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.