photographed on full zoom in the bright sunshine by Shaun Bater on Friday.

At East Mersea on Friday Steve Entwistle reported four Sandwich terns, two knot, 18 common terns near Ivy Dock, also a whinchat near the Golfhouse sluice and nine yellow wagtails in the Golfhouse paddock.

ELUSIVE REDSTART

An elusive immature male redstart eventually showed itself to Jon Ward beside the path down the side of the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday 24th. The redstart was first seen very briefly the previous morning but stayed hidden yesterday afternoon when being looked for and again didn't show on Thursday morning despite  being looked for.

The redstart spent some of the time in old hawthorn trees beside the path and other times it dropped down onto the path to feed. 

The redstart appears to be an immature male with the start of a black face, browny-grey wings and back and the orange underparts.

A willow warbler was heard calling from birch trees in Feldy View.

Waders seen along the Strood channel on Thursday included eight lapwing, 72 grey plover, 150 black-tailed godwits, greenshank and 200 redshank.

A small flock of 32 golden plover was resting on the mud in the Strood channel.

Also five Mediterranean gulls, mute swan, common tern on a buoy, 4 shelduck, three grey herons perched on a tree on Ray Island, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, buzzard and three kestrels. A whinchat and wheatear were in the Strood fields, yellow wagtail and ten linnets also.

On Thursday afternoon at Ivy Dock Martin Cock saw a group of terns resting on the mud including 35 common terns, three little terns and a juvenile Arctic tern.

An unusual visitor to the Firs Chase garden was this whitethroat seen feeding on blackberries on Thursday, also three willow warblers and a goldcrest seen in a big mixed tit flock here too. A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen in the garden too.

Two red squirrels paid a visit to the Firs Chase garden and were checking out various plant pots and flower beds, looking for buried nuts on Thursday.

A cinnamon bug was found by Sarah Thorley in her conservatory near Meeting Lane in East Mersea on Thursday, possibly the first sighting on the Island. 

On Wednesday 23rd two spotted flycatchers were feeding in the scrubby corner down the side of the Firs Caravan park - aptly named in recent years as "flycatcher corner!"

Of greater interest here was a fleeting glimpse of a redstart perched on the side of a hawthorn tree, quivering its orange tail in distinctive fashion. It hopped into the tree and didn't show again that day. Three willow warblers were feeding in Feldy View.

A wheatear was along the side of the Strood seawall on Wednesday, also the whinchat seen alongside the dyke. Two yellow wagtails flew over, 20 linnets were in the fields, two marsh harriers and a sparrowhawk were also noted.

Along the Strood channel on Wednesday all the birds were seen scattering when a peregrine appeared and chased a grey plover up and down the channel several times, before both of them disappeared up to the Strood road. Also along the channel were a single bar-tailed godwit, 300 black-tailed godwits near the Dabchicks sailing club, golden plover, 50 grey plover, 3 ringed plover, 75 curlew and two little grebes.

In East Mersea on Wednesday, Martin Cock found a spotted flycatcher near Meeting Lane, here photographed by Michael Thorley.

A lesser whitethroat photographed by Michael near Meeting Lane on Wednesday.

A juvenile goldfinch in Meeting Lane, photo by Michael.

A long-tailed tit photographed by Michael near Meeting Lane.

FELDY FLYCATCHERS

There was a lot of migrant activity in Feldy View on Tuesday 22nd with three spotted flycatchers and at least 15 willow warblers seen feeding in the cemetery field. The spotted flycatchers were posing nicely out in the open and putting on a nice performance for the local group of birders to admire.

At least fifteen willow warblers were feeding among the silver birch trees in Feldy View - a nice supporting cast for the spotted flycatchers.

Along the Strood seawall a whinchat was beside the dyke, while two little grebes, 100 black-tailed godwits, sparrowhawk, ten swallows, whitethroat and a yellow wagtail were of note.

A male ruddy darter was photographed by Michael Thorley at his garden pond in East Mersea on Monday 21st. Male and female ruddy darter were seen coupled up later.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday 21st at least three whinchats were seen near the Golfhouse, earlier two were seen at the Point and were presumed to be seen later with a third one.

In the Golfhouse paddock 10 yellow wagtails were feeding with 20 pied wagtails, forty linnets were feeding near the Point and 200 starlings in the grazing fields.

A wheatear was hopping along the Cudmore seawall on Monday, trying to stay ahead of all the walkers using the seawall path. 

A young pochard was feeding in the park dyke along with a couple of tufted ducks. Fifteen little egrets were seen on the nearby saltmarsh and mudflats.

On the mud near the East Mersea Point on Monday the incoming tide was pushing waders closer to the shore. As well as fifteen ringed plovers seen, a very vocal little ringed plover flew past the Point and flew towards the Pyefleet, then returned five minutes later flying over the Golfhouse pools and the grazing fields before heading back north. Other waders included 100 black-tailed godwits, 25 dunlin, 10 grey plover and 100 redshank.

There were lots of terns feeding along the water's edge off the park as the tide came in. Two peregrines were seen hassling the feeding flock of common terns and Sandwich terns. Later as they rested on the mud behind the Point a sparrowhawk flew close-by and 85 common terns and six Sandwich terns rose into the air, along with ten Mediterranean gulls and two common gulls. Five other common terns were resting on buoys in the Colne.

A barn owl was resting in the old kestrel nestbox at the back of the park fields on Monday. A female marsh harrier flew over the fields, as did a buzzard, while another buzzard flew west over the Colne to Langenhoe. Feeding over the fields was a flock of 100 hirundines with roughly five sand martins, ten house martins and 85 swallows.

Two shoveler were feeding on the park pond on Monday, this male still in eclipse plumage.

A large mixed tit flock of 50+ birds moved quickly through the trees near the park pond, with at least four willow warblers seen, elsewhere there were four lesser whitethroats, blackcap and whitethroat seen.

A small red-eyed damselfly was resting on a bush at Cudmore Grove on Monday.

Andy Field visited Feldy View on Monday morning and reported little activity there other than a willow warbler and a chiffchaff. Later walking Shop Lane to Meeting Lane with Martin Cock a large mixed flock of tits, warblers and chaffinches were seen, which had a few each of willow warblers, and chiffchaffs, numerous blackcaps, blue tits, long-tailed tits and chaffinches.

Later at Reeveshall three whinchats and three wheatears were by the pool, also yellow wagtail and Mediterranean gull seen by Andy too.

On Sunday 20th three wheatears were feeding along the Strood seawall, two at one end and a single bird at the other end. Along the Strood channel were a great crested grebe, 12 golden plover, 70 grey plover, Mediterranean gull and 100 black-tailed godwits on the mud near the Dabchicks.

A swift flew over Martin Cock's garden in The Coverts on Sunday morning.

This large drinker moth found its way into Martin Cock's kitchen late on Sunday evening.

On Saturday 19th an avocet was feeding inside the Maydays creek, as were four greenshank and four common sandpipers. Along the Pyefleet were 115 grey plover, six golden plover, three teal, two shelduck, three common terns and a common seal.

Five whinchats were feeding beside the dyke, a flock of 24 skylarks was feeding in the fields, four meadow pipits, two yellow wagtails were noted. A distant hobby was hunting over Reeveshall and a buzzard was also seen.

A pair of willow emerald damselflies in tandem was resting beside the track between Maydays farmyard and the seawall on Saturday.

Three other willow emeralds were also seen along the same length of hedgerow at Maydays on Saturday.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was photographed by Jack Hoy on Saturday as it rested on his bird feeder in Mersea Avenue.