CUDMORE BARN OWL

The barn owl at Cudmore Grove was photographed on the owl-box near the park pond by Andy Field on Tuesday 10th June. It had been seen hunting over the park fields and then brought some prey back to the box during the evening.

Earlier on Tuesday two red kites were seen by Rob Lee flying over Barrow Hill / Bower Hall area on Tuesday afternoon.

A pochard was seen flying along the Strood channel on Tuesday, also two sedge warblers and a reed warbler heard along the dyke, also three whitethroats near the caravan park and five swifts over the houses.

In Feldy View a holly blue was flying about on Tuesday,

Half a dozen meadow browns were seen in Feldy View, also two small heaths.

A worn red admiral was feeding on laurel flowers in Feldy View.

Hornet Hoverfly also in Feldy View on Tuesday.

At least three kestrel chicks were seen by Andy Field on Monday 9th, in their nestbox at the back of the Cudmore Grove grazing fields.

An oystercatcher was still sitting on the nest, photographed at a distance by Andy at the East Mersea Point on Monday. A pair of ringed plovers was also seen by Andy with their tiny chick near the old fort by the seawall corner. In the nearby Golfhouse paddock, the three lapwing chicks have reappeared after going missing for several days. Also a juvenile whitethroat and a lesser whitethroat seen too.

A turnstone was photographed by Andy Field at East Mersea Point on Monday - presumably a non-breeding bird that is summering in the estuary.

A moorhen feeding a chick in the park dyke was photographed by Andy.

A spiky looking sea holly flower photographed by Andy at East Mersea Point.

Sea holly clump pictured by Andy on Monday.

On Monday morning near Feldy View a hobby was watched hawking after dragonflies for a few minutes over the wheat field. A marsh harrier was seen over the Strood fields also a yellow wagtail, cuckoo heard, two stonechats, meadow pipit along the seawall, ten linnets, four sedge warblers, three reed warblers and family of three whitethroats by the caravan park. 

Also on Monday a great crested grebe was along the Strood channel and three common terns were hunting along the moorings. Four sub-adult great black-backed gulls and two adult lesser black-backed gulls were seen near the Hard. A song thrush was singing in Firs Chase and another in The Lane. Late on Monday night the tawny owl was heard calling near the Firs Chase garden.

A cream-spot tiger moth was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden, after it was first spotted by Sarah on her potato plants on Monday morning.

A Spotted Longhorn Beetle was seen feeding in Feldy View on Monday.

COLOURFUL LINNET

A colourful male linnet perched on a bush along the Strood seawall on Sunday 8th - ten linnets were seen in total in the area. Along the dyke were three reed warblers, two sedge warblers while beside the caravan park were three whitethroats. Three common terns were seen in the Strood channel, while over the houses were two sparrowhawks and 14 swifts. A song thrush was singing in Firs Chase.

A small tortoiseshell was seen in Feldy View on Sunday.

A record shot of two stonechats at Maydays farm on Saturday 7th, when two fledged youngsters were seen for the first time by the dyke. The male is seen here below one of the youngsters. They wouldn't allow any closer approach.

A male yellowhammer was singing by the Maydays dyke on Saturday, also noted were three reed warblers, sedge warbler, lesser whitethroat, two whitethroats, cuckoo, two swifts, red-legged partridge, meadow pipit, ten linnets, corn bunting and three reed buntings. Two marsh harriers and three buzzards were flying about.

A lesser black-backed gull was having a preen beside the Maydays seawall on Saturday. Along the Pyefleet Channel was a pair of Canada geese with four goslings by Pewit Island, a pair of shelduck with four small ducklings, also seven other adults seen, five great crested grebes, seven grey plover and four redshank also noted.

Two small heath butterflies and five meadow browns were seen, also an Essex Skipper at Maydays on Saturday.

On Friday 6th birds noted during a walk along the Strood seawall were five shelduck, great crested grebe, common tern, grey heron, buzzard, three sedge warblers, three reed warblers, two whitethroats, stonechat, 15 linnets and four reed buntings. Fourteen swifts were over the houses and three song thrushes noted in the area of Firs Chase and The Lane. Two brown hares were seen in the Strood fields.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday 5th were a marsh harrier over the fields, two sedge warblers and two reed warblers singing, whitethroat, two stonechats and a green woodpecker in Feldy View. A goldcrest and song thrush were singing in Firs Chase.

Local West Mersea oysterman William Baker reported seeing two ospreys flew past his boat in Salcott channel on Wednesday 4th.

A Leopard Moth was in the garden moth trap in Firs Chase on the 8th.

Cypress Carpet.

ELEPHANTS AND TIGERS UP EAST

A Small Elephant Hawkmoth was one of the striking moths seen at Cudmore Grove Country Park on Wednesday 4th, during a mothing evening held by several members of the Essex Moth Group. Also noted was the close relative - the Elephant Hawkmoth.

Another colourful moth at Cudmore Grove was the Cream-spot Tiger Moth. 

The final tally for the moth evening is still being collated but should be 70 - 80 moth species from thirteen moth traps dotted about the country park.

A Speckled bush cricket was also noted by the moth trap at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday evening.

Birds noted at the country park during Wednesday evening were the barn owl flying across the car park at 8.30pm, a little owl calling from the nearby caravan park, two Sandwich terns heard calling in the dark as they flew past the park, also a pair of red-legged partridge in Bromans Lane.

Earlier on Wednesday seven avocets were seen on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools.

It looked like three pairs of avocets and a single bird were present on the pools but no sign of any nesting taking place.

A well-grown lapwing chick was feeding on the saltmarsh pools on Wednesday with an adult watching closeby. Two pairs of gadwall and a pair of Canada geese were also on the pools.

An oystercatcher was near to her nest with three eggs on the beach at the East Mersea Point on Wednesday. Out on the main East Mersea Flats were 50+ oystercatchers feeding at low tide.

A pair of ringed plover was on the beach at the Point with another six birds present on the nearby mud.

Two whimbrel and eight redshank were on the mud by the Point.

Six shelduck were seen. In the Colne two Sandwich terns and two common terns were flying about.

A male reed bunting was singing on top of the sea-blite bushes at the Point on Wednesday, also eight linnets seen here too.

A brood of four mallard ducklings was feeding along the park dyke on Wednesday, also six tufted ducks present.

A water vole was feeding beside the park's borrowdyke on Wednesday.

A male black-tailed skimmer rested beside the park's dyke on Wednesday, also emperor dragonfly and several azure damselflies and blue-tailed damselflies. A red admiral and two meadow brown butterflies noted too.

A whitethroat was singing by the Golfhouse paddock on Wednesday. Other warblers noted included two Cetti's warblers, three reed warblers and a sedge warbler. Two sand martins were seen by the park cliff.

A green woodpecker was feeding in the Golfhouse paddock on Wednesday. 

A small flock of 150 starlings was feeding beside the Golfhouse track on Wednesday. A cuckoo was heard calling and three buzzards were seen soaring in the sky to the north-west.

On Tuesday 6th along the Strood, the stonechat, buzzard, cuckoo calling, Cetti's warbler, two sedge warblers and two reed warblers were noted while 12 swifts were flying over the houses. A song thrush was singing in Firs Chase.

Along the Strood seawall on Monday 2nd, a hobby flew along the back of Ray Island heading to Feldy Marsh, a red kite flew over the Strood Hill, marsh harrier and three buzzards were also seen. Two stonechats, yellow wagtail, cuckoo, eight linnets, two sedge warblers and two reed warblers were noted, while twelve swifts were flying over the houses.

Steve Entwistle also visited the Strood seawall on Monday and as well as seeing some of the above, added a pair of reed buntings, four linnets and two whitethroats.

A goldcrest was singing in the Firs Chase garden again on Monday.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen by Steve Entwistle in his Empress Drive garden on Monday morning.

Michael Thorley photographed this Violet ground beetle in his East Mersea garden on Sunday.

The Swollen-thighed beetle Oedemera nobilis was also photographed by Michael in his garden.

A Hummingbird hawkmoth was photographed by Mollie Kirk in the garden of the Cudmore Grove bungalow on Saturday morning.

Fourteen stock doves were seen at Barrow Hill by Rob Lee on Saturday.

A hedgehog was back in Steve Entwistle's Empress Drive garden late on Friday night, after being absent for the previous week.

A Peppered Moth was in the moth trap in the Firs Chase garden on May 2nd.

Sand Dart

Beautiful Hook-tip

Common Swift.

CUDMORE CYGNETS

Andy Field photographed two mute swan cygnets at Cudmore Grove on a recent visit to the park. 

When Andy visited the park on Friday 30th, birds of interest included a pair of common terns on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools, no sign of any lapwing chicks in the Golfhouse paddock, and just one large chick seen in the grazing fields. Four sand martins were flying over the borrowdyke, a female kestrel by the nestbox in the oak tree and four pochard commuting between the park pond and the borrowdyke.

A little tern was reported a few days earlier by a birder with the Hitchin Sea Scouts sailing in the Colne. The barn owl has been seen by Matt Smith hunting over the park before opening time.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday were 3 Mediterranean gulls, buzzard, 2 stonechats, 2 sedge warblers, reed warbler and a whitethroat, also 15 swifts over the houses. A goldcrest was heard singing in the Firs Chase garden.

A small tortoiseshell was feeding on a Pyracantha bush in Feldy View on Friday - the first sighting I've had this year of one.

A female broad-bodied chaser was near Feldy View on Friday.

Also on Friday another broad-bodied chaser appeared in the Firs Chase garden.

A brief visit onto the Strood seawall on Thursday 29th provided views of 40 swifts over the houses, buzzard, shelduck, 3 sedge warblers, 2 reed warblers and a whitethroat.

Three sedge warblers were singing along the Strood borrowdyke on Wednesday 28th, also three reed warblers singing too. Other birds noted were three stonechats, two yellow wagtails, Mediterranean gull, two common terns, cuckoo on Ray Island and another over the Strood fields, while over the houses were 44 swifts and two sparrowhawks. Two grey herons flew over Firs Chase and a green woodpecker was in Feldy View.

Michael Thorley photographed the mute swan at Cudmore Grove with two cygnets on Tuesday 27th.

Another photograph by Michael of the mute swan in the Cudmore Grove borrowdyke with the two cygnets on Tuesday.

Three whimbrel were seen off the meadow near Cudmore Grove by Mollie Kirk on Tuesday.

An ominous dark sky loomed over the Strood channel on Monday 26th.

Birds seen along the Strood seawall included two brent geese, pochard, common tern, marsh harrier, three Mediterranean gulls, two sedge warblers, two reed warblers, whitethroat, two stonechats and eight linnets.

A common lizard was resting on a slate plaque in Feldy View on a sunny Sunday 25th. Two other common lizards were also soaking up the sun on the plaques low in the grass.

A painted lady was seen by Martin Cock in his garden in The Coverts.

A few moths at the Firs Chase garden moth trap recently included this first Eyed Hawkmoth for four years, seen on the 28th.

Pale Tussock

Figure of Eighty

Poplar Grey

Four Cockchafers were in the moth trap on 28th May.