BUNTING BY THE BEACH

The pair of reed buntings was still present in the sea-blite bushes near the beach at St Peters, West Mersea on Wednesday 22nd. A reed warbler singing from the scrub beside the reedbed was a new arrival and a whitethroat and two blackcaps were also singing from the bushes along the meadow and a brimstone butterfly flew past too.

A great northern diver and two great crested grebes were just offshore from Cobmarsh Island, at least 25 sanderling roosted on the Island and fifty brent geese were in the area too. In the Mersea Quarters eight common terns were hunting among the boats, 2 whimbrel, 10 turnstone and 2 black-tailed godwits were seen. Three marsh harriers were hunting low over the Feldy seawall and a buzzard soared in the sky over the Hard.

From the Esplanade three great northern divers were seen on Wednesday by Steve Entwistle, also lesser whitethroat, two blackcaps and two chiffchaffs in Cross Lane. Orange-tip, peacock and speckled wood butterflies were seen in Cross Lane.
Ian Black reported a sparrowhawk eating a starling in his Mersea Avenue garden.

Three Arctic terns were seen flying up the Pyefleet at Maydays on Wednesday by Martin Cock, also two common terns, whimbrel and bar-tailed godwit. Inside the seawall there were three singing sedge warblers, two reed warblers, lesser whitethroat and whitethroat.

It was a cool north-easterly wind blowing along the Strood on Tuesday 21st, although plenty of sunshine again. A lesser whitethroat singing by the Firs Chase caravan site was the newest migrant back to this area, also heard were two whitethroats, reed warbler and three reed buntings, while a yellow wagtail was seen on the wires.
In the channel three whimbrel, six black-tailed godwits, common tern and 25 brent geese were the only birds of note just before the tide covered the mud. A house martin and swallow were seen earlier here by Andy Field.

At Cross Lane on Tuesday two lesser whitethroats, two chiffchaffs and two blackcaps were heard singing by Steve Entwistle. Shaun Bater reported a swallow near the Two Sugars, while at the boating lake were  two shelduck, 21 redshank, grey heron and ten linnets, also orange-tip butterflies in Estuary Park Road

Sunny along the Strood seawall on Monday 20th but with the strong wind reduced bird sightings to four whimbrel, ten swallows and a yellow wagtail.
A hobby was seen flying over Firs Chase on Monday afternoon by Ian Black - the first report of one on the Island this spring. Two red kites were seen near the Strood causeway on Monday by William Baker. Two house martins were seen near Haycocks Lane by Steve Entwistle.

A peregrine flew over the Strood field on Sunday 19th and then passed directly overhead next to the caravan site as it headed on towards the Hard. Two common buzzards were also seen from the seawall, as were a pair of common terns, six whimbrel and 23 brent geese. A willow warbler was singing beside the caravan site, two yellow wagtails were in the nearby field, a house martin circled over Strood Hill and ten swallows were noted during the walk.

Steve Entwistle reported three great northern divers off the Esplanade on Sunday, white wagtail at Seaview caravan park, also the little owl in front of the Youth Camp, while cuckoo, reed warbler, buzzard, 25 redshank, 7 shelduck, 6 oystercatchers, heron and ten linnets were by the lake.
A cuckoo was seen by Michael Thorley trying to balance on power lines beside the East Mersea road to the west of Meeting Lane on Sunday.

Also on Sunday Jonathan Bustard reported sparrowhawk, four whimbrel, pair of reed buntings, 90 brent geese, 20 turnstone and few sanderling were at St Peters.

The female brambling was seen in the Firs Chase garden over five days from Wednesday 15th till Sunday 19th, usually feeding underneath the bird feeders.

A beachwalk on Saturday 18th produced a close view of a nice male wheatear in front of the Waldegraves Holiday park. A little owl was being mobbed by blackbirds in front of Mersea Outdoors and by the nearby beach were seven whimbrel. On the boating lake were a pair of pochard, 5 shelduck, 6 curlew, 30 turnstone, 10 redshank, little egret, 16 mallard, along with two meadow pipits and two yellow wagtails, while a buzzard soared overhead.

From the Esplanade were three great northern divers, pair of common tern, 2 whimbrel and by St Peters were fifty brent geese.

Seven yellow wagtails were beside the rape fields to the west of the East Mersea church on Saturday, also here were three yellowhammers, two whitethroats and 3 swallows.

Offshore from West Mersea three great northern divers, two great crested grebes and 20 sanderling were seen on Saturday by Martin Cock.
Along the Strood channel late Saturday morning Andy Field reported two reed warblers, three common terns, a cuckoo on Ray Island, swallow, corn bunting, whimbrel while a marsh harrier hunted along the borrowdyke.
A swallow and a Mediterranean gull were seen by the Hard by Jonathan Bustard on Saturday.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Friday 17th included two swallows, singing whitethroat, kestrel and common buzzard. Along the channel were a black-tailed godwit, three dunlin, three grey plover and a pair of shelduck.

The red squirrels have been visiting the Firs Chase garden several times a day, mostly at the feeders but occasionally down on the ground looking for buried nuts.

Butterflies in the garden have included brimstone, holly blue, peacock, comma, large white, small white and orange-tip.

There haven't been many moths at night in the Firs Chase garden this month because of the clear and chilly nights. However this national priority species the sloe carpet was an unexpected surprise for the garden, although it has been found at three other locations in East Mersea in recent years.