POND VISITORS

A few birds were making the most of the Thorley's garden pond in East Mersea during a hot Thursday 29th with this chiffchaff photographed by Michael.

The chiffchaff was photographed by Michael at the edge of his garden pond.

A yellow wagtail was also photographed by Michael having a bathe at his garden pond on Thursday. A skylark was heard nearby too.

From the Shop Lane seawall on Thursday, Martin Cock saw two little stints and a curlew sandpiper briefly on the Pyefleet mud, also 12 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, two buzzards, marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday were two fresh looking painted lady butterflies, also a red admiral seen flying low and direct over the Strood fields on its autumn migration.

A greenshank was seen along the Strood channel on Thursday, also seen were 100 black-tailed godwits, golden plover, Sandwich tern, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, six buzzards, three kestrels, 3 yellow wagtails, sand martin and twenty swallows.

A whinchat was in the weedy field by the Strood on Thursday, spending some of its time in the nearby hedgeline. Also reed warbler, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat and 12 linnets.

Andy Field and Martin Cock were along the Strood seawall on Wednesday 28th and reported five stonechats, corn bunting, whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, two yellow wagtails, 21 linnets and also 4 willow warblers by the side of the Firs Caravan park.

In East Mersea on Wednesday Steve Entwistle saw ten long-tailed tits and three lesser whitethroats in Meeting lane, while in West Mersea two willow warblers were in his Empress Drive garden.

Michael Thorley heard a yellow wagtail near his East Mersea garden by Meeting Lane on Wednesday.

At Cudmore Grove two wheatears were seen on the beach on Wednesday evening by Caroline White.

On Tuesday 27th a greenshank was feeding along the bottom of the Strood channel at low tide. Five avocets were in the channel, also 42 golden plover, 6 grey plover, 170 black-tailed godwits and two Sandwich terns. Two sparrowhawks and a marsh harrier were seen on the walk.

In the Strood fields on Tuesday were a whinchat, three stonechats, 12 linnets, three whitethroats and a sand martin, while three willow warblers were feeding in Feldy View.

A willow emerald was on an oak bush in the Feldy View cemetery on Thursday - the first sighting for here.

Andy Field reported that the last of his two swift chicks had fledged from the nestbox on the side of his High Street North house on Tuesday afternoon,

A pair of mute swans was on the dyke by the Strood on Monday 26th, the first sighting here since early spring. The pair of little grebes was still busy feeding their two chicks in the dyke.

In the Strood fields were a whinchat, two stonechats, five corn buntings, 12 linnets, two whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, also thee yellow wagtails and two house martins flying over.

In the Strood channel were 230 black-tailed godwits, three Sandwich terns, Mediterranean gull, five grey plover, while in flight were a hobby, two marsh harriers and buzzard. Five willow warblers were feeding in Feldy View.

Martin Cock visited Maydays on Monday and saw two stonechats and a yellow wagtail. 

Mollie Kirk saw a green sandpiper, wheatear, yellowhammer and two lesser whitethroats while walking the seawall near Maydays on Monday.

The first swift chick fledged from the nestbox on Andy Field's house in High Street North on Monday.

A hornet hoverfly was feeding on ivy, along with a second individual, near the Firs Chase caravan park on Monday.

Andy Field found a spotted flycatcher in Feldy View on Sunday 25th, taking these two photographs of it.

The spotted flycatcher didn't stay around for long and was only seen late morning - probably moving on after it had done this spot of preening. A willow warbler tried to get in on the show too, seen in this picture as it fed in the birch trees.

Martin Cock and Steve Entwistle saw a pipit in Feldy View on Sunday which was either meadow pipit or tree pipit but the views were brief, into the sun and the bird didn't call, so ID unconfirmed.

In the Pyefleet Channel at Maydays on Sunday a large flock of Mediterranean gulls were seen for the second day running. Having seen at least 100 on Saturday resting on the mud, there were at least 150 counted on Sunday. There were some black-headed gulls mixed in and as some of them were asleep and others roosting at angles that made ID difficult, the final count could've been higher.

Also noted here on Sunday were a peregrine flying low along the Langenhoe seawall, four buzzards, two marsh harriers, 2 sparrowhawks, six golden plover, stonechat, two house martins and a lesser whitethroat.

On Saturday 24th it began raining late morning and continued for most of the afternoon. Before the soaking whilst at Maydays farm, 100+ Mediterranean gulls were counted on the Pyefleet mud and some on the water too. On Langenhoe a flock of a dozen egrets were seen standing distantly on a line of fence-posts beside a herd of cattle. Presumably these were cattle egrets along the fence, having a break from feeding on the ground while it was drizzling.

Other birds noted at Maydays were 60 grey plover, whimbrel, 90 black-tailed godwits, greenshank, common tern, marsh harrier, willow warbler, stonechat and two reed warblers.

A mallard and her seven ducklings were seen in the Strood borrowdyke on Friday 23rd. A pair of little grebes continued to feed their two young chicks in the same dyke.

In the weedy field beside the central ditch-line were a whinchat, three stonechats, ten linnets, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat. In the Channel were 130 black-tailed godwits, 13 golden plover, seven grey plover, common tern, two Mediterranean gulls, also a buzzard seen while in Feldy View a willow warbler was seen. 

In Firs Chase a willow warbler and a goldcrest were feeding in a birch tree in the garden.

Martin Cock saw two two Sandwich terns along the Strood, also a swift over his house.