MAYDAYS GREENSHANKS

A greenshank was feeding along the Maydays creek on Saturday 5th - one of five seen during the walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls. Other waders seen along the Pyefleet channel during the low tide were 115 grey plover, 2 golden plover, 8 ringed plover, 6 avocets, 2 knot and 10 dunlin, while 2 great crested grebe were also in the channel and 20 shelduck seen over Langenhoe Marsh.

Six species of birds of prey were seen on the Maydays walk on Saturday, the osprey was seen circling over the Pyefleet and then headed to the Colne, a red kite over Langenhoe, also 3 marsh harriers, 2 buzzards, 3 kestrels and a sparrowhawk. A large flock of 500 swallows was feeding low over the Reeveshall fields during the morning, also two sand martins seen amongst them, while 500 starlings were also in the fields. Six yellow wagtails and 15 linnets noted too.

A Willow Emerald damselfly was resting on a bush at Maydays on Saturday. Three Clouded Yellow butterflies were along the seawall. 

Later a Clouded Yellow was seen flying across Empress Avenue on Saturday.

Two spotted flycatchers were in Feldy View on Friday 4th for the second day running but no sign of the Pied Flycatcher.

Along the Strood seawall a big flock of 200 linnets were feeding in the fields, 2 corn buntings and 3 reed buntings also there, a marsh harrier and four Mediterranean gulls seen too. By the Dabchicks was the flock of 90 black-tailed godwits.

At East Mersea Martin Cock reported on Friday morning seeing at Ivy Dock 450 black-tailed godwits, 40 dunlin, 10 grey plover, 150 redshank, 4 ringed plover and a Sandwich tern.

Jack Hoy reported a hobby at the Barrow Hill saltings on Friday.

Thursday 3rd was another flycatcher day with a pied flycatcher seen at "flycatcher corner" near the Firs Caravan park along with a spotted flycatcher, while two more spotted flycatchers were in the nearby Feldy View cemetery.

The spotted flycatcher at the flycatcher corner was very confiding and put on a good show beside the footpath on Thursday. 

Both spotted flycatcher and the pied flycatcher were feeding in the same bush beside the Firs caravan park - the spotted is pictured top left, pied lower right.

Two other spotted flycatchers were feeding together in the nearby Feldy View on Thursday, putting on a nice display of catching insects which were buzzing about the flowering ivy bushes. A willow warbler and chiffchaff were also in Feldy View, while down by the Dabchicks were 190 black-tailed godwits.

Spotted flycatcher in Feldy View on Thursday.

Good numbers of Ivy Bees were buzzing about the ivy flowers alongside Feldy View on Thursday.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park a female /immature type common redstart was found on Thursday on the track between the car park and the bird hide.

On Wednesday 2nd Martin Cock visited Cudmore Grove and saw two water rails showing well at the park pond, also at the park were a wheatear, whitethroat, blackcap and chiffchaff.

A little egret was feeding along the Strood channel on Tuesday 1st - fifteen were counted during the morning walk. Also along the channel were 150 black-tailed godwits, 2 greenshank, common tern, 3 grey plover while a family of mute swans was in the dyke with their two cygnets.

A flock of 100 swallows was passing slowly over the Strood fields on Tuesday and a swift was noticed with them. At the same time a hobby was also seen high up over the Glebe before heading north over to the Peldon side. A sparrowhawk and two buzzards also seen on the walk.

 

The first meadow pipit of the autumn was on the Strood saltmarsh briefly on Tuesday. In the fields were a whinchat, pair of stonechats and fifty linnets. Two willow warblers were in Feldy View.

A Wall Brown was in Feldy View on Tuesday, also eight Clouded Yellows, 2 Painted Ladies and 4 Common Blues along the Strood seawall.

Jon Ward photographed this Wall Brown in Feldy View on Tuesday.

Clouded Yellow photographed along the Strood seawall on Tuesday.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday Mollie Kirk and Daniel Woollard found a pied flycatcher near the car park in the evening. Also two barn owls showed well over the grazing marsh, whitethroat, reed warbler and willow warbler. Hawking after insects in the sky were 300 black-headed gulls, common terns and a Mediterranean gull.

Carrie Horwood reported a spotted flycatcher fly over her garden in Fairhaven Avenue and stop off briefly in a tree a couple of gardens down on Tuesday. A few common terns were also seen hawking after insects over Fairhaven Avenue in the evening.

At Maydays farm on Tuesday Martin Cock reported common sandpiper, 6 yellow wagtails, yellowhammer, 2 corn buntings, whitethroat, chiffchaff, 300 swallows, sparrowhawk and a buzzard.

A male redstart was found on Monday 31st feeding along a hedge in a paddock beside the Firs Chase caravan park. The bird stayed into the evening where it was photographed by Graham Ekins, shown here.

 

The redstart seemed to favour the leeward side of the hedge between two paddocks, keeping out of the fresh south-westerly breeze. 

Later on Monday Steve Entwistle saw a wheatear on the old wooden jetty, as well as seeing the redstart in the paddock.

Two willow warblers were in Feldy View during the day.

A red kite was seen circling over the Strood channel on Monday.

The red kite swooped down onto the mud in the Strood channel although not seemingly picking up anything. Two buzzards were also seen during the walk on Monday.

A greenshank was feeding along the Strood channel on Monday, also 5 grey plover, 15 golden plover, 2 ringed plover, 70 curlew, 130 black-tailed godwits and 15 little egrets. The family of four mute swans was in the Strood dyke. A whinchat and corn bunting were in the fields while 30 swallows and a sand martin passed through.

A Clouded Yellow was seen along the Strood seawall on Monday.

In Firs Chase the long-staying ring-necked parakeet was seen and heard squawking over nearby gardens on Monday. Also four sand martins flew west over the garden and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth was seen.

On Sunday 30th five whinchats were seen during the walk along the Reeveshall and Maydays seawalls - this one at the Maydays end. Two green sandpipers flew out of the Maydays dyke calling as they headed to the nearby farm reservoirs, two common sandpipers were in the nearby creek. A Sandwich tern, 3 common terns and great crested grebe were in the Pyefleet, while a Peregrine flew over, marsh harrier and two buzzards seen too. 

Hawking over the fields were 400 swallows with five house martins and two sand martins seen. Also 300 starlings in a big feeding flock, while 2 yellow wagtails, willow warbler, sedge warbler and two whitethroats seen too.

A Migrant Hawker was at Maydays farm on Sunday.

A buzzard was seen flying over the Firs Chase garden on Sunday.

In Feldy View on Sunday the spotted flycatcher was seen by Steve Entwistle and also two willow warblers and a sparrowhawk there. Earlier along the Strood seawall three whinchats were seen by Steve, as well as 2 corn buntings, lesser whitethroat and ten linnets.

Jo McDonough saw two Sandwich terns and a Clouded Yellow from the Shop Lane seawall.

Michael Thorley saw the barn owl flying west along the East Road on Sunday, as well as reporting a grey squirrel in his East Mersea garden on Friday and one seen dead on the nearby road the next day.

On Saturday 29th two willow warblers and lesser whitethroat were in Feldy View, while 75 black-tailed godwits, 3 common terns, 50 swallows, sparrowhawk and a whitethroat were seen on the circuit to the Dabchicks.

Three willow warblers were new in at Cudmore Grove seen by Daniel Woollard with fifty swallows seen flying west. 

A report that barn owls nested successfully in Bromans Farm this summer raising three young.

A mothing highlight in the Firs Chase garden was finding this Fisher's Estuarine moth in the moth trap on Wednesday 2nd. In the westerly breeze this moth probably came over from Copt Hall or Abbotts Hall to the west.

A few Centre-barred Sallows in recent nights.

Several Saltmarsh Knot-horns most nights recently too.

STROOD WHINCHATS

More migrants stopped off on the island on Friday during their autumn passage south. Along the Strood seawall on Friday 28th were five whinchats - three at one end and two in the middle section. Amongst a steady passage during the morning of 130 swallows were 20 house martins and four sand martins. A yellow wagtail, four corn buntings, and 20 linnets were also seen.

Six raptor species were noted during the Strood walk with the highlights being an osprey seen circling over the east side of the Strood causeway for twenty minutes, dropping down to the water several times but unsuccessful with catching anything. A peregrine flew across the channel, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, two buzzards and a kestrel were all noted.

Five Sandwich terns were seen flying along the Strood channel on Friday, while two greenshank, ten ringed plovers, 3 whimbrel, 100 black-tailed godwits, four Mediterranean gulls and a shelduck were of interest. 

A willow warbler and blackcap were in Feldy View, also a Wall Brown butterfly.

A Hornet Hoverfly was feeding on ivy beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park on Friday, two spotted flycatchers were found by Daniel Woollard - one near the pond and another by the clifftop. Also there a mixed finch flock with 25 goldfinches, 16 greenfinches and two chaffinches. A flock of 75 house martins and swallows passed through, while in the bushes were 7 whitethroats, 2 lesser whitethroats, 3 blackcaps, 2 chiffchaffs, reed warbler and five Cetti's warblers. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth and two Clouded Yellows also seen by Daniel.

Martin Cock walked the Cudmore Grove and Golfhouse circuit on Friday morning and reported a hobby over the park pond, water rail squealing there, leucistic redshank, five Sandwich terns, Cetti's warblers showing well, lots of swallows coming over the river from Colne Point, also a Clouded Yellow.

Jack Hoy at Maydays saw a hobby on Friday plus lots of swallows flying south, and also reported seeing a spotted flycatcher the previous day at Cudmore Grove along the clifftop.

On Thursday 27th a spotted flycatcher was watched feeding in the small paddock near the lower entrance to the Firs Chase caravan park. It was flying out to catch flies before returning to the old apple trees, sometimes being chased by a willow warbler. Another willow warbler and whitethroat were in Feldy View.

Steve Entwistle couldn't find the spotted flycatcher early Thursday evening but did see four yellow wagtails.

A yellow wagtail also perched in an apple tree in the paddock by the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday. Three other yellow wagtails also noted flying over the Strood seawall.

Three whinchats were seen by the Strood seawall on Thursday.

A male whinchat was seen along the central ditch in the Strood fields on Thursday. A pair of stonechat was also seen feeding nearby, 3 corn buntings, 6 reed buntings and 20 linnets also here.

Two other whinchats were together at the north-east end of the Strood seawall on Thursday. 

There was a steady flow west of eighty swallows and 20 house martins during the late morning walk.

A peregrine was seen flying over Firs Chase and circling over the Yacht Club before heading towards the Strood channel on Thursday. A sparrowhawk also seen by Feldy View.

As well as a handful of turnstones in the Strood channel on Thursday, other birds along here were 5 common terns, 2 Sandwich terns passed the Hard, 90 curlew, 100 black-tailed godwits, 15 little egrets and two grey herons.

A Small Copper was seen in Feldy View on Thursday. A Clouded Yellow and Wall Brown were seen along the Strood seawall.

An Ivy Mining Bee was feeding on ivy near the Firs Caravan park on Thursday.

Steve Entwistle at Cudmore Grove on Thursday saw 27 black-tailed godwits, 50 curlew and 2 grey plovers.

A female/ juvenile redstart was found on Wednesday 26th, feeding on either side of a field hedge about 300 metres west of the East Mersea church. The bird was photographed here by Andy Field.

The redstart seemed quite settled in this area, enjoying the warmth on the south side of the hedge.

Alongside the path west from the East Mersea church a small hirundine flock perched on the wires with ten swallows and four house martins. One house martin here second from top with three swallows.

Three house martins having a rest and preen on the wires near the church on Wednesday.

On the side lake to the Mersea Water Park at Rewsalls were good numbers of waders at high tide on Wednesday with 200 redshank, 100 turnstones, 70 ringed plover, 20 dunlin, whimbrel and also five little grebes. In the stubble field behind, ten golden plovers, 20 Mediterranean gulls, 10 Common gulls and five grey herons flying over were noted. Two yellow wagtails and ten goldfinches also seen during the walk.

A showy sunflower head in a field corner near the East Mersea church on Wednesday.

Two yellow wagtails were seen by Mark Thomson at Feldy View on Wednesday.

Two wheatears were seen along the Strood seawall on Tuesday 25th.

Both wheatears were at the north-east end of the seawall, occasionally perching on nearby bushes on Tuesday. Three whinchats were also seen, yellow wagtail, two whitethroats and two buzzards over the fields.

Eighty black-tailed godwits gathered on the mud near the Dabchicks on Tuesday.

Some of the black-tailed godwits began feeding close to the seawall path on Tuesday.

Only other birds noted in this area at high tide were a grey plover and ten great black-backed gulls.

A Mediterranean gull was roosting in the stubble field near the Strood hill with some black-headed gulls and common gulls on Tuesday.

A family of mute swans swam up the Strood channel on Tuesday, heading to the borrowdyke inside the seawall.

A Small Copper was feeding in Feldy View on Tuesday, also Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small White. Along the Strood seawall were two Clouded Yellows and also fifty Firebugs on one Mallow plant.

One of the seven Brown Argus seen feeding in Feldy View on Tuesday.

An interesting pattern of fungal Brown Rot on this apple as it lay on the ground beside Feldy View on Tuesday. 

On Monday 24th Martin Cock saw 2 willow warblers, 3 chiffchaffs and a yellow wagtail at Feldy View. Later at East Mersea the osprey was seen fishing along the Pyefleet channel from the Shop Lane seawall. Three avocets and a wheatear also seen by Martin here.

Peter Marchington reported that singles of curlew, turnstone, common gull and Mediterranean gull were all early morning visitors to the Shears Court beach on Monday.

This prettily marked Rosy Knot-horn moth was found in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 25th.