SINGING BUNTINGS

A corn bunting used the kissing gate on the Reeveshall seawall as a song-post on Saturday 14th. One of only a handful of pairs left on the Island.

Another bunting heard singing during a walk along the Pyefleet seawall was this yellowhammer at Maydays farm. Three other male yellowhammers were also heard singing in the morning sunshine.
Other birds noted were 35 sand martins, 20 house martins, 8 linnets, 4 greenshank, common tern, juvenile great crested grebe, shelduck pair with 7 ducklings, 15 little egrets and two marsh harriers.

Three brown argus butterflies were seen along the Reeveshall seawall where there was plenty of long grass. Also common blue, gatekeeper, small white, large white, Essex/ small skipper, small heath were seen on the wing.

Amongst the 100+ meadow browns along the seawall was this mating pair.

A large clump of sea holly was admired on Monday 16th during a walk along Kingsland beach. Two little terns and 4 common terns fished just offshore, two Mediterranean gulls flew past, while 5 little egrets fed on the edge of the mud and 4 black-tailed godwits were on the mud near the Hard.

A male yellow wagtail perched on a bush near the Strood seawall on Friday 13th, waiting to feed its recently fledged two young.

A common tern perched on post in the Strood Channel on Friday, two others flew up channel. A Sandwich tern flew down channel calling as it headed towards the Hard.
Twenty curlew, 25 redshank, 5 little egrets were the only birds of note at high tide along the channel. A hobby flew after some birds beyond the East Mersea junction at the Strood and a common buzzard flew over Strood Hill. A pair of little grebes was on the dyke and 50+ house sparrows were on the field-edges near the caravan site.

On a hot Sunday morning on the 15th, before the tide came into the Strood Channel, a greenshank was seen among a flock of 100 redshank. Two common terns flew up and down the channel.

Later on Sunday 4 Mediterranean gulls and 20+ swifts were of interest above the gardens near Oakwood Avenue.

Patches of sea lavender add splashes of colour to the saltmarsh in summer.

A lone male house sparrow continues to enjoy the various kinds of bird food on offer in the Firs Chase garden. A blackcap continues to sing from the neighbouring trees. Three house martins hawked over the Firs Chase gardens over recent days as did a few swallows and swifts.
A male and female red squirrel continue to make daily visits to the nut feeders. An interesting count of 18 pipistrelle bats emerged at dusk from the soffits on the gable end of the house on Friday 13th. A slowworm was in the compost heap on Monday. Garden butterflies have been limited with just small white, large white, holly blue, meadow brown, gatekeeper and comma seen over the weekend.