BASKING ADDER

An adder was basking beside the path on top of the seawall at Maydays farm on Saturday 22nd. This appears to be a favoured spot for them in recent years, just east of the main seawall corner.

On the Pyefleet mudflats beside Maydays on Saturday was the regular leucistic redshank, here feeding with a grey plover. Also noted were two great crested grebes, greylag goose, 30 golden plover, four Mediterranean gulls, five marsh harriers, three buzzards, ten lapwings on Reeveshall, pair of stonechat and yellowhammer.

A red-legged partridge was seen in Haycocks Lane on Saturday, also a chiffchaff singing beside the lane too.

A distant Chinese Water Deer feeding in a field at Maydays farm on Saturday.

A white wagtail was feeding in a horse paddock just north of the country park on Saturday photographed by Andy Field, also a very early sedge warbler singing beside the park dyke and three singing chiffchaffs heard during his walk.

Steve Entwistle visited East Mersea on Saturday afternoon and saw three goldfinches by the pub, 13 meadow pipits, 4 linnets, 12 moorhens and a barn owl early evening - all by the Golfhouse.

There was a report of a whitethroat by the Dog and Pheasant pub on Saturday, which is very early record.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen briefly by Martin Cock in his West Mersea garden on Saturday morning.

The black brant was feeding on the edge of the mud near the Monkey Beach on Friday 21st. Also 200 brent geese in this area and on Cobmarsh and Packing Marsh Islands, while offshore were 10 great crested grebes. A little egret, two singing Cetti's warblers and six linnets were seen at St Peters.

A red kite flew over the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday 20th, then passed slowly over Feldy View before continuing slowly east. Three buzzards and two marsh harriers were also seen during the walk along the Strood seawall.

A pair of kestrels perched on a tall willow tree by the Strood dyke on Thursday.

The male kestrel looks a bit scruffy on its chest feathers, maybe it's had a dip in the water.

The female kestrel peering down from the tree beside the Strood seawall on Thursday.

Along the dyke from the perched kestrels, was the regular female kingfisher, seen here having a stretch and a yawn before flying off. A water rail called from the main Strood reedbed, while in the channel were 100 teal, 100 wigeon, two avocets, 25 black-tailed godwits and one knot. 

Four chiffchaffs were heard singing between Firs Chase and the Strood seawall, also a siskin flew over Feldy View and a female blackcap in the Firs Chase garden. 

A female blackcap was also seen in Steve Entwistle's garden in Empress Drive on Thursday.

A brimstone butterfly was seen by the Firs caravan park and another in the Firs Chase garden.

A comma butterfly was enjoying the sunshine on the Strood seawall on Wednesday 19th.

A brimstone was seen in Feldy View both in the morning and by Steve Entwistle in the afternoon.

The sunshine on Wednesday saw several raptors in the air by the Strood including three buzzards, one pictured, three red kites, marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk.

A grey wagtail flew off a waterlogged corner of field by the Firs Caravan park, then flew north. Other birds noted were a kingfisher, 300 brent geese, 120 wigeon, 100 teal, four avocets, 60 golden plover, 12 black-tailed godwits, one knot and the pair of coot in the dyke. Two chiffchaffs were singing and the wintering blackcap in Firs Chase.

A buzzard was photographed by Jack Hoy from his car as he drove down Haycocks Lane on Wednesday.

Steve Entwistle visited the Shop Lane seawall on Wednesday afternoon to watch the harriers come into the Langenhoe roost and was rewarded with a male hen harrier at 6pm, then a ringtail hen harrier appeared at 6.17 before dropping straight in, also 13 marsh harriers into the roost.

Also seen were 2 Canada geese, 22 shelduck, 8 red-breasted mergansers, 10 grey plover, 45 dunlin, 5 curlew, 6 oystercatchers, 30 redshank, 2 great crested grebes, buzzard, 18 teal, 2 wigeon, two greylag geese, grey heron, stonechat, as well as a chiffchaff in Fishponds Wood.

A Twin-spotted Quaker was in the garden moth trap in Firs Chase on 19th.

Hebrew Character 

Early Grey

A March moth in March!

STROOD KINGFISHER PAIR

 

The pair of kingfishers was seen along the Strood borrowdyke on Tuesday 18th, with this regular male seen again at the north-east end of the dyke.

The regular female kingfisher has often been seen at the south-west end of the dyke, perching in willows alongside the water. She was seen perched on the 18th.

The pale sandy-coloured merlin made another appearance by the Strood channel on Tuesday 18th. Andy Field and I watched as it crossed over the channel from Ray Island and then perched in a couple of bushes along the central ditch. After perching briefly at the back of the fields, it then chased a skylark over the fields, pursuing it for about five minutes including passing close overhead, before the chase headed over to Ray Island. The fast agile flight of the merlin nearly caught up with the skylark but when a couple of kestrels on Ray Island got involved, it seemed the skylark managed to escape. 

This pale leucistic merlin was first seen on the 5th March over Ray Island and then on 17th over Old Hall Marshes.

Other birds of prey noted in the Strood area on Tuesday were marsh harrier, three buzzards and a red kite over the Hard.

The green feathers on a male teal stood out in the sunshine along the Strood on the 18th. Other birds of note included a greylag goose, six avocets, 10 black-tailed godwits, 18 golden plover, while in the fields was a pair of red-legged partridge and a pair of stonechat.

A colour-ringed brent goose T7 was photographed by Andy Field off the Hard on Tuesday.

Birds noted on Monday 17th along the Strood were 58 shelduck, 4 avocets, 10 black-tailed godwits, 3 knot, buzzard, two coots in the dyke, pair of stonechats. The female blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden.

On Sunday 16th the black brant, right-hand bird pictured, was feeding along the Strood channel before it got flushed by a jet ski. It then fed in the saltmarsh in front of the Firs Chase caravan park, with some of the 500 brent geese noted along the channel. Also 35 shelduck, 6 avocets, 19 golden plover seen along the channel, while six buzzards and a sparrowhawk were seen too.

The male kingfisher with its black bill was perched in a rose bush beside the Strood dyke on Sunday. Also a coot and a pair of little grebes in the dyke, a pair of stonechat, Cetti's warbler and a rock pipit were also noted. A blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden.

Record image of three of the four brown hares seen together in one of the Strood fields on Sunday.

On Saturday 15th Jim Hume saw two red-throated divers off Coopers Beach, while black-necked grebe and 14 red-breasted mergansers were off the Esplanade along with some great crested grebes.

Jonathan Norgate reported a possible first winter Caspian gull by the Hard on Saturday, also the black brant by the Hard and a pale-bellied brent goose along the Strood.

Along the Bower Hall seawall on Saturday were a pair of yellowhammer, three marsh harriers, five buzzards, three meadow pipits, great crested grebe, 50 teal, 5 little egrets and a knot. Twenty fieldfares were feeding in a field at Maydays farm.

Andy Field photographed this red kite over Reeveshall on Friday 14th, seen during the monthly WeBS count from Maydays to Cudmore Grove. Two other red kites were seen, merlin over Maydays, 6 marsh harriers, four buzzards and a barn owl hunting in early afternoon near the East Mersea Oyster Fishery.

A dark cloud over the Reeveshall seawall on Friday. Other birds noted during the walk included 29 red-breasted mergansers in the Colne, 3 pintail, ten Canada geese, six greylag geese and a pair of stonechat at Maydays. At Cudmore Grove a water rail was heard calling, 3 snipe in the fields, 6 sanderling, 200 brent geese, 150 wigeon, 30 teal, two pochard, 12 tufted duck, 2 gadwall and ten great crested grebes offshore.

Two adders were tucked under a bramble bush at Cudmore Grove late on Friday, photo by Andy.

A muntjac deer was feeding beside the park pond on Friday. Earlier in the day a Chinese Water Deer was feeding beside a ditch at Maydays farm.

At Coopers Beach on Thursday 13th a Slavonian grebe and a red-throated diver were seen by Martin Cock.

Opposite the West Mersea Hard late on Thursday afternoon a barn owl was hunting along the Feldy marsh seawall, pausing a few times to rest on the outer face of the seawall. Later in the evening another barn owl was seen in the car headlights near Barrow Hill by Steve Entwistle.

The black-necked grebe was seen offshore from Kingsland Road on Wednesday by Martin Cock, later it was seen from the Esplanade.

Offshore from the East Mersea boating lake on Wednesday was a group of four Slavonian grebes, also ten great crested grebes, two red-throated divers and two great northern divers. On the Rewsalls marshes were 200 brent geese, 75 curlew and 30 redshank, while two buzzards were noted over the fields, 20 chaffinches along one hedge and a singing chiffchaff in East Mersea church yard.

STROOD SKYLARKS

The skylarks were singing over the fields alongside the Strood seawall on Tuesday 11th. The sound of spring in the sunshine.

One of the skylarks was feeding along the seawall path, before flying back to the field.

Other birds noted during the morning walk included the kingfisher, three buzzards and three shoveler in the channel. 

The wintering blackcap was still at the garden feeders in Firs Chase.

Four red-throated divers and a great northern diver were seen offshore from the Esplanade by Andy Field on Tuesday.

On Monday 10th along the Strood channel, there were 75 black-tailed godwits, 50 knot and 50 dunlin, also a pair of stonechats and a meadow pipit in the fields, two male blackcaps near the caravan park and a female in the Firs Chase garden.

At Maydays farm on Sunday 9th, Steve Entwistle saw a greenshank, pair pintail, golden plover, three pairs of yellowhammer, 18 linnets, meadow pipit, 19 knot, 250 dunlin, 700 brent geese, 25 grey plover, Cetti's warbler and three long-tailed tits.

On Saturday 8th at Maydays farm, there were 3 red kites over Langenhoe, 8 buzzards, 6 marsh harriers, 700 brent geese, 4 greylag geese, golden plover, 300 knot, 400 dunlin, 150 grey plover, 5 red-breasted mergansers, pair of stonechats, rock pipit, pair of yellowhammers, 3 Cetti's warblers and a calling tawny owl in Maydays grove.

Along the Strood on Friday 7th were 500 brent geese, four shoveler, 30 golden plover, 35 black-tailed godwits, 150 knot, also sparrowhawk, two buzzards noted, 15 magpies by Firs Chase caravan park, chiffchaff along the dyke and two linnets.

Some of the 250 knot seen along the Strood channel on Thursday 6th, these ones having a preen by the sluice outfall. Also along the channel were 100 wigeon, 100 teal, shoveler, 44 black-tailed godwits, marsh harrier, two buzzards, stonechat and also a blackcap in the Firs Chase garden.

A male sparrowhawk was photographed by Michael Thorley after he flushed it from his East Mersea garden pond, it then flew to a nearby tree.

A bumblebee photographed by Michael in his garden, showing lots of ectoparasites around its neck.

On Wednesday 5th a male hen harrier flew over Ray Island, also seen during the Strood seawall walk were a marsh harrier, red kite, two buzzards and a raven. A snipe, shoveler, 25 black-tailed godwits, 100 knot and a singing chiffchaff in a tree by the dyke and a second bird near the caravan park.

A very pale falcon was seen flying low and fast over Ray Island in the manner of a merlin. It was striking how sandy-coloured the bird was and presumably showing a type of leucism. After perching for a few minutes it flew off and was last seen flying fast near the Strood causeway.

The pale falcon first perched on these fenceposts - nearly 500 metres distance. This profile looks more like a kestrel or peregrine, rather than the more compact merlin. However a subsequent sighting on a later date of this same pale falcon chasing a skylark, confirmed this bird as a merlin.

Two kingfishers were seen along the Strood seawall on Wednesday, this female perched in a willow tree beside the dyke.

The male shoveler was on the flight-pond by the Strood on Wednesday.

Two great northern divers were seen off Coopers Beach on Wednesday by Steve Entwistle.

The moth trap in the Firs Chase garden on the 8th had a handful of common quaker moths.

Two clouded drab moths also noted.

SUNBATHING SEAL

A common seal was enjoying a bit of sunbathing on the beach at East Mersea Point on Tuesday 4th.

The common seal came ashore when the Point was virtually deserted and for a while, no dogs to chase it back into the water! It was left to enjoy the peace for itself!

A muntjac deer was seen walking across a field just north of the the country park on Tuesday.

The buck muntjac had casually walked over the fields late morning and didn't seemed too fazed at who was watching.

The first adder of the spring was seen at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday, catching some of the sun's rays from under a bramble bush.

Five little egrets were roosting at the country park pond on Tuesday, also five pochard and three gadwall here. A goldcrest was seen in trees at the park while in the skies above seven buzzards were noted, including two that came north-west over the river from Colne Point.

A common snipe revealed itself among the dense stand of clubrush on the park's grazing fields on Tuesday. Wildfowl noted in the fields included 400 wigeon, 50 teal and ten shoveler, while 8 tufted ducks were in the dyke.

The brent geese were seen along the water's edge in front of the park seawall on Tuesday, before flying onto the nearby field.

Two ringed plovers were on the mud beside the East Mersea Point on Tuesday. In the Colne were nine red-breasted mergansers and two great crested grebes. A siskin flew east over the Point calling.

A little owl enjoyed the midday sunshine by the Golfhouse on Tuesday. A peacock butterfly was seen flying near the park seawall.

Andy Field walked the Strood seawall on Tuesday and reported a kingfisher by the sluice, also two stonechats, two chiffchaffs with one singing, 40 meadow pipits, buzzard and 300 knot.

At Maydays four ravens, three red kites, six marsh harriers and eight buzzards were seen by Martin Cock on Tuesday.

A comma butterfly was photographed by Jack Hoy in his West Mersea garden on Monday 3rd.

At Maydays on Monday, Martin Cock reported two red kites, at least ten buzzards, six marsh harriers and a Chinese Water Deer.

A raven was seen by the Langenhoe solar farm by Rob Lee on Monday.

A chiffchaff was singing from the old pear tree along the Strood seawall on Monday 3rd.

At the same time a male hen harrier was quartering the rough grassland on Ray Island, also a marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk seen too. Three snipe were seen in the air over Ray Island, presumed flushed by the hen harrier.

Two kingfishers were seen by the Strood sluice on Monday - one by the inflow and one by the outflow.

Along the Strood channel were 260 knot, 100 wigeon and 100 teal, while in the Strood fields were a stonechat, ten meadow pipits and a pair of linnets. A goldcrest was in trees by the caravan park.

A silhouette of a merlin perched in a tree at Maydays on Sunday 2nd. The merlin had earlier perched on a gate by the seawall, then flew to this tree where it stayed for at least an hour. In the spring sunshine there were lots of birds of prey around with three red kites over Langenhoe, 12 marsh harriers including a couple of displaying males, 15 buzzards and two peregrines over the Colne. Three ravens were calling as they flew high west over the Pyefleet.

Four pintail, six shoveler, 100 knot and the leucistic redshank were in the Pyefleet, a stonechat and rock pipit and red-legged partridge were seen at Maydays.

On Saturday 1st, Martin Cock visited Shop Lane and saw blackcap and two goldcrests in the wood, then later peregrine and three marsh harriers.

The black brant was feeding amongst the saltmarsh by the Firs Chase caravan park during the high tide on Friday 28th. The broad white neck collar shows up well here. Also seen during a walk along the Strood seawall were 300 brent geese, 2 shoveler, 80 shelduck, marsh harrier, red kite over Feldy View, buzzard, kingfisher flew across to the Ray, four stonechats and two rock pipits. Two male blackcaps were seen by the Firs caravan park with one singing, also a female in the Firs Chase garden.

A redshank was seen by the Strood seawall on Friday as the tide receded.

Andy Field photographed a ringed plover at East Mersea Point on Friday, also 12 sanderling at the Point too. Elsewhere at the park a goldcrest and chiffchaff were noted, 3 pochard, buzzard, marsh harrier, while two pairs of jackdaws were seen going in and out of the barn owl box by the pond.

Martin Cock visited Maydays on Friday and reported two red kites, four marsh harriers, four buzzards, a little owl heard calling from Langenhoe, and two red-legged partridges at Maydays.

A kingfisher was seen along the central ditch by the Strood seawall on Thursday 27th. A couple of months ago, a kingfisher was seen whacking a small tiddler it had caught, on a branch along this ditch. Other birds of note were buzzard, two kestrels, Cetti's warbler, four meadow pipits, rock pipits and two reed buntings.

A male hen harrier was seen by Rob Lee on Thursday flying north over Barrow Hill.

A record shot of a male hen harrier flying low over Ray Island on Wednesday 26th. The black brant was feeding in the Strood channel beside the Ray saltmarsh, 150 brent geese there too, marsh harrier over Ray Island. The wintering chiffchaff was again by the Firs Caravan park, stonechat, ten meadow pipits and two linnets by the seawall. A pair of blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden.