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.