SPOONBILL STOPS BY

 

A spoonbill was seen to land and feed for a few minutes at the Golfhouse pools near East Mersea Point on Friday 22nd, allowing Andy Field to take these two photos of it.

The spoonbill only fed for a few minutes before flying off.

Andy also reported at Cudmore Grove the pair of little owls duetting, four chiffchaffs, two pochard, blackcap singing near hide, 70 teal, 60 wigeon, 6 tufted ducks, 20 shoveler, two avocets on the Golfhouse pools, a male marsh harrier at the back of the fields and a red squirrel near the entrance to the park.

At West Mersea a flock of 25 siskins flew over the top end of The Lane and then fed with 25 goldfinches in the tops of some poplar trees on Friday. A male blackcap was singing along the side of the Firs Caravan park, two chiffchaffs were singing as was a Cetti's warbler.

From the Strood seawall on Friday there were 150 brent geese in the channel, eight shelduck, ten wigeon, two teal, great crested grebe and a lapwing in the field.

The barn owl box at Cudmore Grove was given a good clear out on Thursday 21st by the ranger Matt Smith, of twigs put inside by a grey squirrel in recent weeks. Hopefully the barn owls will take up residence again soon. A brimstone and red admiral were seen in the area by Caroline White.

Michael Thorley saw a buzzard and a distant red kite from his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Thursday.

What might have been the same red kite seen by Michael in East Mersea was seen a bit later flying along the back of the Strood fields on Thursday late morning. Also seen during the Strood seawall walk were a pochard, 30 wigeon, four great crested grebes, two marsh harriers, two buzzards, two kestrels, 20 linnets, Cetti's warbler, three singing chiffchaffs near the caravan park, song thrush and a meadow pipit.

One or two birds of prey enjoyed the sunshine on Wednesday 20th such as this male kestrel perched near the Strood seawall.

After a few minutes the kestrel flew off to hunt along the Strood seawall on Wednesday.

A red kite flew over the Strood channel and headed towards the Strood Hill where it climbed high skywards, joining some of the five buzzards in the area, also a marsh harrier and two sparrowhawks noted.

Along the channel were a great crested grebe, two avocets, 110 redshank, four little egrets, 36 carrion crows on Ray Island while three corn buntings flew over the Strood seawall, five singing chiffchaffs and a Cetti's warbler near the caravan park.

A brimstone and comma butterflies were seen in the Firs Chase garden.

Birds of interest along the Strood channel on Tuesday 19th - apart from this redshank, were 100 brent geese, little grebe, four great crested grebes, golden plover, twenty grey plover and a buzzard.

A red kite was seen by Rob Lee flying over the Barrow Hill on Tuesday morning.

Andy Field and Charlie Coltman walked the Cudmore circuit on Tuesday morning and reported 3 or 4 singing chiffchaffs, little owl heard, three Cetti's warblers singing, green woodpecker, sparrowhawk displaying over the pond area, male kestrel by its box, 12 greylag geese, 200 brent geese, 30 curlew, 12 shoveler, 2 lapwings in the fields, two Mediterranean gulls, five red-breasted mergansers in the Colne, 200 dunlin, ten knot and 30 grey plover on the mud and a distant marsh harrier on the Langenhoe ranges. Also a red squirrel seen at the park.

Not much moth trapping has taken place over the last month because of the unsettled weather. This Brindled Beauty was one of a few moths that came to the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 18th, on a clear and breezy night.

Red Chestnut.

Twin-spotted Quaker.

The tiny Willow Stilt micro-moth also noted on the 18th.