SHOWY HAIRSTREAK

A white-letter hairstreak was photographed beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane on Thursday 6th by Andy Field. The butterfly was providing nice views to a number of people during the day as it nectared on the bramble flowers beside the path. This appears to be a better marked individual than the one seen in the same spot the previous week. 

Also photographed by Andy on Thursday on the same walk to the Shop Lane seawall was this southern migrant hawker, also seen was a migrant hawker too.

A hornet hoverfly photographed by Andy near Fishponds Wood on Thursday.

Ian Black reported seeing two of these in his West Mersea garden the previous day.

Birds noted by Andy from the Reeveshall seawall on Thursday included 18 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, 25 curlew, seven whimbrel, five golden plover, six greenshank, green sandpiper, buzzard, yellow wagtail and a corn bunting.

There was a nice variety of butterflies seen in the sunshine on Thursday between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane such as this peacock feeding on burdock flowers.

This small tortoiseshell was also seen on the burdock flowers in Meeting Lane.

Other butterflies noted were a purple hairstreak, two small coppers, brimstone, comma, red admiral, meadow brown, gatekeeper, small heath, Essex / small skipper sps, speckled wood, large white, small white, brown argus and common blue.

Birds seen between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane included buzzard, sparrowhawk, kestrel, singing yellowhammer, blackcap, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat and chiffchaff.

A back of the camera picture by Steve Entwistle of a small copper seen near Meeting Lane on Thursday, also three common blues and two brown argus.

 Angela Buckley visited Shop Lane on Thursday and saw speckled wood, peacocks, holly blue as well as the white-letter hairstreak.

Several marmalade hoverflies were photographed by Michael Thorley on the anthers of the regal lily in his East Mersea garden.

A helophilus species of hoverfly seen in Michael's garden near his pond.

A willow warbler was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Wednesday 4th.

Another picture of Michael's willow warbler in his garden.

Michael reported seeing at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday a wheatear, two ringed plovers, whitethroat, linnet and two common terns.

A visit to the Rewsalls marshes beside the East Mersea boating lake on Wednesday 4th revealed a greenshank, three common sandpipers, 15 little egrets, 25 golden plover and 30 redshank. Also a Cetti's warbler sang at the front of the lake, two buzzards seen and ten Mediterranean gulls and a painted lady.

Several large clumps of sea holly were in flower on the beach by Waldegraves caravan park on Wednesday. Offshore two Sandwich terns were with thirty common terns on the shingle island just after high tide, also ten Mediterranean gulls and eight common gulls on the foreshore.

Two juvenile sparrowhawk chicks were calling from the copse at the bottom of Cross Lane, ten swifts flew west and a buzzard perched near Cross Lane.

On Tuesday 3rd a garden warbler was seen by the side of the Firs Caravan park, as were two willow warblers, two blackcaps and two lesser whitethroats. 

Four buzzards were seen heading south-west, including one calling as it flew past the top of The Lane, where there was a young sparrowhawk also calling. Five swifts flew west, while along the Strood were 100 redshank, 3 lapwing also 20 turnstones on boats near the Hard at high tide.

Five common terns were seen along the Strood channel, including this ringed bird.

An unexpected sighting was a red squirrel running down the path beside the Firs caravan park towards the seawall on Tuesday.

Two of four migrant hawkers seen by Andy Field in his High Street North garden on Tuesday.

Steve Entwistle photographed this brown argus on Tuesday, one of three seen in Feldy View.

Earlier on Tuesday Steve found a garden warbler from the new bird hide at Cudmore Grove country park, also six mistle thrushes feeding on rowan berries at the back of the park pond. Two pairs of brimstone butterflies were in front of the hide, also comma, red admirals and peacocks buzzing in the area along with migrant hawkers, ruddy darters and an emperor dragonfly.

On Tuesday evening at Reeveshall Steve saw a green sandpiper, 28 avocets, four black-tailed godwits and fifty lapwing.

A walk through Feldy View on Tuesday morning disturbed this micro-moth, the sulphur pearl, or carrot seed moth Sitochroa palealis, one of its foodplants is wild carrot which it was next to here.