GROWING CHICK

The growing juvenile oystercatcher near the Dabchicks sailing club was resting on the edge of the saltmarsh with its parent keeping half a watchful eye over it on Friday 9th. 

Along the Strood channel were seen five common terns, two avocets, a black-tailed godwit, 70 redshank as well as a roost of 80 curlew flushed off the Ray saltings. A dark juvenile marsh harrier flew along the Peldon seawall, a buzzard was noted too, also a corn bunting singing, four yellow wagtails while a meadow pipit was singing from the saltmarsh in front of the Firs caravan park.

A great spotted woodpecker made this surprise appearance in Rusty Marshall's garden opposite the West Mersea Yacht Club on Friday 9th.

This summering brent goose allowed Matt Smith the country park ranger, to get quite close to it on the park beach on Thursday 8th. It's presumed to have some sort of injury and unable to fly, so is spending the summer here instead of flying to Siberia!

Andy Field visited Cudmore Grove on Thursday 8th and photographed this Sandwich tern at the back of a gull roost which included 25 Mediterranean gulls - eight pictured here. Also seen were two avocet chicks on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools, two pochard broods of six and two, a little tern and five common terns in the river Colne. Two ringed plovers were on the beach at the Point, while three black-tailed godwits, five golden plover and 25 curlew also noted. Four juvenile kestrels were perched on the oak tree at the back of the grazing fields.

This nocturnal parasitoid Netelia species of ichneumon wasp was photographed by Andy on the sea-blite bushes at East Mersea Point on Thursday.

A late Thursday afternoon walk along the Strood seawall in the rain provided damp views of greenshank, 100 redshank, three avocets, whimbrel, black-tailed godwit, 20 curlew, great crested grebe and also the unusual sight of a common tern hawking over the mud for lug or ragworms, as it was seen dropping down to pick a worm up and carry it off.

On Wednesday 7th at Cudmore Grove four kestrel chicks were perched on the outside of the nestbox and nearby branches at the back of the grazing fields waiting to be fed. A brood of four pochard ducklings and a brood of tufted duck-lings were seen along the park dyke, while fifty sand martins were flying about and 30+ swifts flying west. On the saltmarsh 21 avocets and two chicks were present, also 15 Mediterranean gulls in the gull roost, five lapwings and the single brent goose. 

Four distant little terns were flying around Sandy Point on the east side of the estuary and two common terns also seen while a Sandwich tern was watched flying upriver past the Point. Two ringed plovers were seen on the Point with one bird still sitting on eggs and a common seal just offshore.

Steve Entwistle saw a corn bunting on wires at the entrance to Reeveshall on Wednesday, also two stock doves, while at Shop Lane there was the croak from a possible raven heard over Fishponds Wood but not seen, also two whitethroats singing.

This summer chafer was photographed by Andy Field after he found it in his bottle recycling bin!

A whitethroat was photographed by Jonathan Bustard on his garden roof on Tuesday 6th in the Chatsworth area of West Mersea - an unexpected garden tick for him!