MERSEA WILDLIFE: PASSAGE REDSTART

A common redstart was present for its second day near the Firs Chase caravan park on Monday 29th, stopping off here on its autumn passage south. It was still feeding in the small paddock beside the lower entrance of the caravan park, perching in the handful of hawthorn and apple trees, as well as along the nearby hedgelines. The bird appeared to be an immature male showing a small white patch on the wings.

Whenever the redstart was in flight, the orange tail showed well. Most of the time the bird stayed in view, although sometimes chased off by a local robin.

A red kite circled over the Strood seawall with five buzzards and then they drifted south over Feldy View before dispersing on Monday. A peregrine flew across the Strood channel heading south-west and two sparrowhawks were also noted.

A rock pipit perched on a post beside the seawall, newly arrived for the winter in the Strood channel on Monday. Also along the channel were two greenshank, 64 wigeon, 15 teal, 14 little grebes, four avocets, 100 black-tailed godwits, forty grey plover, thirty golden plover, one knot, thirty Mediterranean gulls and two Sandwich terns.

Only five swallows and five house martins were seen flying through, while five stonechats, 15 meadow pipits, and a corn bunting were seen by the Strood fields. Five chiffchaffs were seen at various points between Feldy View and in bushes along the borrowdyke.

Five clouded yellow butterflies, fifty small whites and a small copper were the butterflies enjoying the sunshine along the Strood.

In Firs Chase the ring-necked parakeet was heard squawking from gardens on Monday late afternoon, also a goldcrest in the trees.

At East Mersea on Monday morning, Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit and saw the water rail at the back of the park pond, three goldcrests, chiffchaff, wheatear by the old fort, five stonechats, two Sandwich terns, fifty dunlin, 16 black-tailed godwits on the Golfhouse paddock, buzzard and three common scoter that flew up the Colne.

A kingfisher was seen by Steve Entwistle at dusk on Monday in a bush by the Golfhouse borrowdyke, possibly it was about to roost here for the night. Later a badger was seen in Shop Lane crossing the road in front of Steve's car.

On Sunday 28th the common redstart was first found in the small paddock beside the lower entrance of the Firs Chase caravan park, opposite the old wooden jetty. The bird was perching in the small trees and along the hedgeline, flashing its orange tail whenever it flew.

A big flock of swallows was noted over the Strood fields with a hundred birds perching on the telegraph wires in between feeding forays over the fields. A further hundred swallows passed over with thirty house martins and a sand martin. Ten meadow pipits, twenty linnets and six stonechats were also seen in the Strood fields.

Along the Strood channel on Sunday were 42 wigeon, three shelduck, 35 grey plover, 25 golden plover, 25 ringed plover, three greenshank, one knot, ten dunlin, seventy Mediterranean gulls and a common tern. Two chiffchaffs also noted, and four clouded yellows along the seawall.

A red kite drifted across the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday before slowly drifting over the Reeveshall fields. Eight buzzards were seen in the air in various places both on the island and over Langenhoe, while three sparrowhawks were also noted.

Over Reeveshall were 150 swallows, some of them passing south-east, others hunting low over the fields, six stonechats, eight meadow pipits and three singing Cetti's warblers heard. In the Pyefleet Channel were 20 avocets, 60 grey plover, common tern, while seventy golden plover flew overhead.

A wall brown rested beside the Maydays seawall on the sunny Saturday - the species has had a good summer on the island this year.

Two common blues were along the Maydays seawall on Saturday.

A small copper also along the Maydays seawall on Saturday, as were small heath, a late meadow brown, and a few small whites too.

On Saturday late evening a male tawny owl was calling in the Firs Chase area of West Mersea.

On Friday 26th at least 35 little egrets were counted on the Golfhouse saltmarsh at East Mersea, as high tide approached. A further twenty were seen at the east end of the Pyefleet channel, as were a common tern and Sandwich tern.

The leucistic redshank with its creamy colouring was resting on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pool for the Friday high tide. It was later seen near the Oyster Fishery. Other birds seen on the saltmarsh pools included 45 wigeon, 15 teal and five shoveler.

An avocet fed near the East Mersea Point on Friday, on the nearby mud were 200 black-tailed godwits, four bar-tailed godwits, 50 grey plover, four ringed plover and four shelduck flying up river. A sparrowhawk flew over to Brightlingsea, as did 150 swallows and a sand martin, although twenty swallows crossed west over the Colne. A rock pipit, ten linnets were at the Point while four stonechats were in the grazing fields and a lesser whitethroat by the Golfhouse.

A water rail fed in the dyke by the East Mersea Oyster Fishery on Friday. Twenty avocets were on the mud near Reeveshall, two marsh harriers, two lesser whitethroats, forty linnets were seen from the Shop Lane seawall while five chiffchaffs were calling in Fishponds Wood.

Late Friday afternoon an osprey was seen by Mollie Kirk flying north over the East Mersea Point.