FINCH ON FENCE

A goldfinch perched on a fence beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday 15th. A whitethroat was singing beside the caravan park, with green woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker seen in Feldy View, while three swifts were flying over nearby houses.

In the Strood channel on Friday were two great crested grebes, 25 brent geese beside Ray Island and two common terns. A cuckoo was heard calling from Ray Island and a great spotted woodpecker was seen flying over to Ray Island.

A couple of sedge warblers were singing along the Strood dyke on Friday, also two reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, a marsh harrier over the fields, 25 linnets feeding in the fields and a sand martin flying north over the Strood channel with two swallows. 

A great spotted woodpecker was in Carrie Horwood's garden in Fairhaven Avenue on Thursday 14th.

One of the Syrphid species of hoverfly was photographed on corn marigold by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Thursday.

Dark foreboding sky to the west of the Island on Thursday just after mid-day.

Birds seen during a brief visit to the Strood seawall included ten brent geese, great crested grebe, two common terns, cuckoo and a great spotted woodpecker flying back from Ray Island carrying food in its bill.

Two buzzards circled over Bower Hall farm, three stonechats were beside the Strood dyke, as were three sedge warblers singing, three reed warblers singing, lesser whitethroat and 36 linnets in the field.

A buzzard and marsh harrier flew over Firs Chase in the afternoon.

A song thrush was seen in the Firs Chase garden and another one also seen in Ron Harvey's garden in Whittaker Way.

On Wednesday 13th an osprey fishing off East Mersea was filmed by Jodie, one of the coastal rangers with the Bird Aware Essex Coast team. It was seen just before mid-day heading north up the Colne towards Fingringhoe.

Andy Field walked the Reeveshall seawall on Wednesday and saw 3 avocets, 7 gadwall, 2 Canada geese and 2 mallard on the pool near the seawall. Three marsh harriers were seen over the Langenhoe Ranges.

Martin Cock saw a hobby flying over Chapmans Lane on Wednesday, while Rob Lee reported a lot of cuckoo activity at Barrow Hill

An oystercatcher was sitting on its nest in the old dinghy near the Dabchicks sailing club on Tuesday 12th. In the Strood channel were ten brent geese, five shelducks, three great crested grebes and two common terns. A cuckoo was heard calling from Ray Island.

The female stonechat perched beside the Strood dyke on Tuesday as it kept an eye on three recently fledged youngsters that were feeding along the seawall. The male was also in attendance too. Four sedge warblers, two reed warblers, lesser whitethroat and a whitethroat were some of the singing males along the dyke.

A wall brown and a painted lady flew along the Strood seawall, while in Feldy View there were orange-tip, holly blue, red admiral and small white butterflies seen.

Fifteen swifts were seen over the houses on Tuesday. Andy Field reported that the other half of his swift pair arrived back to his swift-box in High St North.

A blue tit was seen on its nest in Carrie Horwood's Fairhaven Avenue garden on Tuesday.

Blackbird with one eye being fed in Carrie's garden.

A painted lady was photographed by Carrie in her garden on Monday.

Rob Lee also photographed a painted lady at Barrow Hill on the Tuesday.

A green hairstreak was photographed at Cudmore Grove by Carrie on Tuesday.

A recently fledged robin in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday - one of two that fledged from one of the two nesting pairs.

Lea from the Bird Aware Essex Coast roped off two ringed plover nests on the beach at East Mersea Point on Monday 11th. The nest by the old blockhouse fort had three eggs in it.

A whitethroat was singing beside Feldy View on Monday 11th. A brief visit to the Strood revealed two bar-tailed godwits on the mud, five brent geese, common tern, two great crested grebes, 3 shelduck and a cuckoo on Ray Island. A great spotted woodpecker crossed back over the Strood channel carrying food. Also noted were a buzzard, stonechat and a flock of 30 linnets in the field.

A cuckoo was heard calling in Fairhaven Avenue on Monday by Carrie Horwood.

A song thrush spent time on Sunday 10th in the Firs Chase garden.

The song thrush was feeding on snails in the Firs Chase garden.

A confiding blackbird joined me in the garden compost heap.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Sunday 10th included the nightingale heard singing on Ray Island, 5 brent geese, 2 greylag geese, 6 shelduck, pair of shoveler, great crested grebe, common tern, four reed warblers, two lesser whitethroats and three stonechats.

A cuckoo was heard by Carrie Horwood, calling east of the West Mersea bowls club on Saturday 9th.

Andy Field photographed this lapwing chick in the Cudmore Grove grazing fields on Friday 8th. There were at least 13 or 14 chicks seen but likely more hiding amongst the long grass.

As well as this lapwing chick flapping it's short wings photographed by Andy, also a redshank chick maybe two chicks in the park fields. Five common terns in the Colne but no little terns seen during the morning visit. A Wall Brown was seen along the seawall to the park.

Steve Entwistle visited East Mersea Point on Friday early afternoon and did see a little tern fishing just off the Point, catching a fish and then heading back out to sea. Twenty-five dunlin, five grey plover and four common terns also seen by Steve. A song thrush and greenfinch were seen near the Golfhouse and a painted lady on the path near there too with brimstone near steps at the seawall corner.

Early Friday evening, Steve visited Maydays and reported 2 yellowhammers, lesser whitethroat, 2 house martins in Haycocks Lane and a painted lady.

An orange-tip butterfly was in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 8th.

An azure damselfly was resting beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday.

Birds noted during a short walk to the seawall included a whimbrel, cuckoo, common tern, grey heron, two kestrels, two brent geese, reed warbler, two whitethroats, nine swifts over the houses, while a goldcrest and song thrush were singing in the Firs Chase garden.

On Thursday 7th a barn owl was seen by Shaun Bater in the evening flying over the East Mersea road heading towards the fishing lakes.

Two Iron Prominents were noted in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 8th.