PARK PASSAGE MIGRANTS

A spotted flycatcher on its passage south was found on Sunday 23rd at Cudmore Grove Country Park in the overflow car park and found and photographed by Daniel Woollard and Mollie Kirk. There was a redstart in the same area early on Sunday morning but no sign of the redstart by the seawall, found the previous day.

Also on passage at the park were two wheatears seen on Heras fencing, photographed by Mollie Kirk.

Steve Entwistle visited Bower Hall farm shop and saw 60 swallows, 35 house martins and two sand martins on the wires on Sunday.

Daniel Woollard and Mollie Kirk found a redstart on Saturday 22nd along the country park seawall - picture by Mollie. Also a yellow wagtail at the Point.

David Webb visited the Strood on Saturday and reported 18 turnstones, 80 redshank, 12 little egrets, 3 ringed plovers and 4 curlew.

On Friday 21st Andy Field reported from Cudmore Grove seeing 5 Sandwich terns, 6 common terns, 10 Mediterranean gulls, 40 grey plovers, 2 ringed plovers, 7 black-tailed godwits, 8 whitethroats, 4 lesser whitethroats, reed warbler and Cetti's warbler. One of the archaeology team reported seeing a Lesser Emperor dragonfly along the park borrowdyke the week before.

Daniel Woollard carried out a high tide wader watch at the East Mersea Point on Friday, noting 152 common terns, 3 Sandwich terns, 28 little egrets, 41 Mediterranean gulls, 40 grey plovers, 370 redshank, 32 dunlin, 7 black-tailed godwits, 14 ringed plover, 8 curlew and 2 bar-tailed godwits.

Michael Thorley saw 45 linnets at the Point on Friday.

Martin Cock visiting the Strood on Friday morning reported 2 whinchats, whitethroat, 7 corn buntings, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, greenshank and 20 golden plovers.

On Thursday 20th a tawny owl was seen by Daniel Woollard perched on a telegraph pole on the East Mersea road in the evening, while another one was heard calling in Firs Chase on Thursday evening too.

Daniel Woollard had an evening stroll at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday 19th and photographed this whinchat on the grazing field fence along the dyke. Also lots of waders including whimbrels, and 100 common terns with a few Sandwich terns.

Along the Strood seawall on Wednesday were two whinchats and two stonechats, also 3 yellow wagtails.

Three greenshank were along the Strood on Wednesday, also 330 redshank, 255 black-tailed godwits, 70 curlew, 18 golden plover, 2 grey plover, 2 whimbrel and a common tern.

A flock of 30 goldfinches was in the Feldy View area on Wednesday, while 30 linnets were on the Strood fields and two buzzards seen. A large mixed tit flock in Feldy View had at least 50 long-tailed tits, 4 willow warblers, 2 chiffchaff also 2 lesser whitethroats here and four whitethroats by the seawall.

Martin Cock visited the Strood seawall on Wednesday and reported 4 sedge warblers, 3 lesser whitethroats, whitethroat, hobby, marsh harrier, 2 greenshank, and also willow warbler and blackcap in Feldy View.

A Painted Lady was seen along the Strood seawall on Wednesday, while 3 Brown Argus and Common Blue were in Feldy View.

A Wasp Spider was resting on its web in the long grass at Feldy View on Wednesday.

Andy Field photographed this Hummingbird Hawkmoth that landed briefly in Feldy View on Wednesday. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was also in the Firs Chase garden.

Andy saw the two whinchats along the Strood on Wednesday and later at Waldegraves Holiday park ten Mediterranean gulls and a common tern on the offshore island. Also lots of Firebugs on the beach there.

A grass-snake was found sadly dying in the Firs Chase garden, at the feet of a local cat which was quickly chased away. First sighting this year of a grass snake in the garden here.

A badger was seen feeding under the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Another badger was found dead in the nearby verge two days earlier after being hit by a car in Firs Chase.

A Firebug late stage nymph was photographed by Michael Thorley in his garden leaf litter at his East Mersea house on Wednesday.

A flock of 235 black-tailed godwits was counted on the mud by the Dabchicks sailing club on Tuesday 18th. Other birds along the Strood included 80 curlew, 28 golden plover, 2 grey plover, 2 bar-tailed godwits, 2 knot, 20 Mediterranean gulls, common tern, 20 little egrets, grey heron and ten great black-backed gulls.

A red kite flew over Ray Island on Tuesday, also a buzzard seen, while 25 swallows, 5 house martins and three swifts were all circling in the air near Strood Hill. Three whinchats, stonechat, 2 yellow wagtails, 12 linnets were along the seawall, while four willow warblers and lesser whitethroat were in Feldy View.

A hobby flying east and a young buzzard calling were both reported by Rob Lee at Barrow Hill on Tuesday.

A Common Blue Damselfly was resting in the long grass in Feldy View on Tuesday.

A flock of long-tailed tits stopped off for a drink in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday. A willow warbler and goldcrest were also seen in the big mixed tit flock in the garden. A hummingbird hawkmoth was in the garden briefly too.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Monday 17th included red kite, marsh harrier, 220 black-tailed godwits, 200 redshank, 3 golden plover, ringed plover, dunlin, 2 common terns, stonechat, 15 swallows and a yellow wagtail. In Feldy View there were 3 willow warblers, chiffchaff and a lesser whitethroat.

Four buzzards were heard mewing by Rob Lee as they circled over Barrow Hill on Monday.

On Sunday 16th a family of mute swans was in the Strood borrowdyke with four cygnets doing some preening on the bank with the mum keeping them company, while dad snoozed on the water. Two little grebes were also in the dyke here. 

Two corn buntings were along the Strood seawall on Sunday, also 2 whinchats, stonechat, yellow wagtail, marsh harrier and buzzard noted flying about. A hobby was high over the Peldon fields.

Along the channel were 150 black-tailed godwits, 150 redshank, ten Mediterranean gulls, greenshank, whimbrel, 8 golden plover, 2 grey plover, 2 shelduck and three little grebes.

Three willow warblers were in Feldy View with 3 lesser whitethroats in the area.

Steve Entwistle visited Feldy View on Sunday and and saw 4 willow warblers, while nearby down the side of the caravan park were 2 willow warblers, lesser whitethroat, 2 whitethroats and a green woodpecker.

A Southern Migrant Hawker was hawking over the Strood dyke on Sunday.

At Maydays farm on Sunday, Martin Cock reported a peregrine, 6 house martins, 65 grey plover, 50 black-tailed godwits, sedge warbler, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat.

A few moths in the Firs Chase garden moth trap over the last week included one or two Orange Swifts, this a male.

One female Orange Swift laid lots of eggs.

A Southern Wainscot showing the distinctive furrowed brow.

Webb's Wainscot.

Black form of the Box Moth.

European Corn Borer.

Dark-bordered Pearl.

Marbled Piercer.

SPOT FLIES STOP BY

A couple of spotted flycatchers turned up in the West Mersea area on Saturday 15th. One was first seen in a Firs Chase garden and then later in the morning this one pictured above was found by Andy Field and photographed by Jon Ward in Feldy View. These are the first two birds of the autumn passage on the island.

Jon Ward also photographed this chiffchaff in Feldy View on Saturday. 

A wheatear on the Strood seawall was photographed by Jon Ward on Saturday morning.

Andy Field also photographed the same wheatear on the Strood seawall on Saturday - the presumed same bird that has was first found here on the Tuesday before.

Andy also reported 3 greenshank, 4 corn buntings, stonechat, while two willow warblers and the chiffchaff were in Feldy View.

The first spotted flycatcher found on Saturday morning was this one seen in the Firs Chase garden - the first bird spotted after the curtains were pulled back in the back room overlooking the back garden. The bird perched briefly before disappearing and not returning. A willow warbler was also seen in the same silver birch tree.

Later on Saturday birds noted during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawall included 2     wheatear, 8 sand martin with 100 swallows over the fields, house martin, yellowhammer and yellow wagtail. In the Pyefleet were 2 Sandwich terns, 5 common terns, 15 little egrets, 3 grey herons, 13 greenshank, 40 grey plover, 2 whimbrel, 4 dunlin and a great crested grebe. A marsh harrier was flying over Langenhoe. 

A Chinese water deer, brown hare and a Clouded Yellow were seen on Reeveshall, while two common seals were in the Pyefleet.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park, Daniel Woollard reported a tit flock with chiffchaffs, blackcaps, lesser whitethroats, whitethroats, while a stoat and reed warbler were in his back garden at the park.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was photographed by Michael Thorley after it flew into his conservatory in his East Mersea house on Saturday evening.

The wheatear was still by the Strood seawall on Friday 14th - present for its fourth day here now. Also seen from the Strood seawall were a whinchat, 2 stonechats, 2 corn buntings, 4 yellow wagtails, 100 swallows with 4 sand martins. High over the Glebe were four buzzards circling with a hobby.

Along the Strood channel were Sandwich tern, 2 common terns, 5 Mediterranean gulls, 150 black-tailed godwits, 15 little egrets, 3 shelduck.

One of the four yellow wagtails noted by the Strood seawall on Friday.

Two greenshank were seen in the Strood channel on Friday, also 150 black-tailed godwits and a whimbrel.

The first flock of golden plover back this autumn in the Strood were 28 seen resting on the saltmarsh with their black bellies visible, on Friday.

In Feldy View three willow warblers and a reed warbler were seen.

A Red Admiral was seen by the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday, while 5 Brown Argus and 2 Common Blues were seen in the nearby Feldy View.

In the Firs Chase garden a willow warbler was present again, the ring-necked parakeet called and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth visited briefly on Friday.

A flock of 155 black-tailed godwits were on the Strood mud mainly by the Dabchicks sailing club on Thursday 13th.

Numbers of black-tailed godwits have been slowly building up here since mid July.

Many of the black-tailed godwits are still in their full summer plumage.

Some of the black-tailed godwits are seen to roost on the mud near the Dabchicks.

Other birds noted in the Strood area on Thursday were 2 common terns, whimbrel, sedge warbler and yellow wagtail.

During the hot Thursday in Feldy View, two willow warblers were seen, also a common lizard scuttling over a path. Butterflies noted included 2 Wall Browns, 2 Small Heaths, 10 Brown Argus and five Common Blues. A Clouded Yellow was near the Dabchicks sailing club while a Hummingbird Hawkmoth was in the Firs Chase garden.

A pied flycatcher was seen briefly by Martin Cock in his back garden on Thursday morning but not seen again.

At East Mersea a short-eared owl was seen by Lea Merclova being chased away by the common terns at Stone Point and heading off to the Strood.

A barn owl was seen by Carrie Horwood late on Thursday night at 11.30pm flying over her Fairhaven Avenue garden as she was watching the meteor shower.

The posts, ropes and signs warning about nesting birds were taken down from Packing Marsh Island and Cobmarsh Island on Wednesday 12th, as the nesting season has finished.

Birds noted around Cobmarsh at high tide included 15 ringed plover, 6 oystercatchers, ten turnstones, 5 common terns, Mediterranean gull, little egret, 6 linnets and a skylark.

Andy Field visited Feldy View on Wednesday and reported 3 willow warblers with one singing, chiffchaff and three lesser whitethroats.

An attempt to capture the partial eclipse on the Wednesday from the Coast Road area - the picture taken of the sun projected onto cardboard through a pin-hole.

The sun as the partial eclipse passed over the West Mersea causeway by the Hard on Wednesday early evening.

A young swallow was waiting to be fed on a caravan in the Firs Chase caravan park on Tuesday 11th.

A family of three young swallows were waiting to be fed in the Firs caravan park on Tuesday. Twenty swallows were seen in the area.

A willow warbler was feeding near the front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Tuesday, three others also seen in Feldy View with a swift also seen flying over. 

A wheatear was seen by the Strood seawall on Tuesday, sometimes perching on some old pallets in the nearby field. Two corn buntings, yellow wagtail, marsh harrier, ten black-tailed godwits were seen from the seawall.

Butterflies noted included a Clouded Yellow near the Dabchicks, while in Feldy View were Wall Brown, Small Copper, 15 Brown Argus and 8 Common Blues.

Michael Thorley photographed this Tachnid fly in his conservatory of his East Mersea house on Tuesday.

Tachnid fly photographed by Michael.

On Monday 10th at the East Mersea Water Park, there were five turnstones on the beach at high tide, also a swift over with ten swallows. A little owl called next to the Waldegraves golf driving range and was seen perched in the hedge. 

On the shingle island offshore from Waldegraves on Monday 48 common terns and 70 Mediterranean gulls began arriving just after high tide. A willow warbler was heard calling at Waldegraves, also yellow wagtail over, as were 70 swallows, ten house martins and four sand martins. A sedge warbler, reed warbler and song thrush were in Cross Lane.

A Peacock butterfly was feeding at a big buddleia bush at Waldegraves, as were five Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral on Monday.

Steven Mcdonough reported two wheatears on the Shop Lane seawall on Monday.

Moths of interest in the Firs Chase moth trap in the last week included this Large Thorn on the 14th - the first one here for four years.

The coastal speciality Rosy Wave was on the 14th.

Waved Umber

Chinese Character.

L-album Wainscot.