SEA SWALLOWS

Five common terns, also known as sea swallows, were feeding along the Strood Channel on Thursday 23rd.

This particular common tern spent a few minutes checking the water beside the seawall sluice and made several attempts to dive down into the water after fish. A couple of noisy juvenile common terns were following their parents around.

Four greenshank, three whimbrel, four dunlin were amongst the large number of redshank and curlew in the channel as the tide came in. Also a little grebe was in the channel and 16 little egrets were noted roosting along the saltings.
A hobby passed over the seawall and crossed over to Ray Island, four common buzzards were seen in the air while a juvenile marsh harrier flew south-west over the Ray saltings. A corn bunting had earlier been heard singing by the Strood fields.

A female ruddy darter was resting on a stick in the sunshine at Feldy View on Thursday.

At East Mersea two common sandpipers were seen near the Oyster Fishery on Thursday by Martin Cock.

The first returning willow warbler of the autumn was found in the hedgeline near the Shop Lane seawall on Wednesday 22nd. This is the earliest one on the Island over the last ten year period at least. Another willow warbler was also found on Wednesday at Maydays farm by Martin Cock, while Michael Thorley also reported two willow warblers in his East Mersea garden on Wednesday.
A willow warbler / chiffchaff was seen in Ian Black's West Mersea garden while one was also seen by Sarah Thorley on Tuesday in her East Mersea garden.

Also seen on Wednesday, 20 avocets feeding in the Pyefleet near Shop Lane, 25+ swallows resting on a barn roof, a yellowhammer and two green woodpeckers near Fishponds Wood.

Later on Wednesday a great white egret was seen in the Strood Channel by Ian Black feeding on the saltmarsh edge and then flew onto Ray Island, also seen were two yellow wagtails and four common terns.

A mallard with nine ducklings in tow were seen at Waldegraves Holiday park on Tuesday 21st. Forty-five mallard were seen by the various lakes while offshore fifty common terns rested on the shingle island and three Mediterranean gulls were near the beach. At least two noisy juvenile sparrowhawks were flying around a small copse near the beach end of Cross Lane.

A turtle dove was seen again at Maydays farm by Jack Hoy on Tuesday morning - the third sighting in the area over the last fortnight.

A gatekeeper was resting on a lavender bush in Feldy View on Monday 20th. Amongst the various meadow browns, skippers and whites were two brown argus butterflies.

A peregrine flew over the Dabchicks on Monday morning heading over to Salcott Channel, also two separate common buzzards seen over the Hard area drifting west and a male marsh harrier and two more common buzzards were seen by the Strood channel.
Along the Strood channel were a greenshank, common tern, two whimbrel, Mediterranean gull and on the fields were three grey herons and a yellow wagtail.

Richard Brown watched a great white egret on Monday fly from Langenhoe ranges up the Pyefleet channel towards the Strood.
A hobby was seen over the High Street by Ian Black on Monday.

At East Mersea on Monday 20th the first clouded yellow butterfly of the year on the Island was photographed by Andy Field beside the seawall near the Oyster Fishery. Also seen in the area were a female eider near Langenhoe Point, common tern, cuckoo, three marsh harriers, sparrowhawk, ten avocets and forty black-tailed godwits.

Martin Cock also walked the same section of seawall between the Golfhouse and the Oyster Fishery on Monday and reported eight little terns, six common terns, six golden plover, four turnstone, whimbrel, 60 black-tailed godwits, 25 avocets and two young kestrels on the seawall. A grey squirrel was seen in a wood near the Oyster Fishery.