CYGNETS OUT FOR SWIM

The swan family with eight cygnets were in the borrowdyke near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Sunday 9th. This was the only swan family seen at the country park during the afternoon, so these must be the ones that nested at the park pond. Seems a bit surprising to come here so soon after hatching last week.

On the nearby saltmarsh pools, there was the nice sight for the second day running of eight avocets, looking as if they might nest here. Also noted were 6 ringed plovers and a pair of redshank. A pair of reed buntings and two linnets were at the Point while offshore 4 common terns and a pair of little terns was flying about.

Noted in the grazing fields were 10 greylag geese, 8 gadwall, teal, 6 shoveler, 2 mallard broods, 4 shelduck, 6 oystercatchers, 6 lapwing, 4 little egrets and two redshank. A kestrel was in the oak tree while 3 reed warblers were singing from the reeds along the dyke. A cuckoo flew low over the fields on Sunday afternoon as did a couple of sand martins.

Patches of thrift flowers are scattered across the saltmarshes, such as this area beside the Strood Channel near the caravan site. An evening walk along the seawall here on Sunday disturbed a male marsh harrier from the reedbed in the dyke. It flew slowly along the whole length of the dyke, then crossed over the Strood Channel to the Ray saltings. Two cuckoos were flying around Ray Island with the song of one, carrying back across the channel.

Two common terns flew along the channel which was generally very quiet for other birds even during the low tide. Two little egrets were noted, while 2 curlew, 4 oystercatchers and 6 shelduck were the only waders and wildfowl here.

Steve Entwistle saw the sedge warbler at Maydays farm on Sunday morning. On Saturday morning the garden warbler was still singing at Gyants Marsh with a common buzzard seen, cuckoo and a turtle dove heard here by Martin Cock.

It was a sunny walk along the Strood seawall on Friday 7th afternoon with marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, kestrel, common tern, yellow wagtail, 25 swifts, 2 grey herons, 2 singing reed buntings, 5 singing reed warblers and two little egrets all noted here. In the dyke a brood of mallard ducklings, also a hairy dragonfly and an eel splashing about in the water.

Over the weekend in Firs Chase lesser whitethroat, blackcap, chiffchaff have been singing and a family of long-tailed tits has fledged. A large red damselfly was seen in the garden on Saturday morning, while holly blue, orange-tip, small white and large white butterflies have been on the wing. A grass-snake had been run over on the road in Firs Chase a few days earlier.

This green-veined white butterfly was resting in the grass by Gyants Marsh in East Mersea on Friday, where peacock, speckled wood, orange-tip and holly blue were enjoying the sunshine. The garden warbler was seen singing from the scrub here as were two blackcaps. The cuckoo was seen singing from an oak tree in a nearby field.