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

FELDY VIEW BUTTERFLIES

Plenty of sunshine on Friday 22nd brought the butterflies out at Feldy View. This brown argus butterfly is the first of the year here.

A small heath was feeding on some French lavender in Feldy View on Friday.

A pair of small whites mating in Feldy View on Friday.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday was this little egret, also 3 ringed plovers, whimbrel, lapwing, common tern, 6 Mediterranean gulls, 2 buzzards and a red kite.

A pair of gadwall starting their summer moult was in the Strood dyke on Friday. Also along the dyke were a male yellow wagtail, male stonechat with one juvenile, singing birds included 4 sedge warblers, 3 reed warblers, 2 whitethroats and a lesser whitethroat. Ten linnets were in the fields while a good count of 45 swifts could be seen over the West Mersea houses.

Swifts were also being reported around West Mersea on Friday - 8 around the water tower by Andy Field, lots at Reymead Close seen by Jack Hoy and 2 swifts over Shears Court seen by Peter Marchington. Caroline White saw two house martins over Dawes Lane on Friday morning.

On Thursday 21st a fox was checking out the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden.

A brief visit to the Strood seawall revealed a cuckoo, kestrel, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, lesser whitethroat and whitethroat, along with 18 swifts seen over the houses.

Caroline Horwood saw five swifts over Fairhaven Avenue.

A whitethroat seen beside Feldy View on Thursday.

A couple of Rose Chafers were in Feldy View on Thursday.

Several Swollen-thighed Beetles were on lots of the flowerheads in Feldy View.

Wasp Beetle in Feldy View.

Green Shield Bug in Feldy View on Thursday.

A red kite was watched flying low over the Strood fields before crossing over the channel to Feldy Marsh on Wednesday 20th.

Interesting seeing a redshank on the saltmarsh in front of the Firs Chase caravan park during the breeding season on Wednesday. Presumed just a local bird from elsewhere in the Strood channel.

At East Mersea on Wednesday, Andy Field visited Reeveshall and reported 3 marsh harriers, 2 common terns, cuckoo heard, as well as a few whitethroats, blackcaps and chiffchaffs in the Shop Lane area.

One of two common blue butterflies that was photographed by Martin Cock along the path east of Meeting Lane on Wednesday, also seen were a house martin flying west, cuckoo and a buzzard.

On Tuesday 19th Lea Merclova found two sets of ringed plover chicks at the East Mersea Point.

 

A young blue tit was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Monday 18th.

At Maydays farm Martin Cock reported four cuckoos with three birds seen together.

Along the Strood channel on Monday were two Egyptian geese on Ray Island, marsh harrier, two common terns, two calling cuckoos, ringed plover, two sedge warblers, two reed warblers, stonechat and a lesser whitethroat.

A male great spotted woodpecker was seen bringing food back to the nest-hole high up in a tree by the Firs Chase caravan park on Sunday 17th.

The adult great spotted woodpecker just about to fly away from the nest-hole on Sunday. The female was also seen visiting the nest-hole with food.

A cuckoo was seen flying near the Firs Chase caravan park on Sunday.

A pair of Egyptian geese was on Ray Island on Sunday 17th. Also seen from the Strood seawall were ten brent geese, 2 gadwall, buzzard, stonechat, 20 linnets and a lesser whitethroat. Twenty swifts were over the houses, while in Firs Chase a goldcrest was singing again in the garden.

A holly blue butterfly was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Sunday.

A bee photographed by Michael Thorley in his garden could be the female hairy-footed flower bee.

Rob Lee photographed this little bunny rabbit with white socks, in his garden at Barrow Hill on Sunday

Carrie Horwood had a walk at East Mersea on Sunday and noted a cuckoo calling loudly near Shop Lane, lapwings and chicks in the park grazing field, reed warblers singing and showing well, linnet, little grebe, kestrel, greylag goose with goslings, a sedge warbler and a few reed buntings at the Point.

Fluffy clouds in a blue sky hung over the flooded Pyefleet Channel at Maydays farm on Saturday 16th. 

A couple of hours earlier on Saturday morning the sky turned quite dark when a black cloud passed over the Pyefleet channel looking north to Langenhoe Marsh.

An oystercatcher was having a snooze just before the high tide at Maydays on Saturday. Other birds noted along the seawall included 20 shelduck, 2 great crested grebes, 5 redshank, 6 marsh harriers, hobby over Maydays farm, cuckoo and 8 lapwings on Reeveshall.

A male yellowhammer was singing near the Maydays seawall on Saturday - as were 4 sedge warblers, 5 reed warblers, two whitethroats and a lesser whitethroat. A meadow pipit was heard calling from the nearby saltmarsh.

Ten linnets were seen near the Maydays seawall on Saturday.

A Chinese Water Deer was seen grazing fields on Reeveshall on Saturday.

A distant shot from Maydays of four common seals basking on the saltmarsh in the Pyefleet- just before the high tide began covering the whole area.

Rob Lee reported four whimbrel high over Barrow Hill and three cuckoos there on Saturday.

An Apple Fruit Weevil was seen at Maydays farm on Saturday.

Andy Field visited Cudmore Grove on Saturday and photographed this redshank perched on a new fence-post. At least one redshank chick was seen in the nearby grazing field. At least eight lapwing chicks were seen too. A barn owl was seen flying with a vole out of the park entrance maybe heading to Bromans Farm.

One of the three greylag goslings photographed by Andy in the park's grazing fields on Saturday.

At the Point all three ringed plover nests had a sitting bird on them. A cuckoo was heard at the park and another calling in Andy's garden in High St North.

A badger filmed in Andy Field's High St North garden.

A hedgehog filmed by Carrie Horwood visiting her Fairhaven Avenue garden nightly.

A few more moths coming to the Firs Chase garden moth trap recently included this Light Emerald.

Peppered Moth.

Light Brocade.

Broken-barred Carpet - had not been recorded before here.