SWALLOWS RETURN

A pair of swallows was back near the Dabchicks sailing club on Sunday 14th with the male pictured here with the female perched alongside, on wires over the road. The first swallow seen on the Island was over a week previously on the 5th at East Mersea.

Birds seen along the Strood channel on Sunday included this small flock of 40 black-tailed godwits, most of them in their breeding plumage, also 12 avocets, whimbrel, eight Mediterranean gulls, eight buzzards, marsh harrier, five singing sedge warblers and a whitethroat along the dyke.

A noisy flock of 15 curlew flew high east over the Firs Chase garden on Sunday on their migration north.

On the north-side of the Island an osprey was seen by Steve Entwistle, perched on a tall post on the Geedon Marshes after having a fly-around and catching a fish, on Sunday afternoon. Also seen there by Steve from Reeveshall were a peregrine, two red kites, whimbrel, pair of avocets, two marsh harriers, hybrid Canada / greylag goose, while two swallows were in Shop Lane. To the west of Shop Lane a willow warbler and two lesser whitethroats were singing in the hedges.

Caroline White on Sunday also reported from Shop Lane to the west, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, two chiffchaffs, green woodpecker, calling cuckoo, leveret and a fox, two swallows and red squirrel in Shop Lane.

From Meeting Lane to Shop Lane on Sunday morning, Martin Cock reported five lesser whitethroats, two whitethroats, willow warbler, eight blackcaps, ten chiffchaffs, four Cetti's warblers and a buzzard.

At West Mersea Caroline White visited the Glebe and saw an orange-tip, small whites and peacocks, also a willow warbler at the Glebe entrance, whitethroat, chiffchaff, green woodpecker and long-tailed tits.

Mark Hows visited Mersea Island very early on Sunday morning to look for some squirrels and saw three red squirrels and this grey squirrel in Fishponds Wood.

A wren was photographed singing at full blast at Cudmore Grove by Andy Field on Saturday 13th. Also there two willow warblers, pair of buzzards, two distant terns in the Colne, male wheatear in the grazing fields, lesser whitethroat north of the park, three swallows by horse paddocks north of the park and a pair of Mediterranean gulls.

Daniel Woollard at Cudmore Grove on Saturday found the two willow warblers, also two whitethroats, sedge warbler, two Cetti's warblers, blackcaps, 8 Mediterranean gulls, sand martin pair going into a hole in the cliff, 14 black-tailed godwits, pair of lapwings and pair of avocets.

Michael Thorley saw a blackcap, whitethroat and a buzzard from his East Mersea garden on Saturday.

Two adders were found basking along the top of the Maydays seawall on Saturday - this one a regular seen before over the last month.

This adder on the Maydays seawall hasn't been seen this spring before and was lying quite close to the path.

Plenty of yellow on show at Maydays with several fields with flowering oil-seed rape.

Birds noted on Reeveshall and Maydays were a very high swift flying north, yellow wagtail, singing corn bunting, eight lapwings, forty curlew in the fields and three Cetti's warblers.

In the Pyefleet were the leucistic redshank, 32 grey plover, three black-tailed godwits, four dunlin, two great crested grebes, 15 shelduck, ten Mediterranean gulls flying over calling, five marsh harriers and six buzzards. A Canada goose and a pochard flew over Langenhoe.

On Friday 12th along the Strood, birds noted included at least fifty Mediterranean gulls passing north-east up the Strood Channel in various small flocks over a two hour period. Also a pair of shoveler, five avocets, three black-tailed godwits, great crested grebe, three buzzards, a swallow flying fast north off the island, Cetti's warbler and six singing sedge warblers.

A willow warbler was found in Willoughby car park by Shaun Bater on Friday morning.

Rob Lee saw a "murder" of ten carrion crows on the Barrow Hill on Friday.

A brimstone butterfly was photographed by Jack Hoy by Fishponds Wood in East Mersea on Friday.

A brimstone butterfly was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday as was a holly blue. Adrian Amos also reported a brimstone butterfly in his East Road garden on Sunday 14th - the fourth sighting so far this spring, the best year ever!

A handful of Brimstone moths visited the moth trap in the Firs Chase garden on Friday.

A Least Black Arches was also noted in the garden moth trap.