REEVESHALL CATTLE EGRETS

A nice surprise at Reeveshall on Saturday 27th was seeing a flock of five cattle egrets feeding with the cows. Two of the birds were adults in very colourful breeding plumage with orange-brown on their head and chest as well as the red-orange beaks too. Three birds were flushed off when the farmer came to check the cows on his quad-bike.

Andy Field took this picture of one of the adult cattle egrets in the Reeveshall field on Saturday. Luckily the herd of cows walked closer to the seawall which provided better views of the egrets as they were hard to see in the long grass.

Two common sandpipers were feeding in Maydays creek, photographed by Andy, also a greenshank was seen earlier in the creek.

Also seen along the Maydays seawall were two broods of shelduck - one with nine young, another with 11 ducklings, three great crested grebes, four marsh harriers, red kite, three buzzards, four kestrels, three stonechats and a male yellowhammer.

Jack Hoy saw 25 house martins over the Maydays farmhouse on Saturday.

A Wall Brown fluttered up in front of Andy and I on the Maydays seawall on Saturday, dropping back down for Andy to photograph it. The second Wall Brown on the Island within the week.

Also at Maydays were a painted lady, six-spot burnet moth and a southern migrant hawker dragonfly. A common seal was in the Pyefleet.

A lone brent goose was photographed by Andy close to the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday.

Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle photographed by Andy alongside Fishponds Wood on Saturday.

A skylark perched on a bush beside the Strood seawall on Friday 26th. A few more waders were along the Strood channel with 300 redshank, greenshank, 80 black-tailed godwits, two whimbrel, 15 curlew, 8 lapwing, 10 oystercatchers, six turnstone and a dunlin. Also seen were 25 Mediterranean gulls, 2 common terns, 3 buzzards, 2 kestrels, 2 sedge warblers, 3 reed warblers, two whitethroats and 24 swifts seen over the houses. 

Several gatekeepers on the wing beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday. Four brown hares were in the grass field by the Strood.

On Thursday 25th Martin Cock walked the East Mersea seawall near Ivy Dock and saw 80 common terns, Sandwich tern, 20 Mediterranean gulls, 400 redshank including the leucistic one, 15 turnstone, 30 dunlin, 6 black-tailed godwits and 30 linnets on East Mersea Point.

A hobby flew over Feldy View on Thursday, 20 swifts were over the houses, sixty black-tailed godwits and two common terns were by the Dabchicks.

Along the Strood Channel on Wednesday 24th were sixty black-tailed godwits, most still showing their chestnut breeding plumage.

As well as the black-tailed godwits in the Strood on Wednesday, there were 70 redshank, 12 lapwing, two common terns, Mediterranean gull, marsh harrier, buzzard, two reed warblers and a whitethroat, also three brown hares in the grass field.

A Wall Brown was photographed resting on the Strood seawall on Wednesday - quite likely the first ever record for this corner of the Island. It was reasonably faithful to this section of path, flying around for a bit then dropping back down but always quickly closing its wings up!

A male ruddy darter rested on top of the Strood seawall on Wednesday- several others seen on the wing too. A six- spot burnet moth was a nice sight here and also a southern migrant hawker.

At Maydays on Wednesday Martin Cock reported seeing a greenshank, 2 black-tailed godwits, 50 redshank, 10 Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, yellowhammer, sedge warbler, four common seals and a painted lady.

Michael Thorley found this group of Limacus flavus slugs feeding on algae in his water butt in his East Mersea garden.

A Flesh fly photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday 23rd Andy Field watched 3 willow warblers by the bird hide, barn owl in the box, adult mute swan with six cygnets on the dyke, two sand martins, 59 black-tailed godwits, bar-tailed godwit, one knot, 30 dunlin, 50 turnstones, 100 redshank including the leucistic one, 30 Mediterranean gulls, 33 common terns and two Sandwich terns. 

At Reeveshall Andy saw four black-tailed godwits, Mediterranean gull, juvenile marsh harrier and a corn bunting.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Tuesday included a red kite drifting west, three marsh harriers, buzzard, two kestrels, stonechat, yellow wagtail, corn bunting, 40 black-tailed godwits, 50 curlew, 12 lapwing, four common terns and fifteen swifts over the houses. Three brown hares were in the grass field.

A young cuckoo was photographed by Rob Lee's sister in their mother's garden in Empress Avenue on Monday 22nd.

Along the Strood on Monday were 70 black-tailed godwits, 170 redshank, four dunlin, two common terns, 12 swallows and a corn bunting singing. 

A Marbled White butterfly was a nice surprise on the Strood seawall on Sunday 21st. It flew around several times on one section of the seawall near the sluice, then flew into the nearby field before returning again. It never settled long enough for any photographs- other than this head-on picture. This is only the third island record after the first one in July 2019 at Feldy View and then a second one at Maydays two years ago.

Forty black-tailed godwits were along the Strood on Sunday, also a whimbrel, greenshank, 15 Mediterranean gulls, common tern, four marsh harriers, two buzzards, two stonechats, yellow wagtail, three whitethroats, eight linnets and also 75 swifts over the houses.

A male yellowhammer was singing in a bush by the Maydays seawall on Saturday 20th. 

Two common sandpipers flew out of the Maydays creek during the high tide period, also four Mediterranean gulls, two great crested grebes, shelduck family with ten young, two sedge warblers, reed warbler, whitethroat and five house martins over the farmhouse.

A clump of Sea Lavender adding some colour to the Maydays marsh on Saturday.

Also seen on a distant salting up-channel were three common seals each with a pup. Three brown hares were in a Maydays field.

SUMMER MOTH SELECTION

There has been a nice selection of moths visiting the Firs Chase garden moth trap during the first three weeks of July. The Robinson trap has operated on ten nights with moth catches generally lower than previous years. Nothing rare to report but these ones pictured here are the main highlights and always great to record for the garden.

Pictured is a Magpie Moth on 20th July.

Rosy Footman on 19th - usually just a single noted each year.

Canary-shouldered Thorn on 20th.

Lackey on 19th.

Leopard Moth on 18th.

Pine Hawkmoth on 18th - only one seen this year.

Plumed Fan-foot - on several dates 14th - 20th.

Oak Eggar on 17th.
 

Scarce Silver Lines on 14th and 18th

Marbled Grass Moth on 13th- first garden record

Festoon on 13th - only one seen this summer.

Dun-bar - several seen during early July.

Silver Y - several noted in early July.

White Satin on the 9th.

Delicate on 3rd.

Swallow-tailed Moth - several noted.

Sycamore on 3rd.

Clancy's Rustic on 1st July.

Poplar Grey - a few noted.

SQUIRREL VISITORS

A couple of red squirrels have been visiting the Firs Chase garden in recent days, with this female photographed on Friday 19th.

The same female red squirrel had a rest for a couple of minutes on the cedar tree in the garden.

The red squirrel paused for a moment as it made its way down the tree trunk.

A swarm of wild honey bees were seen gathered on a bramble bush right beside the path in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday.

An adult Mediterranean gull with the black hood and red bill was feeding on the saltmarsh in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday. A marsh harrier was seen flying over the Feldy seawall.

A male common darter was photographed on Friday by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden.

A female ruddy darter also photographed by Michael in his garden.

A family of tufted ducks was feeding along the dyke at Cudmore Grove on Thursday 18th.

The six cygnets of the mute swans are growing fast, feeding along the Cudmore Grove dyke on Thursday.

Two turnstones were seen at East Mersea Point on Thursday, also a ringed plover, 3 black-tailed godwits, Sandwich tern and three common terns also a flock of 30 linnets feeding here. Twelve sand martins were seen, some still nesting in the cliff, four house martins were seen by the bus turning circle with ten swallows.

The top of the head of a barn owl chick was all that was visible on Thursday morning behind the park pond. Five little egrets and a grey heron were at the pond.

A couple of black-tailed skimmers were flying around the park dyke on Thursday, also a couple of Emperors too.

At least half a dozen Small red-eyed damselflies were seen along the park dyke on Thursday.

A female red squirrel was peering down from a maple tree over a path at the country park on Thursday.

Loads of fallen helicopter seed-wings scattered on the path near the bird hide, was a clue there was a red squirrel feeding in the tree above!

Steve Entwistle visited Shop Lane on Thursday late afternoon and saw two white-letter hairstreaks beside the Fishponds Wood path. Also seen during the walk to the Shop Lane seawall were a comma, 2 gatekeepers, 2 peacocks, 10 meadow browns, 11 small heaths, holly blue, female ruddy darter, four marsh harriers, 3 skylarks, 3 linnets and a common tern.

At Chapmans Lane a buzzard was seen by Steve following a combine harvesting the rape field, also three swifts in the air.

A white-letter hairstreak was photographed by Andy Field beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane on Wednesday 17th - the first sighting this summer on the island.

Later at Cudmore Grove Andy saw 22 common terns flying out of the river Colne, 2 Mediterranean gull, buzzard by the pond and two chiffchaffs. 

Martin Cock visiting Cudmore Grove on Wednesday morning saw two Sandwich terns, brief view of the barn owl in the box, tufted duck with six young in the dyke, several whitethroats, blackcaps and lesser whitethroat, also a ringlet butterfly.

Late Wednesday afternoon Steve Entwistle walked the Cudmore Grove circuit and saw 3 green woodpeckers on the Golfhouse paddock ( five had been seen previously by Mark Thomson), lesser whitethroat, Cetti's warbler, Sandwich tern, 22 common terns, 20 sand martins, 18 swallows, 2 reed warblers, 2 reed buntings, barn owl hunting the grazing fields, 2 shelduck, teal, while on the pond were the mute swan with four cygnets and a little grebe with one young.

A painted lady was feeding at lavender flowers in Feldy View on Wednesday 17th. A walk along the Strood seawall provided views of five whimbrel, two black-tailed godwits, two common terns, buzzard, sparrowhawk, three stonechats and four whitethroats along the central ditch, two yellow wagtails, also 50 swifts over the houses.

 

A painted lady was feeding along the Strood seawall on Tuesday 16th.

Birds noted during the walk along the seawall were avocet, 30 curlew, three black-tailed godwits, 160 redshank, 2 common terns, Mediterranean gull, 2 sparrowhawk, 2 buzzard, 2 kestrels, 3 reed warblers, whitethroat, two stonechats, 8 linnets, also 36 swifts over the houses.

A female ruddy darter was seen next to Feldy View on Tuesday.

Cuttlebones are often seen washed up on the beach but it's not often the actual cuttlefish is seen intact. This one was on the mud next to the Fishermans Hut by the Hard, so was probably discarded by the fishermen.