UN-COMMON SANDPIPER

A common sandpiper was an unexpected visitor to the West Mersea Hard on Tuesday 7th. This bird was seen during the high tide period, stopping off to feed during its migration to northern breeding grounds.

The common sandpiper was briefly seen along the path behind the Dabchicks before flying round to the Hard. Also in the quarters were 70 brent geese near Cobmarsh Island and six common terns.

Along the Strood seawall on Tuesday two greenshank were feeding in one of the pools in a weedy field. Also noted during the walk were 30 whimbrel, three curlew, gadwall, three mute swans, six buzzards and a swift over the houses.

Three reed warblers were singing from the reeds along the Strood dyke, also three sedge warblers and two whitethroats, eight linnets, two swallows, two calling cuckoos, Cetti's warbler and a brown hare noted, while the nightingale was heard again on Ray Island.

In Feldy View a green-veined white was seen feeding on Tuesday.

A drinker moth caterpillar was resting beside the Strood dyke on Tuesday.

At East Mersea a nightingale was heard by Martin Cock singing at the top of the Oyster Fishery Lane on Tuesday morning. The Cudmore Grove nightingale was heard singing nearer the millenium stone by Caroline White - also 24 whimbrel noted.

The sun was pictured setting behind Great Wigborough church by Andy Field on Tuesday - noting sedge warbler, Cetti's warbler, lesser whitethroat and cuckoo was still calling late evening near the Strood.

On Monday 6th the great northern diver was feeding offshore from St Peters near the Nass Beacon, also two great crested grebes and two common terns noted while singing at St Peters marsh were Cetti's warbler, two reed warblers and a whitethroat.

On Reeveshall on Monday Andy Field reported five whimbrel, 6+ lapwing, three pairs of marsh harriers on the Ranges, while two common terns, three cuckoos, two buzzards,  sedge warbler, reed warbler and three corn buntings noted too.

A green hairstreak made its annual appearance in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday 5th.

At Maydays farm on Sunday morning Martin Cock saw a cattle egret with the cows on Reeveshall, also four Cetti's warblers, two cuckoos, four lesser whitethroats, six reed warblers, pair of stonechat and the nightingale still singing.

In East Mersea Sarah Thorley had very close views of two cuckoos flying together and calling before flying right beside her and then landing in a neighbour's garden near Meeting Lane.

A red kite circled over Langenhoe ranges opposite Maydays on Saturday 4th, with four marsh harriers and five buzzards also seen flying about in the sunshine. 

Four cattle egrets were feeding among a herd of cows on Reeveshall, while also in the fields were five lapwing and 20 whimbrel. In the Pyefleet were 20 shelduck, great crested grebe and two common terns.

A male yellowhammer was singing along the Maydays dyke on Saturday, also a pair of stonechat, four sedge warblers, four reed warblers, two Cetti's warblers, two lesser whitethroats and three whitethroats noted too. The nightingale was singing from thick bushes, a cuckoo heard calling and two house martins by the farmhouse.

Along the Maydays seawall an adder and slow-worm were seen while four brown hares were seen on the Maydays saltmarsh.

Jack Hoy also walked the Maydays seawall on Saturday and saw a brightly marked adder and heard the nightingale singing.

A shiny purple weevil Rhynchites auratus caught the eye as it rested in a blackthorn bush at Maydays farm on Saturday. As well as being called the Apricot weevil, more locally it is known as "The Abberton Weevil" as it was rediscovered in Britain in 2005 at Abberton Reservoir, having previously been declared extinct in the country 160 years earlier.

In West Mersea a noisy flock of 35 whimbrel was seen flying high over Firs Chase on Saturday, heading east on their migration to northern breeding grounds.

A Large Red damselfly was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Saturday.

Two Large Red Damselflies appeared to be newly emerged as they rested near to the pond in Michael's garden. The first ones seen there this year.

Also in Michael's garden was this peacock butterfly. It was a good day for various creepy crawlies out in the sunshine in the garden.

A Hairy shieldbug in Michaels' garden.

In the Firs Chase garden on Friday 3rd a brimstone butterfly, 2 holly blues, orange-tip and small white were seen,

A cinnamon bug photographed by Michael.

A female sawfly Tenthredo temula.

A migrant hoverfly.

Mining bee in Michael's garden.

A red kite circled over the Strood fields briefly before heading west over the nearby houses on Thursday 2nd. Earlier a red kite was seen by Andy Field going over his house, the second kite sighting he'd had in the morning. A pair of ravens was heard calling as they flew south-west over the Strood fields and then over the channel to Feldy Marsh.

Noted from the Strood seawall on Thursday were a cuckoo, great crested grebe, four shelduck, 15 avocets, two whimbrel, common tern, marsh harrier, four buzzards, two swallows, two sedge warblers and two reed warblers.

Steve Entwistle saw two swifts over his Empress Drive house on Thursday, second day they'd been noted. At Maydays an adder was seen by Jack Hoy on Thursday along the seawall. 

Two brown hares jumped in front of Michael Thorley's car near Blue Row on Thursday.

Five sedge warblers were singing along the Strood dyke on Wednesday 1st, also three reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat and a cuckoo heard too.

In the sunshine a red kite was seen over Ray Island, eight buzzards and a marsh harrier noted on the wing too.

Along the Strood channel were 18 avocets, five whimbrel, two Mediterranean gulls, a brent goose, two great crested grebes and four shelduck. 

Three reed buntings were seen along the Strood seawall on Wednesday.

An Orange-tip butterfly was seen in Feldy View on Wednesday.

Michael Thorley also walked the Strood seawall on Wednesday and reported 21 avocets, brent goose, whimbrel, common tern, two shelduck, reed bunting and a linnet.

Later in his East Mersea garden there was a willow warbler and a buzzard seen.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday morning a cuckoo and nightingale were both heard in the car park by Daniel Woollard. Also seen at the park were sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, 3 sand martins, 6 swallows, sedge warbler, reed warbler, three lapwings in the fields, whimbrel, yellow wagtail, 31 turnstone, five ringed plover and a pair of avocets.

The barn owl was seen by Caroline White flying about the pond-field on Wednesday early evening and then at its box. Later a brown hare crossed the East Mersea road in front of her car.

Martin Cock visited the Rewsalls area on Wednesday and noted yellow wagtail on the wires between Rewsalls farm and the East Mersea church, three buzzards, two whimbrel, five turnstone, two Cetti's warblers and two red-legged partridges.

Later at Maydays farm a nightingale was singing and two house martins seen by Martin.