MERLIN OVER MARSHES

A very obliging merlin was watched for over half an hour hunting over the Rewsalls Marshes at East Mersea on a sunny Saturday 20th. Most merlin sightings on the Island are usually just fast flight views but this individual stayed around and was perching on various fenceposts in between catching darter dragonflies over the borrowdyke. The markings suggest this is a juvenile bird.

The merlin watched for dragonflies over the dyke and would then swoop low over the water to catch them before returning to a fencepost to eat them. It also flew over the fields a couple of times to have a tussle with a local kestrel, one occasion grappled with it and forcing it down into the hedge, presumably to steal some food off it. The kestrel crawled out first from the hedge bottom, flew up to the hedge-top calling anxiously as if very annoyed with what the merlin had just done.

Also seen over the Rewsalls fields were a common buzzard, 30 linnets, 30 skylarks, 2 reed buntings, 15 magpies, four golden plovers as well as a single swallow by the Coopers Beach caravan park.

A rock pipit was feeding along the broken down seawall near Coopers Beach. On the pond in the field were 2 little egrets, 5 little grebes, 12 mallard and 8 teal, while offshore were 50 brent geese.

Two clouded yellows tussled with each other in front of the line of alders below the East Mersea Vineyard on Saturday, also a comma, red admiral and small white were noted too.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday 19th a merlin was glimpsed in usual manner flashing over the top fields scattering up bird flocks before racing over West Mersea. A buzzard was mobbed by crows, a marsh harrier crossed over the Ray Island saltings to Feldy and a sparrowhawk circled over the caravan site.
In the fields were 30 skylarks, 50 linnets, 10 reed buntings while two rock pipits were seen along the seawall. Overhead 120+ cormorants were returning to Abberton reservoir from their feeding trip out to sea, 50 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, greenshank, 200 dunlin, 100 wigeon, 21 little grebes and a snipe were noted along the channel.

At the country park on Wednesday 17th the two little owls were heard duetting to the north, 400 golden plover were on the mudflats as were 70 brent geese.
On Tuesday a redpoll flew over the park pond, a brambling called near the car park and nine shoveler and a reed bunting were also at the pond. A red squirrel was seen in the park on Tuesday 16th near the car park.

A buzzard was mobbed by crows over the park fields on Monday 15th while at the pond were 7 shoveler, pair of gadwall. At the Point 50 wigeon were on the saltmarsh, 100 brent geese in the Colne, 25 shelduck and 200 golden plover on the mud, while rock pipit, 150 linnets and 30 goldfinches were near the Golfhouse. A fieldfare was in the rowan tree in the car park.
At Maydays farm two woodlarks were seen feeding on the ground on Monday by Martin Cock.

Several migrant moths were trapped at the park on Tuesday 16th with this vestal a nice surprise.

A scarce bordered straw was another migrant noted that night as were silver-Y, white-point along with a couple of diamond-backs and a rusty dot pearl.

Some of the fruiting fungi photographed in the Firs Chase garden by my wife Nolly. A hedgehog was also seen tucked up in a corner of the garden on Tuesday 16th.