SPRING SUNSHINE

A day of sunshine on Monday 1st April made a change from the recent unsettled weather. During a walk in East Mersea between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane saw several butterflies enjoying the sunshine - such as this brimstone butterfly, one of three seen.

The first speckled wood butterfly of the spring was seen beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane on Monday. 

Three peacock butterflies were also seen along the path west of Shop Lane on Monday. Other butterflies noted were a small white, small tortoiseshell and a comma.

As well as this common lizard seen just east of Meeting Lane, a small grass snake was also spotted briefly before it slipped back into the hedge-bottom.

Eight buzzards were seen in the air during Monday's walk in East Mersea, also a pair of kestrel near Fishponds Wood. Other birds noted were seven singing blackcaps, six chiffchaffs, three Cetti's warblers, song thrush, four green woodpeckers and a couple of linnets.

A clump of lesser celandine was in flower beside a flowing ditch just east of Meeting Lane on Monday.

At Cudmore Grove the little owl was seen perched in trees near the park pond by Mollie Kirk on Monday.

On Sunday 31st at Maydays, a greenshank, two Cetti's warblers, three red-breasted mergansers, two marsh harriers and a chiffchaff were seen by Martin Cock.

Earlier in the day a siskin was in Martin's West Mersea garden in The Coverts.

In Firs Chase on Sunday a brambling was heard calling from a tree but couldn't be seen, then twenty minutes later another brambling was heard calling among some 15 goldfinches beside the path down the side of the Firs Caravan park. Presumably two different birds being nearly 500m apart.

Birds seen during the Strood seawall walk on Sunday included three marsh harriers, two buzzards, five avocets, pair of gadwall, five black-tailed godwits, 30 shelduck, Cetti's warbler, two chiffchaffs, song thrush and three meadow pipits. A small white butterfly was seen on Coast Road.

An adder was at its usual basking spot on the Maydays seawall just east of the seawall corner on Saturday 30th.

The leucistic redshank was in the Pyefleet channel at Maydays on Saturday. Also along the Pyefleet were a greenshank, four black-tailed godwits, four red-breasted mergansers, four pintail, 80 shelduck, and three great crested grebes. Seven marsh harriers and eight buzzards were seen flying about on Mersea and Langenhoe while on Maydays / Reeveshall were eight lapwing, two avocets passing over and three Mediterranean gulls flying over, a pair of stonechat, three meadow pipits and a singing chiffchaff.

At Cudmore Grove the first sand martin of the spring on the Island was seen by Jack Hoy on Saturday.

A couple of slow worms were inside the garden compost bin of Caroline White on Saturday.

A male wheatear was beside the Strood seawall on Friday 29th - the first one on the Island this spring. The bird was first seen on the outer side of the seawall before flying onto the nearby Strood Hill field.

A male red-breasted merganser was seen by the Dabchicks Sailing club on Friday.

The red-breasted merganser was seen displaying to the nearby female in the Strood channel. A great crested grebe, 100 brent geese, were also noted in the channel during the high tide.

A pair of gadwall was feeding in the pond at the bottom of the Strood Hill field on Friday. Two marsh harriers, buzzard, Cetti's warbler, five little egrets, thirty linnets and a meadow pipit were noted during the seawall walk. Two chiffchaffs and a blackcap were heard by the Firs caravan park.

The male firecrest was still singing in the Firs Chase garden for its sixth day on Friday, while a chiffchaff sang nearby and a female blackcap visited the bird-table - presumably the overwintering bird. Two red squirrels were seen scampering by the roadside in Stonehill Way.

At Cudmore Grove / Golfhouse area late Friday afternoon, Caroline White reported 11 linnets by Golfhouse, pair of avocets and single teal on the Golfhouse pools, seven tufted duck and cormorant on the dyke, nine sanderling and a pair of ringed plover on the beach, four greylag geese in the fields and the pair of kestrels on their tree.

An adult and larva of the lesser stag beetle were found by Caroline in her West Mersea garden.

Birds noted during a brief Strood seawall walk on Thursday included a marsh harrier, four avocets, five shelduck, pair of kestrels, Cetti's warbler and three singing chiffchaffs near the caravan park.

Michael Thorley walked Cross Lane on Thursday and reported two blackcaps, four blackbirds, two greenfinches, song thrush, three chiffchaffs, three wrens, jackdaw, two carrion crows and wood pigeons.

A blackthorn bush was in full blossom at the bottom corner of the Firs Chase caravan park on Wednesday 27th. Two chiffchaffs were singing near the caravan park, four linnets near the seawall, also four little egrets and fifty brent geese noted.

The firecrest was singing in the Firs Chase garden for its fourth day on Wednesday.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday morning, the barn owl was seen in the box by the pond by Martin Cock, who also reported blackcap, chiffchaff and a calling little owl.

On Tuesday 26th, birds noted along the Strood seawall were marsh harrier, four buzzards, three Mediterranean gulls, two kestrels, also a Cetti's warbler singing, two chiffchaffs and a blackcap singing near the caravan park.

The firecrest was singing again in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday.

Steve Entwistle reported seeing from the Strood layby on Tuesday ten buzzards, peregrine chasing pigeons, sparrowhawk, female pochard, two lesser black-backed gulls, six skylarks, pied wagtail and a meadow pipit.

At Cudmore Grove Michael Thorley reported seeing occasional glimpses of a barn owl inside the recently cleaned out barn owl box behind the park pond on Tuesday morning.

On Monday the male firecrest was singing in the Firs Chase garden with the second firecrest present too.

The black brant was feeding in front of the Firs Chase Caravan park on Monday 25th, during the high tide period over the flooded saltmarsh with 150 brent geese. Along the Strood seawall there were three marsh harriers, buzzard, two kestrels seen along with a Cetti's warbler and chiffchaff singing near the caravan park.

A black-headed gull with a pinkish tone to the neck and breast was seen for the second day near the Dabchicks Sailing club on Monday.

A pair of kestrels was photographed by Caroline White at their tree at the back of the Cudmore grazing fields on Monday. Also late afternoon 11 linnets on the Golfhouse paddock, four avocets on the Golfhouse pools, two shelduck, little egret near the Point, 6 tufted duck and pochard on the dyke, 3 shoveler and pair of greylag geese on the fields. 

At the park pond Caroline reported a mute swan pair, Cetti's warbler singing, sparrowhawk, long-tailed tits, while Steve Entwistle noted two chiffchaffs, male blackcap. A short while later a barn owl was seen flying about by the pond, then sat in nearby trees before heading over to the car park.

Michael Thorley on Monday morning saw a chaffinch and two skylarks in the Golfhouse paddock, 8 skylarks, 4 avocets, two shelduck, 9 grey plover, 2 turnstones, little egret and 150 dunlin offshore. In the fields and dyke were 250 brent geese, 20 wigeon, 4 mallard, 4 shelduck, 6 tufted ducks, 39 curlew roosting.

A buzzard was seen over fields near Michaels house close to Meeting Lane, also a mallard pair in his garden.

A Pine Beauty was one of the nicely marked moths in the Firs Chase moth trap on the 29th.

Nice to have a Herald moth in the garden trap on the 29th too.