FLEDGED PLOVER CHICK

The single ringed plover chick raised on the beach at the East Mersea Point has managed to fledge in recent days. It was seen resting on the mud as the tide came in along with a parent nearby, on Monday 22nd. Despite the beach being very busy during the hot weather, the family have succeeded in getting at least the one chick to the stage of flying.

A roost of fifty gulls roosted on the island on the saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse on Monday, with at least five Mediterranean gulls seen among the black-headed gulls. A single redshank was also by the pool, while in the Colne was a common tern flying by.

A pair of tufted duck was on the park dyke with another couple of pairs on the pond on Monday. There appeared to be at least one kestrel chick perched at the entrance of the nestbox at the back of the fields with the female kestrel perched on a nearby limb. Three reed warblers were singing from the dyke and another one at the pond where a Cetti's warbler was also heard. Thirty sand martins were flying over the park, many of them dropping down every so often to the nests in the cliff.
A sparrowhawk and two house martins were seen near the bus turning circle.

In East Mersea along the path east of Meeting Lane, Steve Entwistle noted on Monday morning, pair of buzzards hunting the back of the marsh, singing Cetti's warbler, male yellowhammer, as well as three ringlets, ten large skippers and forty meadow browns.

Another hot day on Sunday 21st for a walk along the less visited section of seawall near Bower Hall. The only waders seen at the top end of the Pyefleet Channel were six lapwing, ten curlew and six redshank, while three common terns hunted along the channel. Two pairs of yellow wagtail and two pairs of meadow pipit were of interest on the saltmarsh. A pair of common buzzards were seen together in a field corner below Bower Hall farm.
An adder was unexpectedly flushed off the seawall path just east from the Strood by the dog who had heard something rustling in the nearby grass!

Three yellowhammers were singing from hedgerows on the Bower Hall section near the seawall, with another two on the Maydays section. Also at Maydays a hobby circled over the farm with thirty of the local house martins keeping a close eye on it as it drifted east. A pair of marsh harriers hunted over the Maydays marsh.

At the country park on Sunday morning Steve Entwistle reported a male and four female pochard on the park pond as well as three male tufted ducks, pair of little grebes and the singing Cetti's warbler. Twenty-two sand martins were hunting along the borrowdyke and ten curlew were seen flying over the mudflats.

On Saturday 20th along the Strood seawall, the regular male marsh harrier was seen hunting over the usual fields, also a common buzzard and the regular kestrel. Over the houses were 25 swifts, while along the seawall were two singing reed warblers, three reed buntings, one corn bunting and four yellow wagtails. In the channel were six redshank and a common tern.

At Cudmore Grove country park on Saturday 20th, Steve Entwistle reported three whitethroats, ten sand martins, Cetti's warbler singing by the pond, four female / eclipse type pochard, two pairs tufted ducks and a pair of little grebes.

Insects of note at the park were the first ringlet of the year, all three skipper butterflies, male emperor dragonfly, four blue-tailed damselfly and two common blue damselflies.

Over West Mersea on Saturday, three common terns flew over Ian Black's house in Mersea Avenue and one also seen over Shaun Bater's house in Estuary Park Road.

Two male reed buntings are often singing close together along the Strood borrowyke - sometimes just ten metres apart, as on Friday 19th. One reed warbler was singing from the reeds, six yellow wagtails seen from the seawall while over the Strood Hill were 25 swifts and six house martins. 

The male marsh harrier and a buzzard were seen while the male kestrel was seen catching a vole in the field and then making the long journey to Feldy on the mainland back to its nest. A common tern was also making a long journey over the fields carrying a fish heading somewhere like Old Hall or Tollesbury Point. A redshank and singing meadow pipit were noted on Ray Island.

Two first summer Mediterranean gulls were on the mud near East Mersea Point on Friday, photographed by Steve Entwistle.

A little tern and common tern were seen off the Point on Friday evening by Steve, also lesser whitethroat and whitethroat near the Golfhouse.

At West Mersea three common terns flew over Ian Black's Mersea Avenue house while a common tern also flew over Shaun Bater's house in Estuary Park on Friday.

Along the Strood on Thursday 18th were a singing corn bunting, two yellow wagtails, kestrel, common tern while ten swifts were near Strood Hill. 

In East Mersea a juvenile little owl was seen in the Thorley's garden looking rather bedraggled in the Thursday morning drizzle. A Sandwich tern was seen on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pool on Thursday afternoon by Martin Cock.

A hobby was circling over a Strood field a few times near the caravan site on Wednesday 17th before climbing high and away. Four common buzzards were noted as were two kestrels, while two singing corn buntings jangled from the back of the fields and five yellow wagtails seen. Two common terns were in the channel and a flock of twenty dunlin flew up channel.

Ron and Jenny Harvey heard the cuckoo calling from Ray Island during their walk along the Strood seawall, as well as seeing the same hobby over the fields, referred to earlier.

Michael Thorley reported seeing a common tern flying over his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Wednesday, also a cuckoo heard singing over towards Coopers Beach in the morning.

At Maydays a grey seal was seen in the Pyefleet by Martin Cock on Wednesday morning, also marsh harrier, buzzard, several sedge warblers and lesser whitethroat.