GARDEN GREAT SPOT

 

A female great spotted woodpecker was a surprise visitor to the Firs Chase garden, feeding on the sunflower hearts in a bird-feeder, on Wednesday 19th. 

A small tortoiseshell was resting in the morning sunshine along the Strood seawall on Wednesday. 

A great crested grebe was swimming up the Strood Channel just before high tide on Wednesday. Two common terns were also heading up the channel, a whimbrel flew off the saltmarsh by the caravan park, two pairs of Mediterranean gulls flew past and 150 brent geese were still in the area. A female marsh harrier flew over Ray Island while later a male marsh harrier flew over the Strood fields. Two buzzards were also noted.

A sedge warbler sang briefly from the corner reedbed, the Cetti's warbler sang from the Strood reservoirs, while on the Strood fields were a lapwing again, 16 shelduck and a small number of gulls roosting. Two swallows were flying about the Dabchicks and two blackcaps singing beside the Firs Caravan park and a sparrowhawk seen as well.

At Maydays farm on Wednesday, Steve Entwistle saw two house martins and a male marsh harrier.

A pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over Andy Field's garden in High St North.

A pair of avocet was on the side-lake at Rewsalls on Tuesday 18th for the second day running at least. 

Other birds seen on the marshes were ten curlew, 25 redshank, two shelduck, three little egrets, a dunlin and four Mediterranean gulls flew over the marshes.

A Cetti's warbler, singing blackcap and a swallow were noted as well.

A small group of turnstones was stood on the broken Rewsalls seawall having to dodge the waves splashing on the concrete at high tide.

One of the fifteen turnstones seen on the old Rewsalls seawall at high tide on Tuesday.

Just one sanderling was on the beach at high tide by the boating lake on Tuesday with some of the turnstones.

At Cudmore Grove Shaun Bater walked the circuit on Tuesday morning and reported a marsh harrier over the bus turning circle, two swallows over the horse paddocks, Cetti's warbler in nearby hedge, song thrush and blackcap singing at park entrance, while at the pond were a blackcap, Cetti's warbler, chiffchaff, long-tailed tit pair, pochard, two little grebes, water rail heard and a small number of swallows and sand martins over the pond.

Seen on the fields by Shaun were teal, shoveler, a greylag goose, and two Canada geese on the Golfhouse pools - which earlier had been on the fields.

Early evening on Tuesday Caroline White watched the two barn owls at the nestbox by the country park pond, also little owl, kestrel, two noisy little grebes, moorhens and mallard on the pond, calling water rail, five sand martins over the pond, swallow, chiffchaff, blackcap, long-tailed tit, also 15 shelduck, five tufted duck and two lapwings in the fields. Two green woodpeckers and a great spotted woodpecker were along the Golfhouse track. Four muntjac deer were also very vocal and active.

At West Mersea the rusty-coloured swallow was seen with two other swallows at the Hard on Tuesday by Steve Entwistle, also a turnstone.

A brambling was reported by Paul Harrison at his garden feeder in Waldegraves Lane on Tuesday.

There was more sunshine on the Rewsalls marshes on Monday 17th when the two avocets were seen on the side-lake.

The avocets have been feeding in the Rewsalls side-lake at times and also having a rest on the muddy spit.

There was gathering of about 100 herring gulls on the Rewsalls marshes on Monday, most of the birds sub-adult / presumed non-breeding birds.

Also in the area during high tide were 60 turnstones, 50 redshank, six dunlin, five curlew, two shelduck, two Mediterranean gulls flew past and four great crested grebes offshore.

A whitethroat was singing from bramble scrub along the bottom of the East Mersea Vineyard, 12 linnets, blackcap, Cetti's warbler and two swallows also in the Youth Camp area.

A pair of pochard on the Cross Lane pond beside the new Sanderling housing development was an interesting sighting for here, a pair of mallard also here on Monday.

A Cetti's warbler sang again at the bottom of Cross Lane and another beside the Waldegraves fishing lake. Also in Waldegraves were a little egret, blackcap, 10 linnets and three chiffchaffs singing including one sounding part willow warbler in its song.

The first speckled wood of the spring was fluttering along the path at the bottom end of Cross Lane on Monday. A brimstone was also seen in Cross Lane.

Also enjoying the sunshine on Monday was a comma in Cross Lane.

In Firs Chase a holly blue and large white butterflies were the first of the spring in the garden.

Caroline White enjoyed watching two barn owls beside the nest-box behind the pond at the country park on Monday early evening. One of the birds she photographed here.

Two barn owls photographed here by Caroline on Monday - one bird just to the left of the box and the other bird higher up to the right of the box. One of the barn owls was seen flying out of the box while the second bird watched on from nearby.

Earlier on Monday along the Strood seawall, Caroline reported the great white egret, four avocets, 15 shelduck, five linnets and two swallows, also five peacocks and three small tortoiseshells. There have been two brimstone sightings in her Dawes Lane garden. 

On Sunday 16th a red kite flew from Langenhoe over to Maydays and after a short flight over the fields, returned back to Langenhoe. Six marsh harriers and four buzzards were seen from the Reeveshall and Maydays seawall. A yellow wagtail flew over Maydays, while in the Pyefleet were a pair of red-breasted mergansers, four great crested grebes, four Canada geese, four greylag geese, two brent geese and two Mediterranean gulls.

On Reeveshall on Sunday were four lapwing, gadwall, 16 teal, two shoveler and a swallow. A pair of red-legged partridge flew off the seawall at Bower Hall and another pair were in the Strood Hill field. Along the Strood channel were 12 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, four Mediterranean gulls, two marsh harriers, buzzard and two swallows.

The first whitethroat back on the Island this spring was a singing bird at Ivy Dock on Sunday, also a Cetti's warbler singing near there too. In the river Colne were two common terns, while in the park's grazing fields were 15 black-tailed godwits, two lapwing- one bird possibly sitting, three swallows and a sand martin along the dyke.

There are some colourful patches of red dead-nettle along the seawalls at the moment, this one near Ivy Dock on Sunday.

A red squirrel was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Monday 17th climbing up the hand-rail of the wooden stairs on the side of the house. It's hoped it wasn't looking at a robin's nest nearby in some ivy.

Another red squirrel sighting in the Firs Chase garden on Monday was this one eating the flowering buds on a cherry tree.

A batch of 15+ emperor moths has recently hatched out and been released into the Firs Chase garden. This female is one of several that originally hatched out last spring and reared indoors on bramble leaves fed to the batch of hungry caterpillars. After a period of six or so weeks, they pupated and have been kept in the garage over the winter.

The male emperor moth is slightly smaller and has the orange hind-wings and the feathery antennae. More females emerged than males this year.

SMART SPRING WHEATEARS

A male wheatear in its smart breeding plumage perched on a post beside the Maydays seawall on Saturday 15th.

Unfortunately a closer view of the same wheatear at Maydays was partially obscured by a tuft of grass on top of the fence-post.

Two more male wheatears were also seen near the Reeveshall seawall feeding in a grass field on Saturday.

Also on Reeveshall were 114 curlew, three lapwings, three swallows, while in the Pyefleet channel wader numbers were low although a greenshank was heard calling. Five buzzards and three marsh harriers were seen, three Mediterranean gulls and two great crested grebes too.

Five yellowhammers were seen near the Maydays seawall on Saturday, also a Cetti's warbler was heard singing, as was one over on Langenhoe. A brimstone and two peacock butterflies were seen too.

At Cudmore Grove a wheatear was seen on the seawall on Saturday by Caroline White.

Two yellow wagtails and a long-tailed tit were seen near Feldy View by Steve Entwistle.

A red kite was seen near the East Mersea church by Rob Lee on Saturday.

The male swallow with the rusty coloured underparts perched over the Dabchicks sailing club on Friday 14th - the third summer this bird has been seen here. Two other swallows were also flying about.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday was a lapwing on the flooded field which is an encouraging sighting as the fields look ideal for nesting waders. Three brent geese, 13 shelduck were also in the wet field, while a yellow wagtail flew over and a sedge warbler was heard singing from bushes at the end of the central ditch. A pair of coot was on the small pond at the back of the fields.

In the Strood channel were 15 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, 150 redshank, ten dunlin, five grey plover and five great crested grebes. Two buzzards, two kestrels and four Mediterranean gulls were seen too.

A couple of early cuckoo reports for Friday were from Dave Royce at the Firs Carvan park while near the Mersea Barrow a female cuckoo was heard making its bubbling call by Rob Lee.

A red squirrel was spotted on the cedar tree in my Firs Chase garden and photographed from the road-side, as I began my morning walk on Friday.

A great white egret stood in one of the Strood fields after feeding in the nearby dyke on Thursday 13th, also three little egrets and 17 shelduck seen. Along the Strood channel were five grey plover, black-tailed godwit and a bar-tailed godwit. Two buzzards, two marsh harriers, two swallows were seen flying. 

Five avocets were feeding along the edge of the Strood channel at low tide on Thursday.

Five Mediterranean gulls flew over the Firs Chase garden and a blackcap was singing near the Firs Caravan park.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park on Thursday, Caroline White photographed this mallard standing on the nestbox resulting in the little owl flying away. In the fields were two Canada geese and two muntjac deer while a water vole was seen in the borrowdyke.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit on Thursday and noted a sparrowhawk over the park entrance, three little grebes, pair of pochard, water rail calling and a greylag goose on the park pond. A blackcap, Cetti's warbler and three chiffchaffs were heard along the park horse-ride, two swallows over the dyke and four more near the Golfhouse.

On the grazing fields were the two Canada geese, shelduck, shoveler, lapwing displaying, kestrel, little owl in the nest-box, six linnets and also 15 brent geese on the saltmarsh.

Jack Hoy reported seeing a Chinese Water Deer at Maydays on Thursday.

On Wednesday 12th the great white egret was feeding along the Strood dyke again, also four little egrets in the area too. A pair of shoveler was resting by one of the pools in the fields for the third day.

A pair of avocet and a pair of shelduck were feeding near the Strood sluice outflow on Wednesday. Eight avocets in total were seen, two Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, 15 brent geese and five teal also noted. Three swallows including the rusty-coloured male seen near the caravan park, two linnets, meadow pipit were along the seawall while a chiffchaff and two blackcaps were singing near the Firs caravan park.

A black cloud skirted the Strood seawall during the morning walk on Wednesday.

Andy Field photographed these two sand martins at Cudmore Grove during his visit there on Tuesday 11th. Two were seen flying over the park pond and four were seen prospecting holes in the cliff by the beach. The little owl was seen at the old kestrel nestbox again, two pairs of pochard were on the park pond, eight chiffchaffs, blackcap, 100 brent geese, two greylag geese, two Canada geese, pair of lapwings, two wigeon, few teal and a shoveler were all on the grazing fields. Two Mediterranean gulls flew over and a house martin was seen flying over horse paddocks north of the park.

A swallow was seen flying over Chapmans Lane by Andy on Tuesday.

Two house martins were seen at Maydays farm by Jack Hoy on Tuesday.

Caroline White visited Cudmore and reported 30 turnstones and three sanderling on the beach, while in the fields were a large group of curlew, two greylag geese, two linnets and a cormorant diving in the dyke.

The first slow-worm seen by Caroline White this year was photographed in her garden compost bin, also a young grass-snake by her pond, plus peacock, brimstone and red admirals seen there too.

STROOD PEREGRINE

A peregrine flew across the Strood channel and then headed over the Strood fields towards West Mersea on a breezy and damp Easter Monday 10th. 

The great white egret was stalking along the Strood borrowdyke on Monday.

The great white egret then flew onto the nearby field beside three little egrets that were also there.

Ten black-tailed godwits were feeding on the last of the mud before high tide along the Strood on Monday, also eleven avocets feeding too. 

A pair of shoveler on the Strood fields was unusual on Monday, 21 shelduck and two ringed plovers were also on the fields, while five pochard flew off the Strood reservoirs and landed on the mainland side. Two swallows were flying over the Firs caravan park, a blackcap was singing down the side and a sparrowhawk was being followed by eight goldfinches in Firs Chase.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday Shaun Bater reported the pond very quiet with just a pair of mallard and two little grebes, while two greylag geese, a brent goose and two swallows were in the grazing fields. The little owl was in the kestrel box, two avocets on the Golfhouse pools and two linnets by the Golfhouse. A red-legged partridge was seen in Dawes Lane.

Three sand martins were seen flying along the park dyke on Monday by Caroline White.

On Sunday 9th Caroline White saw three corn buntings, two red-legged partridges, kestrel and a brown hare in Dawes Lane, while at Maydays five corn buntings, two yellowhammers and three reed buntings were seen. A greylag goose, nine shoveler, fifty brent geese and a brown hare were on Reeveshall. 

At Cudmore Grove Caroline reported two blackcaps, three chiffchaffs, kestrel and a water rail calling, two Canada geese, two green woodpeckers, pochard, two little grebes and a swallow. At Rewsalls boating lake some linnets, five reed buntings, while near Cross Lane were two chiffchaffs, greenfinch, Cetti's warbler and also a marsh harrier over fields at the top of the lane.

On Saturday 8th Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit and photographed this swallow perched on wires near the horse paddocks, also two buzzards seen here too. Other birds noted on the walk were five chiffchaffs, two blackcaps, two Cetti's warblers heard, at least three water rails heard at the park pond, three lapwings on the fields including a pair mating, two Canada geese flew over, ten pairs of shoveler, five pochard, five avocets on the Golfhouse pools, also on the walk were a red squirrel and a muntjac deer.

An adder was basking on the Maydays seawall on Saturday, in the same location 100m east of the seawall corner, where one was often seen last spring too. A peacock butterfly was seen beside the seawall.

A barnacle goose flew down the Pyefleet channel on Saturday along with two Canada geese, also five greylag geese noted during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls.

Two pairs of red-breasted mergansers and five great crested grebes were in the Pyefleet channel, as was a common seal. Four marsh harriers, at least eight buzzards and a sparrowhawk were noted flying about. 

A swallow was hunting over Reeveshall fields and two brown hares were in one field. A Cetti's warbler and four chiffchaffs were singing at Maydays while the northerly breeze helped carry the songs of two Cetti's warblers and a chiffchaff from Langenhoe across the Pyefleet to the Maydays seawall.

Caroline White saw a marsh harrier in Chapmans Lane on Saturday morning, also chiffchaffs and five greenfinches in Cross Lane.

There were six little egrets feeding on the Maydays and Bower Hall saltmarsh on Saturday.

Eight black-tailed godwits were feeding close to the Strood seawall on Friday 7th, also two avocets and a great crested grebe in the channel. A great white egret flew from the Strood fields over the seawall towards Feldy marsh on the mainland.

A few birds of prey enjoyed the sunny weather on Friday with this tatty buzzard over Feldy View one of seven buzzards noted. A red kite flew over the top of Strood Hill and was later seen flying west over the Hard, while two marsh harriers and two sparrowhawks were also seen. Three swallows, yellow wagtail heard and four calling chiffchaffs were also noted. 

In the Firs Chase garden a chiffchaff, brimstone and peacock butterflies were seen.

Caroline White walked the Cudmore circuit on Friday morning and noted five chiffchaff, little owl in the kestrel box, an avocet on the pools, buzzard, reed bunting, pair of greylag geese, great tit nesting in an old great spotted woodpecker hole along the horseride. Later in the day two avocets were on the Golfhouse pools, a cormorant eating an eel in the dyke while a buzzard was seen hunting over a field at Chapmans Lane.

Shaun Bater reported a chiffchaff heard in Empress Avenue and great spotted woodpecker in Broomhills Road on Friday morning while later in the afternoon a little owl was heard calling near the top end of Cross Lane.

Three swallows flew west past Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Friday.

Steve Entwistle counted 74 corn buntings at Maydays alongside Haycocks Lane on Wednesday 5th, also ten yellowhammers, Cetti's warbler by the seawall, two mute swans and six geese possibly Canada geese.

Martin Cock walked from Cudmore Grove to the Oyster Fishery on Wednesday and found a sedge warbler singing at the park pond, also a swallow, sand martin, little owl, 13 pochard, a few chiffchaffs, leucistic redshank, three marsh harriers and a pair of ringed plover at the Point.

Steve Entwistle didn't see the sedge warbler but did see the little owl chase the female kestrel from the nestbox at the park, also a swallow and the calling water rail at the pond.

No Landing signs were erected on Cobmarsh Island and Packing Marsh Island with the help of Kieren Alexander of the RSPB and with the help of Jim Pullen's boat. The signs ask people not to land on parts of the islands during the bird nesting season. People can still land on Packing Marsh but there is a roped off area of beach for nesting birds that is signed.

The signs were put up on Wednesday just in time with one ringed plover starting to lay eggs on Cobmarsh - one well camouflaged newly laid egg is pictured in the middle foreground. Five ringed plovers were seen on Cobmarsh Island, also five sanderling, fifty oystercatchers, reed bunting, Egyptian goose, little egret, 100 brent geese, along with 300+ herring gulls and a couple of lesser black-backed gulls. A buzzard and a red kite were seen flying west over the Mersea Quarters.

Two sloe carpets were on the side of Marion Potifar's house in Shop Lane on Sunday morning, taking a picture of one of them. The last time she had had seen them here was in 2018 on two dates that April. Sloe carpets have become nationally scarce in recent years with Essex one of the last strongholds for them now.

A red chestnut was in the Firs Chase moth trap on Sunday 9th.

Only one or two hebrew characters have been in the garden moth trap in the last fortnight.