MISSING MISTLE THRUSHES

A pair of mistle thrushes swooped into the poplar trees with mistletoe at East Mersea near the Golfhouse on Wednesday 14th. Wary as usual, they perched high up for a few minutes before disappearing away. The two birds flew in and over the Golfhouse from the east, so maybe just flown across the Colne.

Mistle thrushes have been sadly missing from the Island this year except for one sighting by Andy Field at the beginning of the year when he saw two at the Youth Camp on the 14th January. This is the first year none have been present on the Island during the breeding season.

 

A meadow pipit perched on a fence beside the country park borrowdyke on Wednesday - fifteen were noted in total during the walk, also a rock pipit and 70 linnets at the Point and three stonechats in the grazing fields.

Ten little egrets were feeding along the edge of the incoming tide near the East Mersea Point on Wednesday. Other birds seen from here were 15 brent geese, 3 shelduck, 15 wigeon, 30 teal and 2 great crested grebes. Waders of interest included an avocet, large roost on the mud of 140 curlews, ten bar-tailed godwits and 30 dunlin.

The regular leucistic coloured redshank was roosting with other redshank by the saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse on Wednesday. A sparrowhawk, chiffchaff and three Cetti's warblers were also noted during the walk at the park.

The sunshine on Wednesday morning saw lots of Clouded Yellow butterflies flying about along the Park seawall. Fifteen in total were seen with eight noted along the park seawall while a further seven were  between the Golfhouse and Ivy Dock section of seawall. 

Red Admiral, Common Darter and Migrant Hawker were also seen during the walk.

A Firebug was photographed on the seawall near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Wednesday.

Andy Field photographed this female stonechat beside the Strood seawall on Wednesday. In total six stonechats were seen in the Strood fields.

The male stonechat was also photographed beside it's partner, by Andy on Wednesday.

Other birds noted by Andy along the Strood channel on Wednesday were a spotted redshank seen briefly before it flew towards the Strood, greenshank, 50 black-tailed godwits, 15 avocets, 20 dunlin, 200 golden plover, 30 grey plover, 50 teal, 30 wigeon, 12 little grebes and two chiffchaffs. 

Two Clouded Yellow butterflies also on the wing.

The male stonechat was also photographed on the metal pole near the Strood seawall by Mark Thomson on Wednesday.

Martin Cock reported a Sandwich tern and two Clouded Yellows at the East Mersea Oyster Fishery on Wednesday.

Jon Ward photographed this wheatear on the East Mersea Point on Tuesday 13th.

One of the three Sandwich terns seen at the East Mersea Point that was photographed by Jon Ward on Tuesday. Also seen from there were 30 brent geese and a Mediterranean gull.

Birds noted during the Strood seawall walk on Tuesday included 10 brent geese, 40 mallard, 70 teal, 12 wigeon, 10 avocets, 62 golden plover, bar-tailed godwit, 100 black-tailed godwits, 5 knot, 20 dunlin, two Sandwich terns, 2 marsh harriers, stonechat and a rock pipit.

 

On Monday 12th two greenshank were feeding along the Strood channel, also 120 black-tailed godwits, 16 little grebes, 10 dunlin, 30 Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier and red kite flying over. A "commic" (common or Arctic) tern stayed perched on a buoy in the channel. 

Two rock pipits were seen beside the Strood seawall on Monday.

Three stonechats were along the Strood seawall on Monday.

A Sandwich tern was photographed by Mark Thomson - two others also present, on the shingle spit opposite Waldegraves on Monday. 

A Mediterranean gull - one of five present off Waldegraves, photographed by Mark Thomson on Monday.

Steve Entwistle saw 14 common scoter and a great black-backed gull off Coopers Beach on Monday.

Later Steve saw 18 red-legged partridges in a field near the Mersea Barrow.

A grey seal was seen in the sea close into shore opposite Shears Court by Peter Marchington on Monday. Seems to be a bit of a regular here now. 

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was visiting the salvia flowers in the Firs Chase garden just before dusk on Monday.

On Sunday 11th a redwing perched on a tree beside the Firs Chase caravan park. A flock of 25 goldfinches and two chiffchaffs were also in the area, while a flock of 25 house sparrows were by the nearby seawall.

Three rock pipits were seen during the Strood seawall walk on Sunday, also ten meadow pipits, 80 linnets, four stonechats, six reed buntings and a Cetti's warbler singing.

Sunny periods during Sunday's walk at high tide by the Strood. Other birds noted were ten brent geese, 50 black-tailed godwits, 3 Sandwich terns, Mediterranean gull, red kite and 8 buzzards.

A goldcrest was seen in the Firs Chase garden later on Sunday.

Steve Entwistle and Mark Thomson saw two red-throated divers offshore from the Esplanade on Sunday, also 2 Sandwich terns, 5 close-in going up river, 55 turnstones up-river too and a few cormorants. Six swallows were seen going up river, and two Mediterranean gulls which landed on the sea.

Two juvenile gannets were reported by Chris Poole on Sunday, seen flying over the mouth of the Colne heading north-east, as he viewed from the Swallow Birding barge trip. Over half-an hour later a juvenile gannet was seen at Stone Point by Daniel Woollard, while a juvenile gannet was also seen from West Mersea by Steve Entwistle flying out of the Blackwater towards Waldegraves.

Harry Witts saw a diver sp flying out of the river Colne past East Mersea on Sunday.

Mark Thomson reported seeing two grey squirrels at the Cudmore Grove entrance on Sunday.

Always nice to see a Merveille du Jour moth in the Firs Chase garden moth trap each October. Singles were seen on the 13th and 14th October.

Three Red-green Carpets on the 14th.

Satellite on the 13th.

Beaded Chestnut on the 13th.

MAYDAYS YELLOWHAMMER

A male yellowhammer was seen with its female partner on a bush by the Maydays seawall on Saturday 10th. It was a morning for raptors with six species seen during the walk, with a merlin flying low over the fields carrying prey being the most notable. Others included four marsh harriers, four buzzards, red kite, sparrowhawk and three kestrels.

The tide was pushing waders out of the Pyefleet with 75 avocets, 30 dunlin, 3 knot and a bar-tailed godwit of interest. Also along the channel were ten Mediterranean gulls, six great crested grebes, 2 wigeon and 6 shelduck. Five stonechats and a rock pipit were also seen near the seawall.

Sheltering behind bushes from a north-westerly breeze at Maydays was this Willow Emerald damselfly. Also noted along here were Migrant Hawker and a couple of Common Darters.

Twelve red-legged partridges were in a field beside the East Mersea road at Barrow Hill on Saturday.

Offshore from the Victoria Esplanade on Saturday were a red-throated diver and a red kite watched flying west initially before turning inland to fly overhead on its way west. Also three swallows flew west along the coastline and six meadow pipits west too.

On Friday 9th Steve Entwistle saw a dark phase Arctic skua close into the Esplanade, also 3 red-throated divers, 6 Arctic terns, 2 shelduck, 5 brent geese and 2 curlew.

Birds noted along the Strood on Friday morning included 6 brent geese, 2 greylag geese, 3 wigeon, 20 teal, 16 golden plover, 50 black-tailed godwits, 70 dunlin and two Sandwich terns. In the fields were 25 linnets, while 20 goldfinches were by the Firs Caravan park.

Two juvenile gannets were seen flying offshore from West Mersea on Thursday 8th, photographed by Andy Field from the Esplanade.

Another picture by Andy Field of the two juvenile gannets flying offshore from the Esplanade on Thursday. They were seen flying west towards Old Hall and then turned back to head towards the mouth of the Colne.

Two velvet scoters were seen flying into the Blackwater with six common scoters by Martin Cock at the Esplanade. Also seen from the Esplanade were 6 Arctic terns, 10 Sandwich terns, skua sp, brent goose, 3 wigeon, swallow, 40 meadow pipits and 2 red-throated divers.

Several swallows were reported by Clive Pickering flying past his house near the bottom of Kingsland Road on Thursday morning.

A poorly common tern was seen on the beach by the East Mersea Youth Camp on Thursday. It allowed a reasonable close approach, although stumbled on the beach when trying to walk away as if it had bird flu.

The common tern was eventually able to fly away and headed off west along the coastline. Offshore were six red-throated divers and 5 great crested grebes, while on the shingle island off Waldegraves were ten Sandwich terns, 30 sanderling and 40 oystercatchers.

Thirty Mediterranean gulls were feeding on the golf driving range with other gulls and a pair of little owls struck up a duet for a short while near the driving range. A swallow flying west was also seen a short while later by Martin Cock at the Esplanade.

A flock of long-tailed tits was in a hedge by the boating lake on Thursday, also three chiffchaffs heard in various places. Also 35 golden plover, 60 ringed plovers and 35 linnets in fields.

A Clouded Yellow butterfly was seen near the Youth Camp.

Ninety black-tailed godwits were in the Strood channel on Wednesday 7th with most being near the Dabchicks Sailing Club. On a wet morning a short walk to the Strood seawall produced a corn bunting overhead, stonechat, marsh harrier, buzzard, 100 turnstones, also sparrowhawk, chiffchaff and two song thrushes by Feldy View.

A pair of Egyptian geese flew up the Strood channel and headed over to the Ray Channel on Wednesday.

Andy Field saw a red-throated diver fly into the Blackwater and a Sandwich tern on a buoy, from the Esplanade on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 6th there was no sign of the Dartford warbler along the Strood seawall seen the previous day, although the pair of stonechat was still in the area perching on various bushes along the borrowdyke. Overhead a red kite circled round while peering down below.

 

After several circles over the nearby Strood field, the red kite swooped down and seemed to pick up a bird corpse which looked like a pigeon. It then landed in the field and began plucking it.

Two other red kites were seen that morning, also ten buzzards with five together over the Glebe, also marsh harrier.

Along the Strood channel on Tuesday was this redshank, also greenshank, 100 black-tailed godwits, bar-tailed godwit, 60 golden plovers, ten ringed plovers, 30 dunlin, 20 teal and 20 Mediterranean gulls.

Two pairs of stonechat were at either end of the Strood seawall with a female in the middle section, on Tuesday. Also 15 corn buntings, 20 skylarks, 50 linnets, 6 reed buntings, 2 Cetti's warblers, song thrush  and five chiffchaffs at various locations including Feldy View.

Six Clouded Yellows were seen along the Strood seawall and fields.

A red squirrel was reported by Heather Howard in her garden in St Peter's Road.

A Scarce Bordered Straw was found in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 6th.

Autumnal Rustic

Blair's Shoulder Knot.

STROOD DARTFORD WARBLER

A Dartford warbler was an unexpected discovery along the Strood seawall late morning on Monday 5th, feeding in the company of a pair of stonechats. This is a picture of the bird by Ed Bateman - who managed to snap the bird as it briefly perched on a bush. The bird appeared to be a female as it didn't show the extensive dark red on the face and underparts of a male bird. There was some dark red along the flanks and upper chest suggesting a female.

The Dartford warbler covered quite a long area of bushes, brambles and tall plants alongside the Strood borrowdyke as it kept up with the stonechats. It was seen several times flying from one bush to the next and briefly showing for a few seconds before disappearing again. It even flew out into the middle of the saltmarsh for a minute or so, before returning to the seawall. It was heard to call latterly a few times.

This is only the second record of Dartford Warbler on the island after the first one at East Mersea Point was nearly twenty years ago, in February 2007.

Also seen along the Strood on Monday were four buzzards, red kite, marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk.

As well as the pair of stonechats with the Dartford warbler at the north-eastern end of the seawall, another pair was at the south-west end, with a single bird in the middle. Also ten corn buntings, 5 reed buntings, 25 linnets, 20 meadow pipits and 30 skylarks in the fields.

Two wigeon were along the Strood channel on Monday, as well as 30 teal, greenshank, 35 golden plovers, bar-tailed godwit, 15 dunlin, 30 grey plover and 15 ringed plover.

Two great spotted woodpeckers were by Feldy View, also a blackcap, 2 chiffchaffs and 20 goldfinches.

Four brent geese were seen off the Monkey Beach at West Mersea by Mark Thomson on Monday.

A grey squirrel was seen at Cudmore Grove on Monday by Jodie.

Andy Field photographed this stonechat on Sunday 4th, in the flycatcher-corner area beside the Firs Chase caravan park, with another two along the Strood seawall. Three or four chiffchaffs were in the Feldy View-flycatcher corner area .

Peter Marchington visited Cudmore Grove on Sunday and photographed this meadow pipit there.

Another picture by Peter of meadow pipit.

A mallard photographed at Cudmore by Peter.

Clouded Yellow at Cudmore Grove pictured by Peter on Sunday.

Michael Thorley photographed this Grey Dagger moth caterpillar in his East Mersea garden on Friday 2nd. He also saw a Wall Brown butterfly in his garden on Friday.

Steve Entwistle on Friday saw 2 Sandwich terns, a common gull and 12 great black-backed gulls following a fishing boat, from the West Mersea Esplanade late afternoon.

An unexpected visitor to the moth trap in the Firs Chase garden on the night of the 6th was this smooth newt, found resting on the white sheet. One was also found beside the moth trap back on the 1st April.

Black Rustic.

Figure of Eight.

Feathered Ranunculus.

Olive-tree Pearl

Yellow-line Quaker.

Large Wainscot.

Box Moth.

Least Carpet.