WATER VOLE SHOW

A family of water voles put on a show along the Cudmore Grove borrowdyke for Andy Field on Tuesday 1st.

A water vole by the park dyke, photo by Andy.

The water voles were seen swimming together in the park dyke, moving about very quickly which Andy did well to photograph.

A southern migrant hawker dragonfly pictured at the park on Tuesday by Andy, also an emperor dragonfly seen.

A small red-eyed damselfly was photographed on the park dyke by Andy.

One of two willow warblers pictured here by Andy at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday, also plenty of young whitethroats, also lesser whitethroat, blackcap, reed warbler, two chiffchaffs, one barn owl in the box by the pond and an adult hunting the nearby fields during the morning, 20 little egrets at the pond, six tufted ducks and a pochard on the dyke.

A common carder bee photographed by Andy at the park on Tuesday.

An oak knopper gall at the park pictured by Andy.

Three Sandwich terns were seen by Martin Cock on Tuesday on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools.

The first kingfisher sighting of the autumn was of a bird near the Maydays sluice that was enjoyed being seen by Jack Hoy.

A flock of at least sixty common terns and two Sandwich terns was resting on the offshore shingle island just before high tide opposite Waldegraves on Tuesday 1st. The birds soon dispersed when the tide covered the island in the middle of the day.

A willow warbler was heard calling in the Waldegraves holiday park.

A little egret was watching the seawater flood onto the Rewsalls marshes as the tide came in on Tuesday.

Roosting on the Rewsalls side lake next to the boating lake on Tuesday were thirty turnstones, 100 redshank and two common sandpipers, also three little grebes and five common terns flying about. Two house martins and five swallows passed over westwards.

At Coopers Beach on Tuesday late afternoon Michael Thorley reported 29 curlew, 11 oystercatchers, 8 redshank, 5 turnstones, 35 black-headed gulls, lesser black-backed gull, grey plover and a golden plover.

On Monday 31st along the Strood, a male marsh harrier quartered over Ray Island and then the Strood fields, a whimbrel, five common terns, two whitethroats, reed warbler, two yellow wagtails, 70 house sparrows feeding in the fields and six linnets. Two hares were in a grass field.

A sparrowhawk and two green woodpeckers were by Feldy View and five swifts were over the houses.

Along the Strood on Sunday 30th there were 25 black-tailed godwits roosting, common tern, Mediterranean gull flying, eight sand martins, ten swallows and four swifts, while ten turnstones were by the Hard. A painted lady was along the seawall

Andy Field walked from Shop Lane onto the Reeveshall seawall and photographed this wasp spider at its web on Saturday 29th - a second individual seen as well.

Birds noted from Reeveshall were three marsh harriers (two juveniles on Langenhoe), a few swallows and sand martins, willow warbler heard in Shop Lane, and one distant osprey on a post on the Geedons. 

The three ospreys were seen in the afternoon all on their posts on the Geedons, seen from South Green at Fingringhoe by Colin Mackenzie-Grieve.

A southern migrant hawker was photographed by Andy in the Shop Lane area on Saturday.

A group of migrant hawker dragonflies along with one southern migrant hawker which is second from the right, photographed by Andy near Shop Lane on Saturday.

A male ruddy darter pictured by Andy near Shop Lane.

A hornet hoverfly pictured by Andy near Shop Lane - also a white-letter hairstreak butterfly seen by Fishponds Wood on Saturday.

At Maydays on Saturday one distant osprey was seen on a tall post on the Geedon saltmarsh. Not much else seen during a quick walk along the seawall during the high tide period other than a great crested grebe, two common terns, eight little egrets, yellowhammer, Cetti's warbler and six house martins over the farmhouse. Two common seals were resting on the saltmarsh.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was photographed by Jack Hoy in his Mersea Avenue garden on Saturday. Later in the day a red kite was seen by Jack heading west over Firs Road.

A house martin was seen flying up to its nest at Fountain Court in West Mersea on Saturday morning.

A wheatear on the Strood seawall on Friday 28th appeared to be one of the first returning birds heading back south that have been seen in Essex this summer, as only one other had been reported in the county before Friday. Two willow warblers were seen in Feldy View in the morning, later a third bird was seen by Steve Entwistle who also had a peregrine flying over there.

Also along the Strood on Friday were whimbrel, 15 black-tailed godwits, grey plover, two lapwing, 150 redshank, three common terns and thirty carrion crows on Ray Island. Seen from the Strood seawall were 100 house sparrows, three reed warblers, four yellow wagtails and a whitethroat. Fifty swifts were flying high over the Strood Hill area.

A red squirrel has been seen visiting the feeder in the Firs Chase garden most days recently, seen here Friday.

Lots of winged ants started crawling out of the crack between the patio stones and then taking to the air on Friday afternoon above the Firs Chase garden.

After many years absence a harlequin ladybird was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Friday.

On Thursday 27th birds noted during a walk along the Strood seawall were 150 redshank, grey plover, 12 black-tailed godwits, buzzard, kestrel, two reed warblers, two whitethroats and four yellow wagtails.

Andy Field reported on Thursday there that have been two adult swifts still in his swift nestbox every night even after the two youngsters fledged a week ago! A hummingbird hawkmoth visited his new front garden for the first time this year.

Adrian Amos was pleased to see a flock of 20 swifts over his house on East Road near Oakwood on Friday evening.