FELDY VIEW FLYCATCHER

A spotted flycatcher perched on a bush beside the footpath down the side of the Firs Chase caravan site on Tuesday 13th. For a couple of minutes it provided good views before it flew towards over the nearby Feldy View cemetery field.

This is the first spotted flycatcher seen on the Island this year, hopefully one or two more are still to stopover through the coming autumn. This location beside the caravan site had a spotted flycatcher stop-off a couple of autumns ago.

Whilst walking the Strood seawall on Tuesday morning a red kite was seen slowly drifting high over the West Mersea houses. A quick call to Andy Field allowed him to dash outside his house and see it passing right overhead in High Street North. The red kite then drifted north-west and passed over the seawall towards Ray Island and onto Copt Hall.
Two minutes after the red kite heading off Island, a pale juvenile hobby also flew fast and low over the Strood Channel. A female marsh harrier was hunting over the Strood fields.

A yellow wagtail and 100 house sparrows were also noted along the seawall.

Earlier in the Feldy View cemetery a willow warbler was heard calling as it fed in the birch and oak trees. Also in the area were a couple of lesser whitethroats and whitethroats and blackcap too.

Enjoying the morning sunshine out of the breeze in Feldy View was a pair of brown argus. A common blue was noted while on the seawall were two painted ladies.

Three wheatears were feeding among the thistles in one of the country park's grazing fields on Monday 12th. At least a dozen yellow wagtails were feeding with the cattle in the fields too.
Thirty little egrets roosted in the trees by the park pond and the young sparrowhawk was heard calling from there. Ten linnets and 4 reed warblers were noted too and three painted ladies were seen near the park seawall.

A family of tufted ducks with five young were on the park dyke on Monday 12th, also four well grown pochard young. On the nearby beach two young ringed plover chicks were being closely watched by two adults. Offshore 7 little terns were at the mouth of the Colne, including two juveniles fishing with their parents. A common tern perched on a post and one avocet was on mud near the Point.

On Sunday 11th twenty-five golden plover flew along the Strood Channel, a common buzzard flew over Firs Chase, a swift flew over Oakwood Avenue while a young sparrowhawk was calling from Reymead Wood. A swift flew over Firs Chase on Saturday 10th.

At East Mersea on Thursday 8th Martin Cock reported seeing a wheatear, 2 green sandpipers and a willow warbler on a walk along the Shop Lane seawall.