CHIFFCHAFF INFLUX

A chiffchaff was photographed by Jon Ward on Monday 18th in Feldy View. It was one of three seen and heard singing between Feldy View and the Strood seawall. A red kite was also seen by Jon.

On my own walk on Monday morning between Firs Chase and the Strood seawall via Feldy View there were six singing chiffchaffs - including one singing in a bush in the borrowdyke.  

Michael Thorley photographed a chiffchaff in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Monday.

The chiffchaff was singing for over an hour in Michael's garden while he and Sarah sat outside in the sunshine.

The sunny weather on Monday has seen a noticeable influx of chiffchaffs to the island, lots singing.

 

A common lizard - minus a bit of tail, was enjoying the sunshine in Feldy View cemetery on Monday.

A brimstone butterfly was in Feldy View and three peacocks seen along the Strood seawall.

Along the Strood channel on Monday were two avocets, ten shelduck, 90 wigeon, ten teal, two great crested grebes, 30 grey plover, 7 golden plover, four black-tailed godwits, three knot, and also 800 brent geese over Feldy Marsh. A lapwing was in one of the Strood fields for the second day.

A few buzzards were active in the Monday sunshine with these two birds having a scrap in the field by Strood Hill, while a third buzzard watched from the sidelines. Eight buzzards were seen in total, also a marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk.

Other birds noted were two green woodpeckers, Cetti's warbler, song thrush and a meadow pipit.

A mallard was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Monday.

The mallard had come to visit Michael's garden pond.

The male kestrel was seen at the nestbox at Cudmore Grove on Monday, photographed by Caroline White.

The female kestrel was also on the same tree and the pair was seen mating by Caroline.

Two little owls were very vocal at the back of the same hedge as the kestrels. Also seen were four black-tailed godwits, ten shoveler, two pairs of greylag geese, four chiffchaffs, two shelduck, nine tufted duck, four ringed plovers, 12 turnstones, two pairs of mute swans, pair of calling green woodpeckers and a calling water rail.

The grey squirrel was photographed by Caroline White at the barn owl box by the pond on Monday.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit on Monday morning and reported two stock doves at the barn owl box, two gadwall, mute swan pair, three chiffchaffs and a Cetti's warbler at the pond. In the grazing fields there were eight greylag geese, black-tailed godwit, kestrel in the box, pair of Mediterranean gulls flying over, 500 brent geese and two avocets on the tide line near the Golfhouse pools.

On Sunday 17th Caroline White photographed a Yellow Field Cap at Cudmore Grove.

Birds noted included three pairs of pochard on the dyke, 9 tufted ducks, 9 greylag geese, three chiffchaffs, flock of nine meadow pipits and a little owl grooming itself in the kestrel box.

In the evening a little owl was calling near the park entrance.

A lapwing was feeding around the flooded area of field by the Strood seawall on Sunday 17th.

The small pond inside the Strood seawall has filled up after the winter rains and it now had about ten species of wader and wildfowl on it on Sunday. These included some wigeon, teal, mallard, shelduck, one brent goose, oystercatcher pair, black-tailed godwit, curlew, lapwing and a redshank.

In the nearby field four snipe were seen landing in the wet and weedy grassland.

Along the Strood channel on Sunday were some oystercatchers and turnstones seen near the sluice.

Also seen were 800 brent geese, 30 shelduck, 70 wigeon, four great crested grebes, little grebe, five avocets including one pair seen mating, 44 golden plover, 25 grey plover and ten knot. 

A buzzard, chiffchaff and meadow pipit were also noted. 

The overwintering blackcap was seen again in the Firs Chase garden.

Lots of sunshine on Saturday 16th saw lots of birds of prey in the air such as this buzzard over Maydays. At least fourteen buzzards were seen during the late morning walk with half of them passing off the island and the other half circling over fields and woodlands.

A male marsh harrier crossed over the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday - one earlier had been heard calling as it displayed high up. Six marsh harriers were noted, mostly over Langenhoe, also two sparrowhawks and two kestrels noted too.

Along the Pyefleet at Maydays on Saturday was a greenshank seen here in the middle among the redshank. The regular leucistic redshank was seen feeding on the mud, also 25 black-tailed godwits, four pintail, 60 shelduck, four red-breasted mergansers, two great crested grebes. On Reeveshall were seven lapwing, ten stock doves, singing little grebe, three greylag geese and two Canada geese, while at Maydays were a pair of stonechat, singing chiffchaff, Cetti's warbler and a meadow pipit.

An adder was spotted on the top of the Maydays seawall on Saturday in the same area for the third spring running.

The hairy caterpillar of the ruby tiger moth was enjoying the sunshine in the grass on the Maydays seawall.

A brimstone butterfly was seen by Adrian Amos in his West Mersea garden on East Road on Saturday.

At Cudmore Grove on Saturday Daniel Woollard reported two chiffchaffs singing and a Cetti's warbler at the pond, three red kites, buzzard, sparrowhawk over his back garden at the park, six reed buntings and a few linnets at the Point, also ten Canada geese over to Brightlingsea.

Andy Field saw seven buzzards on Saturday during his walk along the Strood seawall. A report of an owl being flushed earlier from the edge of the borrowdyke reeds, may've been a short-eared owl.

On Friday 15th the only birds noted during a brief visit to the Strood seawall were buzzard, great crested grebe, 70 brent geese and ten wigeon.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday 14th a red kite flew west off the island, five red-breasted mergansers were of interest in the channel, 130 wigeon, two great crested grebes, four avocets, 40 knot, two sparrowhawks, marsh harrier and a buzzard. In the fields were 30 corn buntings, pair of red-legged partridge, singing Cetti's warbler and a brown hare seen by the Strood Hill.

A blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden at the bird feeder.

Martin Cock reported seeing at Cudmore Grove on Thursday morning, three chiffchaffs, two Cetti's warblers, buzzard, song thrush, little owl calling from the hedgerow and a fox.

Steve Entwistle reported at Cudmore Grove on Thursday afternoon two chiffchaffs, long tailed tits nest building, pair of mute swans, pair of gadwall, two moorhens and Cetti's warbler singing in front of the hide.