PLOVER CHICK

Pleased to see a ringed plover chick that's grown up enough to fly around on the mud at the East Mersea Point on Wednesday 18th. It has been just under a month since two tiny chicks were first seen running about on the beach. There has been no sign of the other chick, so it seems that just this one chick fledged successfully.

An adult bird presumably the female was keeping a watch over the chick about ten metres away.
Further round the Point a flock of 50+ ringed plovers was feeding on the mud.

A wheatear was also at the Point, here perching on the pillbox for a better vantage.
In the seablite bushes were 100+ linnets perching and feeding on the bushes.
On the mud 300 golden plover, 3 sanderling and a greenshank flew past calling.

A greenshank, common tern and 2 whimbrel flew over the park during Wednesday while 64 little egrets were seen at the pond. On the pools in the fields 2 snipe, 20 black-tailed godwits, 20 lapwing and 6 teal have been present mot days recently.

Seemed a bit out of place seeing six young mallards waddling along the beach. Mother mallard looked on anxiously from the nearby seawall.

From the back of the Island on Wednesday, the osprey was seen in the distance to the north by Martin Cock as it perched on a tall pole on the Geedons. It was still there in the evening when it was seen by Steve Entwistle who also enjoyed seeing a short-eared owl for ten minutes flying over Langenhoe.
During the middle of Wednesday 3 common buzzards, 11 little terns, 168 black-tailed godwits as well as the osprey were seen from the Reeveshall seawall by Andy Field.

Earlier in the day a greenshank, sparrowhawk, 4 yellow wagtails, 7 willow warblers and 20+ house sparrows were seen from the Strood seawall by Andy.

On Tuesday 18th a whinchat perched briefly on the clifftop fencing at the park.

A common blue butterfly was resting on some birds-foot trefoil at the park on Wednesday. Other butterflies seen at the park were speckled wood, gatekeeper, meadow brown, small heath, large white, small white, red admiral, comma, small tortoiseshell.
A clouded yellow butterfly was seen over a grass field near Shop Lane by Martin on Wednesday morning.

The first red underwing moth of the summer was resting on the outside of the Information room at the park.