REDSTART CONTINUES TO DELIGHT

The redstart continued to delight several viewers in Feldy View on Tuesday 5th, with Jon Ward taking this picture. This immature male has now been present in the area for its fourteenth day.

Another picture by Jon Ward of the redstart in Feldy View on Tuesday.

The redstart seemed to favour the north-west corner of the Feldy View cemetery on Tuesday morning.

Andy Field photographed it as it perched on top of a memorial cross.

Shaun Bater also captured the redstart on top of the wooden cross on Tuesday.

The redstart also perched on a low branches of a rowan tree in Feldy View on Tuesday, another picture by Shaun.

A willow warbler was heard singing in Feldy View.

Along the Strood Channel on Tuesday, Shaun Bater, Jon Ward and I found two juvenile curlew sandpipers feeding on the opposite side. Thanks to Jon and his long lense for these two pictures.

The two curlew sandpipers were present for over an hour before the incoming tide pushed them further up-channel towards the Strood causeway.
Also along the channel were a knot, 2 bar-tailed godwits, whimbrel, 70 golden plover, 30 grey plover, ten Mediterranean gulls, common tern, four little grebes, also 200 black-tailed godwits and a Sandwich tern near the Dabchicks. Three whinchats, two buzzards, three kestrels and a yellow wagtail were over or on the fields.

Earlier on Tuesday morning Andy Field saw the distant osprey perched on a post on the Geedons, seen during his walk along the seawall near Ivy Dock. Also from the seawall near the Point 50 grey plovers, 40 black-tailed godwits, 200 oystercatchers, 30 curlew, 8 dunlin, 6 avocets, ten common terns offshore and a Cetti's warbler by the Golfhouse. At West Mersea as well as the redstart in Feldy View, there was a singing chiffchaff there, also a yellow wagtail over the path near Whittaker Way

The nationally scarce White-spotted Pinion moth was an unexpected find in the garden moth trap in Firs Chase late night on Monday 4th. The only other Island record was in 2015 at Cudmore Grove.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday morning feeding at the flowers of everlasting peas

On Monday 4th Shaun Bater and I walked the Cudmore Grove circuit in the morning with Caroline White joining us for part of the walk. Two little owls perched along a hedge to the north of the country park entrance, one pictured here. Earlier a single swift was flying about near the East Mersea bus turning circle with 100+ house martins and also 20+ swallows. With all the hirundines about, it wasn't surprising to see a hobby later fly over the park pond, there was a sparrowhawk and a willow warbler north of the park too.

On the park pond a gadwall, six teal and three shoveler were seen while a water rail and Cetti's warbler were heard. A hummingbird hawkmoth was feeding at buddleia near the bird hide.

On the mud behind East Mersea Point seven Sandwich terns were resting - five of them seen here with a snoozing Mediterranean gull. Also from the Point 24 common terns, 4 Mediterranean gulls in total, 8 avocets, 40 linnets, 3 meadow pipits were of interest.

One of the 200 redshank seen from the East Mersea Point on Monday.

A kingfisher flashed low along the Golfhouse dyke and two wigeon were on the Golfhouse pools. Up to eight yellow wagtails were heard during the morning's walk.

Also walking the East Mersea seawall on Monday morning was Martin Cock who reported 17 Sandwich terns off Ivy Dock, kingfisher in the Golfhouse dyke, sand martin, two wigeon and a few lesser whitethroats.

Steve Entwistle and Caroline White visited Rewsalls marshes and side-lake on Monday and noted common sandpiper, ten little grebes and 25 Mediterranean gulls. Later at Reeveshall a green sandpiper and snipe were at the pool, while in the Pyefleet were 14 avocets, five black-tailed godwits and a possible osprey distantly near Fingringhoe.

On Sunday 3rd along the Strood seawall, three whinchats and two buzzards were perched along the hedgerow between the fields, also three yellow wagtails, whitethroat and a sedge warbler seen. Along the channel were three Sandwich terns flying up and down, 26 Mediterranean gulls roosting on the water, four bar-tailed godwits and 120 golden plover on the mud. Three grey herons were circling high over the Strood causeway. Thirty swallows were flying over the fields and nearby caravan park.

At East Mersea on Saturday 2nd, Andy Field found a little stint on the mudflats briefly behind the Golfhouse pools, feeding with a small flock of ringed plovers. It was lost to view and not re-found. Other birds seen were 7 Sandwich terns, little tern, 12 common terns, four bar-tailed godwits, six knot, 20 avocets, 30 black-tailed godwits, 15 yellow wagtails in the paddocks north of the park, 6 lesser whitethroats and 100 swallows at the bus turning circle.

Martin Cock saw two wigeon on the Golfhouse pools on Saturday morning.

On Friday there was a report on eBird of three Artic terns seen by Nigel Arthur at East Mersea, also 6 shoveler, gadwall, 20 ringed plovers, four bar-tailed godwits, 19 black-tailed godwits, 56 dunlin, 8 turnstones, 40 redshank and 18 little egrets.

A Centre-barred sallow was in the moth trap on the night of Sunday 3rd.

A large Convolvulus hawkmoth was found dead sadly by Ian Black in his Mersea Avenue house on Sunday 3rd.