RARE HAWKMOTH DROPS IN

Very excited to find this rare immigrant Striped Hawkmoth come crashing into the back garden at 2am on Tuesday 2nd as I was clearing away the moth trap in the drizzle.

There has been a recent influx into mainly southern England of several Striped Hawkmoths, including half a dozen into Essex. This one is the first record for Mersea Island. After posing for a few photos, it was released and it flew away like a bullet, without any hint of a backward glance!

Other Hawkmoths into the Firs Chase back garden on the night of the 1st were this Eyed Hawkmoth.

The first Poplar Hawkmoth of the spring was this late one on the 1st. There were three Elephant Hawkmoths also in the trap that same night. 

A Pine Hawkmoth was noted two nights earlier on the 29th May.

A young pied wagtail was begging for food from the male, seen on Tuesday 2nd near Feldy View. A cuckoo was heard calling, five swifts were over the houses while a curlew and six shelduck were in the Strood channel.

Eighty swifts were seen by Martin Cock drifting west over his West Mersea house in The Coverts on Tuesday morning.

A pair of red-legged partridge was photographed by Steve Entwistle in the Maydays farmyard on Tuesday late afternoon. Also noted there were 3 male yellowhammers, whitethroat, four reed warblers and a male marsh harrier.

A female green woodpecker dropped down into the back-garden of the Firs Chase house on Monday 1st.

The green woodpecker spent a minute having a drink from the half-barrel of water in the garden, before flying off. First time a woodpecker has been seen coming down to drink from here.

A Painted Lady was also seen feeding in the garden.

A trio of recently fledged swallows waited to be fed at the back of the Dabchicks Sailing Club on Monday.

Other birds noted on the short visit to the Strood included a common tern, two great crested grebes, cuckoo, while a sparrowhawk and yellow wagtail were noted flying over Feldy View.

A Holly Blue was feeding in Feldy View on Monday, as were three others.

Two Red Admirals were also feeding on the cherry laurel bush in Feldy View on Monday, and a Painted Lady too. Also in Feldy View were a Large Skipper, Common Blue, Small Heath, Small White and an Emperor Dragonfly.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was photographed by Michael Thorley as it fed on some Sweet William in his East Mersea garden on Monday afternoon.

Martin Cock visited Maydays farm on Monday and reported seeing a red kite, two buzzards and a pair of yellowhammers.

On Sunday 31st a red kite was seen flying over the Strood fields late morning, also a marsh harrier and buzzard noted, while on Ray Island there were three Egyptian geese and two brent geese. A great crested grebe was in the Strood channel and fourteen swifts were flying over the West Mersea houses.

A Meadow Brown and Painted Lady were in Feldy View.

At East Mersea on Sunday, two common terns were seen feeding off the Point by Carrie Horwood.

At Cudmore Grove in the evening, Steve Entwistle watched the barn owl over the grazing fields - seen from the bird hide, also a hobby flew close by the hide, a cuckoo, two swallows and grey heron at the pond. A cuckoo was also seen flying across the fields by Bromans Lane.

A barn owl was seen by Carrie Horwood hunting the area of fields near the Strood fishing lakes on Sunday evening at 8pm and also Saturday evening.

The second swift egg was seen laid in the nestbox at Andy Field's house in High Street North on Saturday 30th. The picture taken from the nest-cam off the computer screen.

On Friday 29th along the Strood seawall was this shelduck - six were noted, also one Egyptian goose opposite the Dabchicks, great crested grebe, 3 little egrets, redshank and a lapwing.

This moulting gadwall was on the Strood borrowdyke on Friday, also along the dyke were stonechat, singing birds included four reed warblers, two sedge warblers, two reed buntings, two whitethroats. In the fields were twenty linnets, a yellow wagtail flew into the fields, two kestrels, buzzard and two calling cuckoos were heard.

A Common Blue and Painted Lady were in Feldy View on Friday morning.

Michael Thorley reported "masses" of Painted Ladies in his East Mersea garden on Friday.

Another of Michael's photos of a Painted Lady on the corn marigold.

Seven Painted Ladies were seen simultaneously in Michael's garden with five of them pictured here.

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee photographed by Michael.

Common Carder Bee photographed by Michael.

Common Carder Bee by Michael.

A few moths from the Firs Chase moth trap over the last week include this coastal moth the Sand Dart.

Delicate

Shark

A colourful version of Heart and Dart with a pale-reddish border.

Small Mottled Willow.

Cream-spot Bark Moth

Comfrey Ermine

Dark Spruce Knot-horn

Saltmarsh Plume

The Ichneumon wasp Amblyteles armatorius was found at the moth trap on the 29th.

 

WEEK OF SWELTERING HEAT

The last week of May had been extremely hot, which tamped down the bird activity but increased the insects buzzing about. This Elephant Hawkmoth on the night of Thursday 28th was the first of the season in the Firs Chase back garden moth trap. Last year they peaked in the garden at 24 individuals in late June.

A Cream-spot Tiger was also in the Firs Chase moth trap on the 28th.

Andy Field shared this photograph from his nest camera showing his pair of swifts had laid their first egg on Thursday 28th.

In a brief walk to Feldy View and to the Strood seawall, 14 swifts were seen flying over the houses, two Egyptian geese were on Ray Island, a ringed plover flew up channel, 3 common terns, 2 sedge warblers, buzzard, reed warbler, whitethroat, reed bunting and ten linnets were also noted.

Richard Allen reported seeing an osprey flying down the Colne towards Brightlingsea on Thursday morning.

The day-flying Burnet Companion moth was feeding in Feldy View on Thursday. 

Good numbers of Painted Ladies have been seen across the island over the last week or so, with this one in the Firs Chase garden on Wednesday 27th.

Michael Thorley has been admiring all the insects attracted to his corn marigolds in his East Mersea garden, a Painted Lady here on Wednesday. Selection of his photos here.

Possible Hylaeus Bee.

A drone-fly

Nomad Bee

Longhorn moth.

Mint Moth by Michael on his corn marigold on Wednesday.

The RSPB undertook a breeding bird survey of the beach recharges on Wednesday, with the help of John Woods and his boat. Not sure of the final counts but lots of herring gull chicks were seen on Cobmarsh and Packing Marsh islands, also 15+ oystercatchers seen, 3 ringed plovers, while two Sandwich terns flew over, a common tern and a brent goose were also seen. A common seal was in the Mersea Quarters.

Two house martins were seen over Waldegraves holiday park on Wednesday by Andy Field.

A Large Red Damselfly was seen on Wednesday along the Firs Chase-Lane folly footpath.

A male linnet perched on top of a bush by the Strood seawall on Tuesday 26th - ten were noted beside the seawall. A yellow wagtail was heard flying over Feldy View, three cuckoos were noted - two of them calling, 2 male marsh harriers hunting the fields, hobby flew over the channel to Feldy Marsh, 2 Egyptian geese on Ray Island, common tern, 5 shelduck, lesser whitethroat and two whitethroats singing, two great spotted woodpeckers by the caravan park and 20 swifts over the houses.

The resident ring-necked parakeet squawked loudly in flight over the Firs Chase gardens on Tuesday.

Sixteen Canada geese were seen on the sea off Shears Court by Peter Marchington on Tuesday.

A Common Blue butterfly in Feldy View on Tuesday.

A Small Copper in Feldy View on Tuesday.

Some oyster mushrooms on elm beside Feldy View.

An Azure Damselfly in Feldy View on Tuesday. A common lizard scuttled through the grass at Feldy View.

This female Black-tailed Skimmer was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday. 

At least ten Bryony Bees were seen feeding on the white bryony flowers in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday. Appears to be the first record for the island.

On Monday 25th two Painted Ladies were feeding in Feldy View, also three Rose Chafers feeding.

A house martin was heard calling as it flew overhead and 18 swifts were seen over the houses.

Two pairs of Egyptian geese were feeding on Ray Island, 2 great crested grebes, common tern and eight Mediterranean gulls were along the Strood channel. Two marsh harriers, cuckoo calling, sedge warbler, 2 reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, two whitethroats and a stonechat were seen from the seawall.

Caroline White saw a cuckoo flying over her garden in Dawes Lane heading towards Cross Lane on Monday evening.

Twelve swifts were seen and heard screaming over Carrie Horwood's house in Fairhaven Avenue on Monday evening but no interest in the new swift box there yet.

In the very early hours of Monday morning, two tawny owl chicks were heard calling repeatedly in Firs Chase at 2am, presumably recently fledged.

A female Emperor Dragonfly was seen in Feldy View on Monday.

Also in Feldy View on Monday was this male Hairy Dragonfly.

A female Hairy Dragonfly was photographed by Andy Field in his conservatory on Monday.

This hedgehog was captured on Andy Field's trail camera emerging early Monday morning in the daylight.

A pair of Egyptian geese was feeding on Ray Island again on Sunday 24th. A great crested grebe was in the Strood channel, while birds noted from the seawall included cuckoo, stonechat, four reed warblers, 3 sedge warblers, two whitethroats, lesser whitethroat, ten linnets, while ten swifts were over the houses and a sparrowhawk was over Feldy View.

A cuckoo perched on a tall tree in the Firs Chase garden and called briefly before moving on, also goldcrest was heard singing in the garden.

 Sedge warbler singing along the Strood dyke on Sunday.

A couple of Mourning Bees were feeding on French lavender in Feldy View, also a Rose Chafer on Sunday.

A wood mouse seen under the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday.

Jack Hoy reported a Hummingbird Hawkmoth and four Painted Ladies in his Mersea Avenue garden on Sunday morning.

A common seal was resting on the mud in the Pyefleet channel, along with another seal, opposite Maydays farm on Saturday 23rd.

A lapwing was seen on the mud in the Pyefleet channel on Saturday. Ten lapwings were seen in the Maydays and Reeveshall fields, also five redshank mainly on the saltmarsh. Along the Pyefleet were 20 shelduck, three great crested grebes and a curlew, while six marsh harriers, four buzzards and sparrowhawk were seen on the wing.

A cuckoo was calling at Maydays and another on Langenhoe, yellowhammer singing, as were five reed warblers, four sedge warblers and two whitethroats on Saturday.

No house martins were sadly seen by the Maydays farm houses. One was seen along East Road near the top of Seaview Avenue, also another at Queens Corner.

At Maydays this Cream-spot Tiger moth was resting in a hedge on Saturday.

Pair of mating Lesser Banded Longhorn Moths at Maydays.

A Cardinal Beetle at Maydays on Saturday.

A Rambur's Pied Shieldbug was photographed by Caroline White in her Dawes Lane garden on Saturday. At least twenty were counted on black horehound in her garden. First record for the Island.

Nine Rose Chafers were counted by Caroline White feeding on her Guelder Rose on Saturday.

 Some of the moths recorded in the Firs Chase garden over the last week included this nicely coloured Middle-barred Minor.

White Satin Moth

A Lesser Stag Beetle was noted near the moth trap on three nights with two on the 28th.

Toadflax Brocade.

Pale Tussock.

Knot Grass