Sunday 20 August 2017

SPOTTED FLY SURPRISE

There was an unexpected sight of a spotted flycatcher in the trees alongside the footpath down the side of Firs Chase caravans site on Friday 18th. It stayed in the same area for the afternoon and the evening, busily catching flies in the sheltered spot out of the wind and at times, the rain. The flycatcher wasn't seen the next day and must've continued its migration south.


One willow warbler was also seen feeding in the same area. A sparrowhawk circled above the caravan site while over the nearby houses passed 7 swifts.

A male kestrel perched on a bush by the seawall and a hobby flew over the Strood towards Peldon, scattering the birds out of the channel.


Two corn buntings were in their usual spot by the seawall, 100 house sparrows were by the wheat field corner nearest the caravan site, while a sand martin passed overhead with a few swallows.


Along the Strood channel were 4 Mediterranean gulls, 3 greenshank, 13 black-tailed godwits, 25 dunlin and 20 ringed plover.


Birds noted during a walk along the Strood seawall on Saturday 18th early afternoon included a marsh harrier quartering the fields, 5 Mediterranean gulls, 3 greenshank, 15 little egrets, 40 golden plover, 50 grey plover, 25 black-tailed godwits, 20 dunlin and 20 ringed plover.
In the fields were 100 linnets, 100 house sparrows and 2 corn buntings.


On Thursday 17th a willow warbler was heard doing a bit of a sub-song from trees in the Cudmore Grove car park and a couple of yellow wagtails were heard flying over and an adder at the park. A muntjac deer crossed the East Mersea road just after dark near the pub.


An osprey was reported by James Hume flying west over the Peldon Rose pub on Wednesday 16th.


At the country park on Tuesday 15th, two green sandpipers flew over, a grey partridge crossed the car park first thing, 4 yellow wagtails, 20 little egrets also noted while near the Point were 12 common terns, little tern, 100 turnstone, 25 ringed plover and 10 bar-tailed godwits.






The strikingly marked gold spot moth dropped into the moth trap in the evening of Wednesday 16th. The only two previous occasions when it's been noted here was in 2009 and then in 2011 when just the distinctive wings were found having possibly been discarded by a hungry bat.

Among lots of flounced rustics in the trap was this sandhill rustic, a speciality of saltmarshes. Other moths noted included 2 poplar hawkmoths, 10 white-points, 25 latticed heaths, maple prominent, ruby tiger, blood-vein and straw underwing.


A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen briefly at some salvia in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 18th.


 This female sparrowhawk flew into the greenhouse in Michael and Sarah Thorley's garden near Meeting Lane.


 It looked a bit alarmed at finding itself in this small confined space.


Photographed with Sarah's mobile phone as the sparrowhawk hid behind the tomato plants.
Also seen in the Michael and Sarah's garden were these peacock butterfly caterpillars feeding on nettles.



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