WHEATEARS ON FENCELINE

Five wheatears, one pictured above, along with a whinchat were perched on a fence near the Shop Lane seawall on Tuesday 3rd.

A high spring tide covered all the saltmarsh in the Pyefleet on Tuesday afternoon. In the distance through the haze, an osprey was seen perched on its regular post on the Geedons marsh. A male marsh harrier flew along the Langenhoe lagoon at the Point, while 30 little egrets were seen on the saltmarsh on Langenhoe Point during the high tide.
Eleven avocets most of them juveniles were on the Reeveshall pool, probably this group were the two families that fledged from here a month ago. Fifty lapwings were roosting inside the Reeveshall seawall. A kestrel was also hunting over the Reeveshall fields.

A red admiral was one of a handful feeding on ivy flowers on the folly near the Lane on Monday 2nd.

Three buzzards and three sparrowhawks were seen during a walk along the Strood seawall on Monday, also in the fields were a wheatear, 200 linnets, 100 house sparrow while a yellow wagtails flew over. Along the Strood channel were 50 grey plover, 50 golden plover, 3 knot and a ringed plover. Two swifts were seen over Firs Chase in the afternoon.
At Maydays on Monday, a greenshank and peregrine were seen by Martin Cock.

On Sunday at Coopers Beach four stonechat, whinchat and 2 wheatears were seen in the fields. A flock of 70 yellow wagtails flew west along the seawall on their autumn passage. Two sparrowhawks and a kestrel, grey heron were over the fields, while on the large pond near Coopers were 2 redshank, little grebe and 18 mallard. Offshore was a pair of great crested grebes, 5 Mediterranean gulls and a big flock of 80+ common terns resting on the shingle bar opposite Waldegraves.
Later on Sunday a flock of 50 goldfinches was circling over the Firs Chase gardens.

Two whinchats were seen on bushes near the Maydays farm seawall on Saturday 31st.
Also beside the seawall were a yellowhammer, reed warbler, clouded yellow and ten painted lady butterflies.
Two common buzzards and a marsh harrier were noted while along the Pyefleet were a common tern, 25 little egrets, 4 greenshank, 3 golden plover, 10 grey plover and 2 Mediterranean gulls.

Two harbour seals were resting on the floating pontoons in the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday while a third one was seen further up resting on the saltmarsh.

On Friday 30th a ringed plover was calling on the beach by the East Mersea Point with a large juvenile nearby. No sign of the other two juveniles that had been last seen in the area a fortnight ago.
A peregrine circled over the saltmarsh near the Point, a sparrowhawk was noted too while by the Golfhouse were 3 whinchats, 6 yellow wagtails, 50 goldfinches, 2 blackcaps and 50 house martins/ swallows circling above. Eight little terns were in the Colne, 200 redshank and 2 Mediterranean gulls were on the saltings at high tide.

Fifty-five little egrets were roosting on trees by the country park pond on Friday with another 8 on the saltmarsh by the Point. Also on the pond was a male gadwall while a willow warbler called from nearby trees.