FELDY VIEW KITE

A red kite glided slowly east over Feldy View before turning north to the Strood channel on Thursday 24th. Also flying over Feldy View was the first swift this spring on the island, the bird flying north east.

Along the Strood dyke on Thursday were three singing sedge warblers, also two singing reed warblers, and a whitethroat. Eight swallows were seen flying about during the walk.

The male stonechat was also by the Strood dyke, as was the female nearby.

In the channel were a great crested grebe, three brent geese, two whimbrel and two common terns.

At Maydays farm on Thursday, a cuckoo, two buzzards, marsh harrier and two Chinese Water Deer together were seen by Martin Cock.

A kestrel perched high up on top of the tall crane in Firs Chase on Wednesday 23rd, where it would have got a great view looking down on the building site below!

A peregrine was seen flying low over the Dabchicks as it headed north-east over the Firs Chase caravan park. Two swallows were by the Dabchicks while among the boats were five common terns and three whimbrel in the Strood channel. Along the seawall were the pair of stonechat, whitethroat, three singing sedge warblers and two singing reed warblers.

A song thrush was seen in Firs Chase.

Martin Cock walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Wednesday and reported three bar-tailed godwits at the Point, three sedge warblers, four reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, as well as whitethroats, blackcaps and chiffchaffs, while two sand martins seen by the cliff.

 

A male marsh harrier flew over the Strood fields as it headed south-west off the island on Tuesday 22nd. Five buzzards were also noted during a walk to the seawall. A pair of raven was seen circling by the Dabchicks sailing club as they drifted north-east early afternoon.

A summer plumaged bar-tailed godwit was feeding in the Strood channel on Tuesday, as was a summer plumaged black-tailed godwit.

Ten whimbrel were along the Strood on Tuesday, also 15 redshank, avocet, curlew, lapwing, two common terns, Canada goose flying down channel, ten brent geese, mute swan in the dyke and eight Mediterranean gulls flying over.

A linnet was in a bush by the Strood dyke on Tuesday, also a water rail heard calling, five singing sedge warblers, four singing reed warblers, three whitethroats, pair of stonechats and six reed buntings.

Four swallows and a house martin were seen by the Dabchicks, while two nightingales were heard singing on Ray Island.

A cuckoo was heard calling at Cudmore Grove Country Park by Daniel Woollard early on Tuesday morning while some house martins were seen by Jack Hoy at Maydays.

Six whimbrel were seen feeding on the mud in the Strood Channel on Sunday 20th. Other birds there were a greenshank, two black-tailed godwits, two curlew, two common terns, six Mediterranean gulls.

A whitethroat was singing on the bush beside the Strood seawall on Sunday, also singing were three Cetti's warblers, eight sedge warblers, five reed warblers. Five swallows were seen by the Dabchicks while a nightingale could be heard singing from Ray Island.

A red kite glided west over the garden in Firs Chase on Sunday early afternoon.

A red squirrel paused briefly in a tree in the Firs Chase garden, before heading to a neighbour's garden on Saturday 19th.

Along the Strood seawall on Saturday, the sandy-coloured leucistic merlin was seen perched on a bush at the back of the fields, before it flew away. Other birds of interest included two whimbrel, two black-tailed godwits, seven turnstones, two common terns, buzzard, sedge warbler, reed warbler and a stonechat.

From East Mersea the osprey was seen by Andy Field as it sat on a post on the Geedon saltmarsh eating a fish. Birds noted at Cudmore Grove were ten whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, whimbrel, three marsh harriers, buzzard and 4 - 5 Cetti's warblers.

At Maydays farm on Saturday evening, Steve Entwistle saw reed warbler, whitethroat, Cetti's warbler and a female marsh harrier.

On Friday 18th a garden warbler was found at Cudmore Grove by Mollie Kirk, near the pond initially before flying to Bromans Lane. Also noted there were reed warbler, lesser whitethroat towards the Oyster Fishery, yellow wagtail flew over the grazing fields.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday were two common terns, brent goose, four Mediterranean gulls, buzzard, two swallows, two Cetti's warblers and a sedge warbler. In the Firs Chase garden there were song thrush, blackcap and chiffchaff singing.

A Lime Hawkmoth was a nice surprise in the moth trap in Firs Chase on 22nd.

Lunar Marbled Brown on 26th.

Bright-line Brown-eye was noted on the 20th.