THRUSH ARRIVAL

A male ring ouzel proved elusive in the Firs Road cemetery on Monday 16th, pictured here in a eucalyptus tree. It was first spotted feeding with a few blackbirds on the grass beside some gravestones, before flying into the nearby hedge and staying out of sight. Steve Entwistle spent nearly six hours at the site to see the ring ouzel and was treated to just two good sightings in that time.

It seemed to be a morning of thrushes arriving, as well as the ten blackbirds in the Firs Chase and Feldy View area, up to fifty redwings appeared, some of them landing in the Feldy trees before flying off in small flocks. A siskin flew over calling as did a brambling which flew west calling with a chaffinch over the caravan site and then the Strood Channel.

Two newly arrived fieldfares paused for a while beside the Strood dyke before flying to the back of the fields on Monday morning. A stonechat was feeding on the seawall and a Cetti's warbler sang from the dyke.

A few waders such as this redshank were on the last of the mud along the Strood channel just before high tide on Monday. In the ploughed Strood field were 190 golden plover and 55 ringed plovers. A distant marsh harrier and a buzzard were seen during the walk.

A black-tailed godwit was feeding near the Strood seawall on Monday, while 16 avocets, forty wigeon and five teal were also noted.

One of the regular Sandwich terns was back on the marker post in the Strood channel on Monday, also a common tern too.

Three rock pipits, 15 meadow pipits and eight reed buntings were seen beside the Strood seawall on Monday.

An arctic skua was seen flying past the Esplanade by Charlie Williams on Monday morning.

Andy Field walked from Maydays to Cudmore Grove during Monday carrying out the monthly WeBS count and noted a fieldfare, two pairs of stonechats, peregrine, two marsh harriers, common scoter and a red-breasted merganser.

An adult white-tailed eagle flying overhead was photographed by Peter Patis when he was at East Mersea on Sunday 15th. Presumably one of the birds from the Isle of Wight.

A red-throated diver was an unexpected find in the Strood Channel on Sunday, providing quite close views from the seawall near the sluice. Also along the channel were 30 wigeon, 7 little grebes, 10 avocets, ten Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, four buzzards, stonechat and a rock pipit. 

A Sandwich tern was on a marker post in the Strood channel on Sunday, while three common terns were seen flying near the Hard.

A great skua was watched chasing a black-headed gull in Salcott Channel on Sunday, before it then headed low up the channel. Five minutes later it came back out, passing close to Packing Shed and Cobmarsh Islands as it made its way back out to sea. Amongst various birds spooked by the marauding skua, was a flock of 50 brent geese that took to the air.

A siskin flew over the Firs Chase garden calling on Sunday.

Five cattle egrets were seen flying low over the Pyefleet Channel from Reeveshall to the Langenhoe Ranges and kept going north-west on Saturday 14th. Also in the channel were two great crested grebes, six avocets while on Langenhoe were a peregrine, swallow and a marsh harrier. Three common seals were seen resting on saltmarsh from Maydays. 

Also in the picture above is the Thames barge with the Swallow Birding group sailing up the Colne from Brightlingsea on Saturday with birds of note being an immature spoonbill seen flying north-east into Brightlingsea creek and three Sandwich terns in the river Colne

A wheatear was by the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday, a stonechat, yellowhammer, two buzzards, 20 meadow pipits and a Cetti's warbler were at Maydays. 

A pair of willow emerald damselflies coupled together in tandem were at Maydays along with another individual on Saturday.

In the breezy conditions on Saturday a red admiral rested out of the wind at Maydays.

Andy Field and Charlie Coltman visited Shop Lane / Reeveshall on Saturday and reported goldcrest, two pairs of stonechats, wheatear, 20 meadow pipits, marsh harrier, peregrine, five bar-tailed godwits and a grey squirrel by Fishponds Wood.

Earlier at Cudmore Grove they heard the water rail and Cetti's warbler at the park pond, common tern and Sandwich tern offshore.

Charlie was pleased to see a red squirrel in Fairhaven Avenue on Saturday morning.

A male siskin was seen by Steve Entwistle in the alder trees below the East Mersea Vineyard.

On Friday 13th along the Strood, there were 100 golden plovers, two Sandwich terns, three swallows, two Mediterranean gulls and nine brent geese, while near Feldy View were two goldcrest and a chiffchaff.

At East Mersea on Friday morning Martin Cock saw six swallows near the Golfhouse before the rain got heavier.

A common tern perched on a marker post in the Strood channel on Thursday 12th, also another common tern and a Sandwich tern also present. In the ploughed field were 150 golden plover, 50 ringed plover, while a snipe flew off the side of the seawall, six dunlin and a greenshank also of note.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday were a stonechat, rock pipit, Cetti's warblers heard singing in three different locations, two buzzards, while by the Firs Caravan park were siskin, redpoll flying west, two chiffchaffs, goldcrest and a song thrush with ten blackbirds.

Martin Cock saw a blackcap and two chiffchaffs by the East Mersea Golfhouse on Thursday morning.

Michael Thorley photographed this chiffchaff in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Thursday.

Common gull photographed by Michael at Coopers Beach.

Flowering Hogs Fennel plant photographed by Michael at Cudmore Grove on Thursday, also three bar-tailed godwits seen there in the afternoon.

On Wednesday 11th Martin Cock visited the East Mersea boating lake / Rewsalls marshes and saw common sandpiper, five greenshank, three Cetti's warblers singing, 22 little grebes and many other waders.