FELDY VIEW EXCITEMENT

Three common terns were fishing along the Strood Channel on Friday 1st. At least 30 Mediterranean gulls were roosting on the water near the bottom of the Strood Hill, while the only waders of note at high tide were 20 black-tailed godwits, 8 ringed plover and two whimbrel.

A heavily moulting buzzard soared over the Strood channel on Friday with a second bird also seen in the air too. Four yellow wagtails, reed warbler and 20 swallows were also noted while a sparrowhawk and two willow warblers were in Feldy View.

The redstart was seen by a visiting birder on Friday morning in Feldy View- present for its tenth day.

At Maydays a common sandpiper, Sandwich tern and 12 knot were seen on Friday by Martin Cock.

Steve Entwistle saw a goldcrest, willow warbler and chiffchaff in a mixed tit flock in Cross Lane on Friday. Later eight black-tailed godwits were off the Esplanade and the distant peregrine was seen on Bradwell power station at the nestbox.

Michael Thorley photographed this small white in his East Mersea garden on Friday.

A spotted flycatcher was seen in Cross Lane on Thursday, while at Waldegraves at least ten Mediterranean gulls were in a mixed gull flock, also 12 ringed plovers on the offshore island.

At Rewsalls a kingfisher was feeding in the side-lake, common sandpiper, 70 redshank, 10 ringed plovers, 9 little egrets, 8 little grebes, 30 Mediterranean gulls and ten common gulls were noted. A wheatear perched on fence-posts, two Cetti's warblers sang, three reed warblers noted and 200 golden plover in a stubble field.

In Feldy View the redstart, pied flycatcher (for its second day) and two spotted flycatchers were seen on Thursday morning by Caroline Wilson, Jonathan Norgate and Jon Ward. Late afternoon two lesser whitethroats and a willow warbler were seen by Steve Entwistle and Paul Everett.

There was more flycatcher excitement in Feldy View on Wednesday 30th when a spotted flycatcher was seen again there, pictured above, but also a first winter / female pied flycatcher - a great find by Andy Field. The pied flycatcher was feeding inside the birch and oak trees and often disappeared for long periods and sadly didn't show itself long enough to be photographed. I don't think there were any sightings reported in the afternoon. The redstart was also seen in Feldy View again, present for a week now.

A siskin flew over Feldy View calling and a buzzard drifted high over too on Wednesday morning, while a lesser whitethroat and two blackcap were seen near the caravan site. A flock of 100 swallows with two house martins were heading north-west over the Strood, a male marsh harrier, five yellow wagtails and 100 black-tailed godwits seen along the Strood channel.

The spotted flycatcher was more obliging and posed here for Jon Ward in Feldy View on Wednesday.

Andy Field managed this snap of the spotted flycatcher in Feldy View on Wednesday.

One of four willow warblers in Feldy View photographed on Wednesday by Andy Field.

Two common lizards were photographed by Andy in Feldy View basking on one of the wooden memorial plaques on Wednesday.

On Wednesday evening 16 yellow wagtails were seen by Caroline Wilson in the Golfhouse paddock in East Mersea and a whinchat along the park dyke.

A speckled bush cricket photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 29th a whimbrel was on the saltmarsh along the Strood channel, also 100 black-tailed godwits, common tern, 15 little egrets, six buzzards together high over the Peldon seawall and two yellow wagtails and fifteen linnets over the fields.

A spotted flycatcher was in the aptly named Flycatcher Corner near Feldy View, also two lesser whitethroats and a flock of 24 goldfinches in the area.

Two willow warblers were feeding in the Firs Chase garden.

In East Mersea on Tuesday afternoon Martin Cock saw five Sandwich terns, green sandpiper and 12 yellow wagtails in the Reeveshall /Shop Lane area. Fifteen yellow wagtails were also seen flying about the paddocks at the south end of Shop Lane.

On Monday 28th a golden plover was on the Rewsalls side-lake, also in the area were common sandpiper, 50 ringed plover, 30 turnstone, 120 redshank, five dunlin, 12 little grebes, black-tailed godwit and eight little egrets. A kingfisher perched on fenceposts along the old dyke, three Cetti's warblers heard, willow warblers and three whitethroats by the boating lake.

Recently stripped pine cones by a red squirrel were found under the ten Scots Pine trees inside the entrance to Mersea Outdoors on Monday.

A buzzard perched on top of East Mersea church on Monday. A peregrine was seen circling high over Meeting Lane.

Ten red admirals were feeding on the buddleia bush by the East Mersea church on Monday.

Andrew Goodey saw the redstart near Feldy View near the Firs Caravan park on Monday morning, though it was still being elusive. It was seen later in the day by Steve Entwistle but it was very mobile.

Also seen by Andy during his walk to the Strood seawall was a raven heard calling several times over Feldy View, two yellow wagtails, three lesser whitethroats, 217 black-tailed godwits, 3 little egrets, chiffchaff, two willow warblers, 12 linnets, sparrowhawk, green woodpecker and thirty swallows.