MAYDAYS WHEATEARS

At Maydays farm on Saturday 30th, three wheatears were seen on the seawall.

Two of the wheatears were keeping together, while the third was 100m further along the seawall. No sign of any whinchats and only one stonechat seen.

A kingfisher seen by the Maydays sluice is the first sighting for the autumn.

Three buzzards were noted, this one circling over the Maydays saltmarsh and seawall. One marsh harrier was seen and also a hobby circling high over Reeveshall.

On Reeveshall around 15 yellow wagtails were feeding amongst the cattle as they grazed. Flying low over the fields were 100 swallows and three sand martins. A house martin was seen over the Maydays farmyard.

The only waders noted along the Pyefleet channel were ten grey plover, 80 curlew and fifty redshank.

A male yellowhammer perched along a hedgeline, a lesser whitethroat was noted in nearby bushes.

Four common blues were flying along the Maydays seawall on Saturday, also ten small heaths and a clouded yellow.

A handful of migrant hawkers were hunting out of the wind behind bushes at Maydays on Saturday.

Three willow emerald damselflies were also resting out of the wind along a hedge at Maydays on Saturday.

This leaf-beetle seen at Maydays, the Bronze Beetle Chrysolina bankii is a resident on the island and is noted most years.

At Chapmans Lane a buzzard was perched on a telegraph pole by the roadside on Saturday.

At West Mersea an osprey was seen flying near the Dabchicks sailing club on Saturday by Colin MacKenzie-Grieve looking from Old Hall just after mid-day.

At East Mersea on Saturday at 1pm, an osprey was seen by Martin Cock heading up the Colne towards Fingringhoe, also in the Ivy Dock area were 28 Sandwich terns, 20 common terns, whinchat, stonechat and a buzzard.

A water rail was showing well on Saturday in the East Mersea Golfhouse paddock, seen by Daniel Woollard, also nine Sandwich terns and twelve common terns on the nearby mudflats.

There was a nice variety of waders at the East Mersea Point on Friday 29th, with many of the forty grey plover still with their striking summer plumage black-bellies.

As well as the grey plovers on the mud by the Point on Friday, there were 200 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, whimbrel, four ringed plovers and an avocet.

Two little terns were seen flying along the edge of the Colne as the tide came in, later dropping down to rest with other terns on the mud behind the Point. Also thirty common terns and ten Sandwich terns were resting here too. Two Mediterranean gulls, common gull, fifteen little egrets were noted.

Water levels at the park have dropped enough this summer that there's enough mud showing for this black-tailed godwit to feed along the park's borrowdyke on Friday. The roost of 200 black-tailed godwits on the Golfhouse saltmarsh was put into the air when a low-flying hobby came over the river from Brightlingsea. A buzzard was seen circling over the Ivy Farm, five teal and one tufted duckling were in the dyke.

In the grazing fields on Friday a whinchat, three stonechats and a wheatear were seen, while two yellow wagtails flew over and 20 linnets were at the Point. Warblers noted mainly around the Golfhouse paddock included four lesser whitethroats, reed warbler and a whitethroat.

Steve Entwistle saw three Sandwich terns on the mud near the Golfhouse saltings on Friday, as well as the two little terns flying past the Point heading into the Colne before heading back out and then west in front of the park. A short while later Mollie Kirk reported seeing one of them sitting on a buoy opposite the park.

Steve also photographed this avocet by the East Mersea Point on Friday, a whimbrel, also two whinchats, two stonechats in the fields, wheatear on seawall and good views of a water rail near the Golfhouse paddock and dyke.

At West Mersea the hummingbird hawkmoth was seen again on Friday in the Firs Chase garden.