TERN ISLAND

Good numbers of terns were on the shingle island offshore from Waldegraves Holiday Park on Monday 27th for the second day. At least 100 common terns were resting on the island at high tide along with ten little terns. At times some of the terns would fly off to feed, while others returned back from their feeding flights. It was nice to see and to hear the little terns as they've become much harder to see from the island in recent years. One of the little terns was fishing close into the beach at the bottom end of Cross Lane.

A big flowering buddleia bush along the front of Waldegraves had lots of butterflies feeding on it, including this Wall Brown, also ten Painted Ladies and two Red Admirals on Monday.

Little grebes appear to have bred successfully on the small pond beside the Sanderling Reach housing development on Monday.

At least two little grebe chicks were being fed by their parent on the pond.

Two swifts flew over Cross Lane.

On the east side of the Waldegraves golf driving range was a little owl perched in the hedge mid-day on Monday.

A male linnet was by the East Mersea boating lake on Monday, while a yellow wagtail, two reed warblers, ten goldfinches, five little grebes, two Mediterranean gulls and five common terns offshore were also seen in the area.

At least three Firebugs were seen at the back of the beach to the west of Waldegraves on Monday, where they've been seen before.

Andy Field had this hedgehog, also two badgers and a fox visit his West Mersea garden on Sunday night.

On Sunday 26th a pair of goldfinch was seen feeding on the knapweed seedheads in the Firs Chase garden.

The large flock of terns were on the shingle island offshore from Waldegraves Holiday Park on Sunday with 120 common terns and at least five little terns counted. Many of the terns were flying out to sea to fish where a large mixed flock of 40 common terns and 30 gulls were feeding. As the tide began to drop ten Mediterranean gulls and three Common Gulls arrived on the island. Two little terns were later seen flying west in front of Mersea Outdoors - so seven birds seen in total.

A common gull was feeding on a field at Mersea Outdoors on Sunday.

Beside the boating lake on the side lake were 100 redshank, 5 little grebes, five Mediterranean gulls, four little egrets, two reed warblers and a Cetti's warbler.

A Clouded Yellow was feeding on Red Valerian on the beach at Waldegraves on Sunday.

Plenty of Sea Holly in front of Waldegraves on Sunday.

The buddleia bush at the front of Waldegraves had 20 Painted Ladies and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding on it on Sunday morning.

A Small Tortsoiseshell was feeding on buddleia by the East Mersea church on Sunday, along with 5 Red Admirals and a Comma.

Along a windy Strood seawall this Painted Lady was photographed by Sarah Thorley on Sunday.

Two hedgehogs were in Carrie Horwood's West Mersea garden during Saturday night.

The trail-cam footage seemed to film the two hedgehogs having a bit of argy-bargy, a bit of fending the rival away from the food! The more fiesty one later post-feed, blocked the entrance-way up for twenty minutes and not allowing the other one out! Carrie has since added a second exit in the feeding station to allow a quicker escape for the other hedgehog!

A Jersey Tiger moth was photographed by Caroline White in her Dawes Lane garden on Sunday.

A Jersey Tiger was also in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday morning, feeding on the buddleia.

A male yellowhammer was singing at Maydays farm by the seawall on Saturday 25th.

A peregrine was seen disturbing the birds in the Pyefleet channel, a red kite and three marsh harriers were seen flying over Langenhoe marsh. Two common sandpipers were in Maydays creek, also five whimbrel, great crested grebe, three shelduck were in the Pyefleet. A yellow wagtail and ten linnets also near the seawall while a buzzard perched along Haycocks Lane.

Steve Entwistle visited the East Mersea Golfhouse area early on Saturday morning and noted four linnets and 20 house sparrows, while in late afternoon in Shop Lane a song thrush with a large snail and six long-tailed tits were also noted.

Michael Thorley photographed some butterflies in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Friday 24th, such as this Holly Blue.

Gatekeeper also photographed by Michael.

Meadow Brown photographed by Michael in his garden, also Small White, Small Skipper and a Red Admiral seen in the garden.

On Thursday 23rd a summer plumaged knot was with a couple of redshank along the Strood Channel, also five black-tailed godwits and a grey plover. Along the seawall were seen a stonechat, buzzard, 4 corn buntings, flock of 50 linnets, 2 sedge warblers, a reed warbler and also a Clouded Yellow.

In Feldy View two willow warblers were seen in the trees and three yellow wagtails flew over to the south. Seventy swifts were flying over the West Mersea houses. Four Wall Brown butterflies were in Feldy View.

A screenshot of three swifts filmed by Andy Field as they whizzed passed the nestboxes on his house in High Street North on Thursday. One pair successfully raised one chick.

A lapwing seen in the Strood channel on Thursday.

A grey heron walked over the saltmarsh by the Strood channel on Wednesday 22nd. Also seen along the Strood seawall were 3 greenshank, grey plover, 2 whimbrel, 15 black-tailed godwits, 3 common terns, two marsh harriers, buzzard, stonechat, sedge warbler, two reed warblers, two whitethroats, and two lesser whitethroats in Feldy View, also three Wall Browns.

A male blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden along with a whitethroat on Wednesday and the local ring-necked parakeet was heard calling from a nearby garden.

A Bee-wolf was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Wednesday.

The Bee-wolf is a notable garden sighting for Michael, as they're usually found on the island on or near the beaches where they nest.

A Pine Hawkmoth was in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 26th,

A Sandhill Rustic on the 26th.

Iron Prominent on 26th.

Rusty Acorn Piercer on 26th.

Two Comfrey Ermines were on the 21st and the 27th.

FELDY HAWKMOTH CATERPILLAR

Very pleased to find the caterpillar of the Hummingbird Hawkmoth feeding on Lady's Bedstraw in Feldy View on Tuesday 21st. The adults have been seen over the years visiting many gardens and other locations on the Island but this is the first time a caterpillar has been found to prove breeding. In Feldy View a female was seen egg-laying in this patch of Lady's Bedstraw at the end of June, although the large size of this caterpillar would suggest this is from an egg laid by a different Hummingbird Hawkmoth maybe a couple of weeks earlier in June.

Butterflies in Feldy View on Tuesday included a Wall Brown, 2 Common Blues, 7 Brown Argus and 30 Gatekeepers.

Two sedge warblers were seen in the Strood dyke on Tuesday, also two reed warblers and two whitethroats noted nearby, while 2 kestrels and 15 linnets also seen. Along the Strood channel were a greenshank, ten black-tailed godwits and four common terns. 

A willow warbler was seen in Feldy View on Tuesday, also two lesser whitethroats and two green woodpeckers, reed warbler, yellow wagtail over, while 52 swifts were seen over the houses.

A flock of 25 house sparrows in Feldy View on Monday 20th was an unusual sight here, some of them foraging in the grass and other low vegetation. Two lesser whitethroats were the only other bird of note there, although 40 swifts were seen over the nearby houses. 

Butterflies noted here included 15 Brown Argus, 13 Common Blues, 50 Gatekeeper and 20 Meadow Browns.

Along the Strood channel on Monday were a greenshank, 18 black-tailed godwits, little grebe and 6 little egrets.

A flock of ten goldfinches was feeding on knapweed seedheads in the Firs Chase garden.

Michael Thorley photographed a Common Darter in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Monday.

 

The female Common Darter was egg-laying from a height of 30cm above the pond vegetation.

The nest of Red-tailed Bumble Bee had been dug out, probably by badgers, inside the Strood seawall on Sunday 19th. The bees looked a bit unsure of what to do, sitting around beside their opened up burrow.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Sunday included ten Mediterranean gulls, four common terns, 25 curlew, whimbrel, 6 black-tailed godwits, 70 redshank, 2 sand martins, sedge warbler and two reed warblers.

On a hot and breezy Sunday morning in Feldy View, butterflies seen included this Small Skipper, also good numbers of 50 Gatekeepers, 60 Meadow Browns, 30 Brown Argus, ten Common Blue, ten Small White and a Small Copper. Five Green-eyed Flower Bees were busy around some Knapweed.

At Maydays on Saturday 18th, two common sandpipers and a greenshank were in Maydays Creek, while along the Pyefleet were 9 grey plover, 4 black-tailed godwits, one dunlin and a great crested grebe. Beside the seawall were yellow wagtail, 2 yellowhammers, 25 linnets, 2 reed buntings, 2 Cetti's warblers, while on Reeveshall were a big feeding flock of 300 rooks and 50 jackdaws. A buzzard was on top of a post in Haycocks Lane.

A Chinese Water Deer was along Broad Fleet on Reeveshall.

A Clouded Yellow along the Maydays seawall on Saturday seemed to be the first one noted on the Island this summer.

For the second year running a Wall Brown made an appearance in the Firs Chase garden, photographed here up on the roof.

A vocal tawny owl was heard calling in Firs Chase late on Saturday night and was seen in silhouette flying over the garden. The ring-necked parakeet was heard calling earlier in the day.

The first willow warblers to be seen this autumn on their return passage, were found along the path at the top end of the Firs Chase Caravan park on Friday 17th. This bird was heard calling and was seen to have had the red legs.

Two yellow wagtails were seen by the Dabchicks while another one was seen mobbing a buzzard by Feldy View. Two lesser whitethroats were in Feldy View and 30 swifts over the nearby houses.

Birds seen along the Strood channel on Friday included 2 greenshank, 200 redshank, 50 curlew, 5 lapwing, 5 black-tailed godwits, 5 turnstone by the Hard, 6 Mediterranean gulls, 2 common terns, little grebe, also two grey herons and three marsh harriers.

The ring-necked parakeet was heard calling in Firs Chase on Friday morning.

During the very hot Friday morning in Feldy View, three Wall Browns were seen, 25 Brown Argus, 10 Common Blue, 45 Gatekeepers, 25 Meadow Browns, 2 Small Coppers, 5 Small White and a Large White.  A Wall Brown was also seen along the Strood seawall.

One of the many Gatekeepers seen in Feldy View on Friday.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was seen feeding on Verbena flowers beside the Dabchicks.

Two greenshank were in the Strood channel on Friday.

On Thursday 16th a very small ringed plover chick was seen by Rob Lee within the archaeologists working compound on the beach near East Mersea Point. 

Also in East Mersea Daniel Woollard went for a walk along Bromans Lane on Thursday evening and saw an adult little owl with two fledglings, also a barn owl and a great white egret fly past Cudmore Grove.

A juvenile green woodpecker was well camouflaged as it clung to a tree in Feldy View on Wednesday 15th - a second juvenile was also present following an adult. Thirty swifts were over the nearby houses.

An osprey was seen flying slowly up the Strood Channel on Wednesday, occasionally circling round as it headed north-east towards the Bonners Barn area. It could easily be followed at a distance by all the gulls in the air near to it.

Other birds along the channel were common tern, 12 little egrets, grey heron, buzzard, two kestrels over the fields and a sand martin flew west.

The two oystercatcher chicks have grown well in the area behind the Dabchicks and might be able to fly now. 

On a hot and windy Wednesday morning in Feldy View, 35 Brown Argus were counted, also 12 Common Blues, Wall Brown and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth seen.

An Emperor Dragonfly was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Wednesday.

The female Emperor was seen egg-laying on detritus in his garden pond.

Female Emperor Dragonfly.

Moth numbers have dropped a lot in this ongoing dry period. This Canary-shouldered Thorn was seen in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 14th.