VULNERABLE CHICKS

Three oystercatcher chicks have hopped out of their dinghy where they nested, to feed on the mud behind the Dabchicks Sailing Club. Chrissie Westgate took this photograph from her nearby house. The chicks are very vulnerable at the moment if dogs are allowed to run out onto the mud or run loose along the edge of the path at high tide where the chicks might be. Please keep dogs on leads in this area.

A notice has been put up behind the Dabchicks warning walkers with dogs to keep their dogs on the lead. 

A small passage of red kites was seen over the island on Monday 29th, with four seen over the Firs Chase garden in the morning. Two were also seen over Martin Cock's garden in The Coverts, while Jack Hoy saw 5 or 6 red kites mid-morning in East Mersea, hunting over grass fields that were being turned for hay just north of Cudmore Grove Country Park.

Two green woodpeckers landed on a telegraph pole near to Feldy View on Monday.

Fifteen swifts were flying over the nearby houses.

Whilst scanning the tops of the oak trees in Feldy View for possible Purple Hairstreak butterflies, I spotted this hairstreak fluttering high up which was actually a White-letter Hairstreak. This is the first time a White-letter Hairstreak has been seen here, in the north-west corner which is close to some elm in the hedgeline of the caravan park.

Five Painted Ladies were in Feldy View on Monday morning, as were Essex Skipper, Small Skippers, Small Copper, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small White, Large White and Holly Blue.

A Six-spot Burnet Moth was seen briefly in Feldy View.

A Field Grasshopper rested on a short post in Feldy View on Monday.

Two Hummingbird Hawkmoths were flying around the Lady's Bedstraw in Feldy View on Monday. This screen-grab is showing one of them touching a bedstraw stem with her abdomen to lay a single egg and then flying off to lay another single egg on another bit of bedstraw.

Carrie Horwood photographed this Liparus coronatus weevil at Waldegraves Holiday park on Monday.

David Bullock in East Mersea has been getting visits from a Red Squirrel to his East Road garden near the turning to the Colchester Oyster Fishery.

There has been more Red Squirrel activity in David's garden during the last couple of months. Both pictures by David.

A Small Copper was in Feldy View on Sunday 28th, as was a Brown Argus and two Painted Ladies.

Thirty swifts were over the houses, while down by the seawall a yellow wagtail flew west off island, Mediterranean gull and four little egrets were along the Strood. A sedge warbler, reed warbler and whitethroat were all heard singing.

Andy Field watched a flock of forty swifts mobbing a drone over the High Street North and Whittaker Way area on Sunday evening.

A little owl was seen in Cross Lane on Sunday evening by Caroline White.

On Saturday 27th a pair of oystercatchers was leading me away from their presumed chick somewhere along the seawall. I didn't linger around to look for the chick, as the parents were getting concerned.

A flock of 80 curlew was disturbed off the top end of the Pyefleet saltmarsh and flew down channel.

Four common seals including one possible young one, were at the top end of the Pyefleet channel.

 

Two sand martins were resting on a fence beside the Maydays seawall on Saturday.

Sand martins have been very scarce this summer on the island, these birds will be from elsewhere. Feeding nearby on the saltmarsh were thirty swallows.

Along the dyke were 3 singing sedge warblers, 2 reed warblers, 2 whitethroats, 2 yellowhammers and also a yellow wagtail flying onto the fields from the saltmarsh.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen at Maydays.

Two red kites were seen from the Maydays seawall on Saturday, one heading to Langenhoe and this one circling over the Maydays seawall and fields. Three marsh harriers were seen over Langenhoe while a buzzard was in Haycocks Lane.

A juvenile Starling was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Saturday.

A very hairy Miller moth caterpillar was photographed by Carrie Horwood on her garden seat cover in Fairhaven Avenue on Saturday.

One of the two common terns flying offshore past Shears Court was photographed by Peter Marchington on Friday 26th. Two were also seen by Carrie Horwood fishing off the end of Fairhaven Avenue.

Carrie also reported a diseased dunnock in her garden that appeared to show symptoms of avian pox.

Twenty-five swifts were flying over Steve Entwistle's garden in Empress Drive on Friday during the day but only four seen in the evening there.

Only birds of interest during a brief visit to the Strood seawall on a hot Friday morning were ten swifts over the houses, kestrel, 2 little egrets, reed bunting, 2 sedge warblers, 2 whitethroats and a reed warbler. On the seawall were 6 Painted Ladies and a Six spot Burnet Moth.

Two song thrushes and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth were in the Firs Chase garden on Friday.

Butterflies noted in Feldy View included 4 Painted Ladies, 40+ Meadow Browns, 3 Small Heaths, Common Blue, 2 Red Admiral, 40+ Essex/ Small Skippers, Large Whites, Small Whites, Holly Blues and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Dragonfly activity in Feldy View on a very hot Thursday 23rd included five Southern Migrant Hawkers - an immature male here, also 50+ Ruddy Darters resting on the bushes.

A little owl was reported by Jack Hoy in Bromans Lane on Thursday evening. An oystercatcher has been seen a few times recently beside Bromans Lane, maybe with a nest in the nearby maize field.

 

A Marbled White was photographed on Wednesday 24th beside the paddocks between the Dabchicks sailing club and the Firs Caravan park. One was seen a week earlier in Feldy View.

A yellow wagtail flew south-west over Feldy View.

Michael Thorley photographed this Hummingbird Hawkmoth in his East Mersea garden on Wednesday, also Meadow Browns in his garden the day before.

Michael also reported the tawny owl calling near his garden on Monday evening at 11pm, while his neighbour Chris Green also added that he can hear the tawny owl most nights, often very loud and near, but usually from the trees near Meeting Lane.

Peter Marchington photographed this Forest Bug on his washing line at Shears Court on Wednesday.

 

HANDFUL OF HAWKMOTHS

There were plenty of Elephant Hawkmoths and a large Privet Hawkmoth to handle out of the moth trap in the Firs Chase garden during the very hot last week of June. The peak was 23 Elephant Hawkmoths on the night of the 23rd, also four Pine Hawkmoths. The very warm and muggy nights has been very good for moth activity.

An egg tray from the moth trap showing some of the Elephant Hawkmoths. There were 22 recorded on the night of the 22nd, 23 the next night, dropping to ten on the 24th. Pine Hawks peaked at 6 on the 24th which is the most ever noted in one night here.

A Lobster Moth was a nice surprise on the 23rd - and the first record for the island. Its reasonably widespread in the woodlands across the rest of Essex.

Four-spotted Footman - second year running its been noted here, one on 24th.

Leopard Moth - first of the summer.

Magpie Moth - first of the summer.

Festoon - first one on the 28th. Typical pose with its abdomen sticking upwards.

Lackey 

Dark form of Orange Moth.

Scalloped Oak.

Peppered Moth

Sycamore

Gorse Knot-horn 

Italian Bark Moth 

 

CUDMORE GROVE WALK

A productive visit to Cudmore Grove Country Park on a very hot Tuesday 23rd, provided views of a nice variety of wildlife. A pair of common terns was being kept busy looking after three chicks on the island on the saltmarsh pool near the East Mersea Golfhouse.

One of the adult common terns with three chicks.

Also on this small island were half a dozen nesting pairs of  black-headed gulls and another nest on the nearby pool.

A pair of Mediterranean gulls passed overhead calling.

A pair of ringed plovers was looking after their chick on the beach close to the blockhouse fort near the Point.

The ringed plover chick was feeding on the mud near the blockhouse fort and is quite well grown but not fledged yet.

The ringed plover family will not be pleased with this new fencing being put up by the archaeologists on their section of beach and with machinery driving back and forth for the next few weeks.

On the beach round the back of the Point was a ringed plover still sitting on a nest, cordoned off from walkers. A second cordoned off nest with two eggs seemed abandoned. Four other adult ringed plovers and a fledged juvenile were seen in the area of the Point.

Thirty redshank were feeding on the mud, fifteen curlew flew over to feed on the mudflats and at least thirty oystercatchers were on the mudflats. Two great crested grebes were feeding in the river Colne.

A reed bunting was singing on the sea-blite bushes at the Point.

Along the park borrowdyke were five tufted ducks. Two Canada geese were in the fields and two shelduck on the saltmarsh. 

A mallard with her eleven ducklings were seen on the dyke.

A handful of Black-tailed Skimmers were patrolling their territories along the park dyke.

One Small Red-eyed Damselfly was sitting on vegetation on the dyke.

A water vole was seen swimming across the dyke.

A lesser whitethroat was feeding in bushes near the Golfhouse, while a song thrush was singing in the area too. Other warblers heard during the walk were two sedge warblers, three reed warblers and four whitethroats.

A juvenile great spotted woodpecker was in trees in the country park, with a second bird seen near the bus turning circle. A kestrel near the pond and four swifts flying west were also watched.

A cuckoo landed on top of an alder tree behind the park pond, spending several minutes surveying the scene. 

A Large Skipper was feeding on lime flowers.

Small Skipper also on lime flowers.

One of the very fragrant lime trees covered in blossom was buzzing with insects.

Clumps of Greater Knapweed were busy with several Small Skippers and the high-pitched buzzing of lots of Green-eyed Flower Bees.

The park cliff was also busy with bee activity such as this Green-eyed Flower Bee at its hole.

A couple of Bee Wolves were seen along the park cliff.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was darting back and forwards along one part of the cliff.

An ichneumon wasp busy at the cliff.

One of the species of Colletes Mining Bee amongst the vegetation at the Point.

Several Leafcutter Bees were flying about the Virginia Creeper by the Golfhouse, with some bees carrying away small cut-out leaf sections.

Dryad's Saddle bracket fungi on a stump near the Golfhouse.

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