DABCHICKS SWALLOW

The swallow with the rusty coloured underparts was perched on wires behind the Dabchicks sailing club on Wednesday 6th.

In bright conditions the underparts appear quite orangey while in duller light its more dusky grey in colour. The swallow appears to be nesting in the old wooden shed, a regular swallow nesting site used each year.

A common whitethroat was singing from the seablite bushes near the St Peters boardwalk on Wednesday. A male reed bunting was also seen beside the saltmarsh too.
A common sandpiper flew along the water's edge on the beach, landing for a few seconds before continuing eastwards. As the tide began to cover the saltmarshes, fifteen whimbrel could be seen in various locations around the Mersea Quarters, also one avocet in flight, 50 brent geese, four common terns, two shelduck and 20 turnstones resting on a boat. A distant peregrine circled high over Feldy marshes and the Ray Channel.
A brimstone butterfly flew over the mud near the Dabchicks on Wednesday.

Along the Strood Channel on Wednesday, Andy Field reported sedge warbler, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, three common terns and 2 common buzzards.

A slow worm was seen crossing a path near Feldy View and filmed by Andy here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JQWS69biE&feature=youtu.be

At East Mersea on Wednesday, a hobby, sand martin, 25 dunlin, eight avocets and two whimbrel were seen by Martin Cock near the Oyster Fishery. Near Meeting Lane Michael Thorley reported a willow warbler in his garden, also lesser whitethroat and whitethroat on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 5th, a confiding whimbrel landed on the mud very close to the West Mersea Hard car park. It started to feed, pulling at some of the green algae on the edge of the water.

Amongst the green algae was a crab that the whimbrel then proceeded to eat.
Three other whimbrel were seen during a walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday. Also noted along here were two wheatears in a field, five swifts, four yellow wagtails, three house martins, cuckoo, ringed plover, pochard and two buzzards.

Four swifts were seen flying over Ian Black's garden in Mersea Avenue on Tuesday 5th.
In Firs Chase a goldcrest, chiffchaff and blackcap were heard singing from nearby gardens.

The single green hairstreak was seen again in the Feldy View resting low down on a bush out of the morning breeze on Tuesday 5th.

At least five holly blue butterflies are being seen fluttering about the various corners of the Firs Chase garden. On Wednesday 6th a brimstone, 2 orange-tip, small white and large white were also seen in the garden.

Michael and Sarah Thorley photographed this honey buzzard flying west over the Strood channel on Monday afternoon. The bird passed overhead providing good views of dark barring on long narrow wings and with an unbarred tail except for a dark trailing edge.

The honey buzzard was seen gliding on very flat wings as it headed west.
Although honey buzzards are rarely seen on Mersea, this is the right time of the spring for birds to be seen in this country returning back from Africa.

Earlier along the Strood seawall on Monday 4th, two sedge warblers were seen singing from bushes along the dyke. Also five reed warblers, four yellow wagtails, cuckoo, sand martin and ten swifts were seen from the seawall. A marsh harrier hunted along the dyke while along the channel were five whimbrel, two common terns, shelduck and eleven brent geese.

In the Firs Chase garden the cuckoo was calling repeatedly from a tall tree nearby, also two swifts and three whimbrel flew over while a great spotted woodpecker was chased away from a blue tit nestbox.
Cuckoos were also reported on Monday over Shaun Bater's house in Estuary Park Drive, two over Martin Cock's house in the Coverts, while two were also heard by Andy Field over Mill Road.
A lesser whitethroat was seen in Blue Row by Shaun on Monday, while in Cross Lane Steve Entwistle reported blackcap, chiffchaff, swift and also 12 orange-tips and two holly blue butterflies.

A male yellow wagtail was feeding along a puddle by the Strood seawall on Sunday 3rd, three others also seen during the walk. A hobby flew from the Strood Hill across the Strood channel before it headed over to Peldon. A marsh harrier and four buzzards were also seen, while three cuckoos were noted. Twenty whimbrel and three common terns were seen along the channel and five swifts and four house martins were seen by Strood Hill.
A willow warbler was singing near the caravan site, three sedge warblers and five reed warblers were singing along the dyke.

Thirty-five whimbrel were seen and heard calling as they passed over Martin Cock's house in the Coverts on Sunday.

Some nocturnal wildlife has been captured on a trail camera by David Bullock in his East Mersea garden opposite Home Farm, here a badger seen.

A stag muntjac deer was also captured on David's garden trail camera.

The continuing run of clear nights this spring has led to much reduced moth activity with barely a handful of moths in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on some evenings. One moth to catch the eye on the 3rd May, was this dark melanic form of the pale tussock, a form not seen before on the Island.

The colourful brimstone moth has started to appear in the evenings at the moth trap.

The first of the often recorded peppered moths was seen on the evening of the 3rd.

Several of the small mint moths have been fluttering in the sunshine around the flowering thyme plants in the garden.