MAYDAYS GREENSHANKS

A greenshank was feeding along the Maydays creek on Saturday 5th - one of five seen during the walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls. Other waders seen along the Pyefleet channel during the low tide were 115 grey plover, 2 golden plover, 8 ringed plover, 6 avocets, 2 knot and 10 dunlin, while 2 great crested grebe were also in the channel and 20 shelduck seen over Langenhoe Marsh.

Six species of birds of prey were seen on the Maydays walk on Saturday, the osprey was seen circling over the Pyefleet and then headed to the Colne, a red kite over Langenhoe, also 3 marsh harriers, 2 buzzards, 3 kestrels and a sparrowhawk. A large flock of 500 swallows was feeding low over the Reeveshall fields during the morning, also two sand martins seen amongst them, while 500 starlings were also in the fields. Six yellow wagtails and 15 linnets noted too.

A Willow Emerald damselfly was resting on a bush at Maydays on Saturday. Three Clouded Yellow butterflies were along the seawall. 

Later a Clouded Yellow was seen flying across Empress Avenue on Saturday.

Two spotted flycatchers were in Feldy View on Friday 4th for the second day running but no sign of the Pied Flycatcher.

Along the Strood seawall a big flock of 200 linnets were feeding in the fields, 2 corn buntings and 3 reed buntings also there, a marsh harrier and four Mediterranean gulls seen too. By the Dabchicks was the flock of 90 black-tailed godwits.

At East Mersea Martin Cock reported on Friday morning seeing at Ivy Dock 450 black-tailed godwits, 40 dunlin, 10 grey plover, 150 redshank, 4 ringed plover and a Sandwich tern.

Jack Hoy reported a hobby at the Barrow Hill saltings on Friday.

Thursday 3rd was another flycatcher day with a pied flycatcher seen at "flycatcher corner" near the Firs Caravan park along with a spotted flycatcher, while two more spotted flycatchers were in the nearby Feldy View cemetery.

The spotted flycatcher at the flycatcher corner was very confiding and put on a good show beside the footpath on Thursday. 

Both spotted flycatcher and the pied flycatcher were feeding in the same bush beside the Firs caravan park - the spotted is pictured top left, pied lower right.

Two other spotted flycatchers were feeding together in the nearby Feldy View on Thursday, putting on a nice display of catching insects which were buzzing about the flowering ivy bushes. A willow warbler and chiffchaff were also in Feldy View, while down by the Dabchicks were 190 black-tailed godwits.

Spotted flycatcher in Feldy View on Thursday.

Good numbers of Ivy Bees were buzzing about the ivy flowers alongside Feldy View on Thursday.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park a female /immature type common redstart was found on Thursday on the track between the car park and the bird hide.

On Wednesday 2nd Martin Cock visited Cudmore Grove and saw two water rails showing well at the park pond, also at the park were a wheatear, whitethroat, blackcap and chiffchaff.

A little egret was feeding along the Strood channel on Tuesday 1st - fifteen were counted during the morning walk. Also along the channel were 150 black-tailed godwits, 2 greenshank, common tern, 3 grey plover while a family of mute swans was in the dyke with their two cygnets.

A flock of 100 swallows was passing slowly over the Strood fields on Tuesday and a swift was noticed with them. At the same time a hobby was also seen high up over the Glebe before heading north over to the Peldon side. A sparrowhawk and two buzzards also seen on the walk.

 

The first meadow pipit of the autumn was on the Strood saltmarsh briefly on Tuesday. In the fields were a whinchat, pair of stonechats and fifty linnets. Two willow warblers were in Feldy View.

A Wall Brown was in Feldy View on Tuesday, also eight Clouded Yellows, 2 Painted Ladies and 4 Common Blues along the Strood seawall.

Jon Ward photographed this Wall Brown in Feldy View on Tuesday.

Clouded Yellow photographed along the Strood seawall on Tuesday.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday Mollie Kirk and Daniel Woollard found a pied flycatcher near the car park in the evening. Also two barn owls showed well over the grazing marsh, whitethroat, reed warbler and willow warbler. Hawking after insects in the sky were 300 black-headed gulls, common terns and a Mediterranean gull.

Carrie Horwood reported a spotted flycatcher fly over her garden in Fairhaven Avenue and stop off briefly in a tree a couple of gardens down on Tuesday. A few common terns were also seen hawking after insects over Fairhaven Avenue in the evening.

At Maydays farm on Tuesday Martin Cock reported common sandpiper, 6 yellow wagtails, yellowhammer, 2 corn buntings, whitethroat, chiffchaff, 300 swallows, sparrowhawk and a buzzard.

A male redstart was found on Monday 31st feeding along a hedge in a paddock beside the Firs Chase caravan park. The bird stayed into the evening where it was photographed by Graham Ekins, shown here.

 

The redstart seemed to favour the leeward side of the hedge between two paddocks, keeping out of the fresh south-westerly breeze. 

Later on Monday Steve Entwistle saw a wheatear on the old wooden jetty, as well as seeing the redstart in the paddock.

Two willow warblers were in Feldy View during the day.

A red kite was seen circling over the Strood channel on Monday.

The red kite swooped down onto the mud in the Strood channel although not seemingly picking up anything. Two buzzards were also seen during the walk on Monday.

A greenshank was feeding along the Strood channel on Monday, also 5 grey plover, 15 golden plover, 2 ringed plover, 70 curlew, 130 black-tailed godwits and 15 little egrets. The family of four mute swans was in the Strood dyke. A whinchat and corn bunting were in the fields while 30 swallows and a sand martin passed through.

A Clouded Yellow was seen along the Strood seawall on Monday.

In Firs Chase the long-staying ring-necked parakeet was seen and heard squawking over nearby gardens on Monday. Also four sand martins flew west over the garden and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth was seen.

On Sunday 30th five whinchats were seen during the walk along the Reeveshall and Maydays seawalls - this one at the Maydays end. Two green sandpipers flew out of the Maydays dyke calling as they headed to the nearby farm reservoirs, two common sandpipers were in the nearby creek. A Sandwich tern, 3 common terns and great crested grebe were in the Pyefleet, while a Peregrine flew over, marsh harrier and two buzzards seen too. 

Hawking over the fields were 400 swallows with five house martins and two sand martins seen. Also 300 starlings in a big feeding flock, while 2 yellow wagtails, willow warbler, sedge warbler and two whitethroats seen too.

A Migrant Hawker was at Maydays farm on Sunday.

A buzzard was seen flying over the Firs Chase garden on Sunday.

In Feldy View on Sunday the spotted flycatcher was seen by Steve Entwistle and also two willow warblers and a sparrowhawk there. Earlier along the Strood seawall three whinchats were seen by Steve, as well as 2 corn buntings, lesser whitethroat and ten linnets.

Jo McDonough saw two Sandwich terns and a Clouded Yellow from the Shop Lane seawall.

Michael Thorley saw the barn owl flying west along the East Road on Sunday, as well as reporting a grey squirrel in his East Mersea garden on Friday and one seen dead on the nearby road the next day.

On Saturday 29th two willow warblers and lesser whitethroat were in Feldy View, while 75 black-tailed godwits, 3 common terns, 50 swallows, sparrowhawk and a whitethroat were seen on the circuit to the Dabchicks.

Three willow warblers were new in at Cudmore Grove seen by Daniel Woollard with fifty swallows seen flying west. 

A report that barn owls nested successfully in Bromans Farm this summer raising three young.

A mothing highlight in the Firs Chase garden was finding this Fisher's Estuarine moth in the moth trap on Wednesday 2nd. In the westerly breeze this moth probably came over from Copt Hall or Abbotts Hall to the west.

A few Centre-barred Sallows in recent nights.

Several Saltmarsh Knot-horns most nights recently too.