CALLING CHIFFCHAFFS

There was an influx of chiffchaffs into the Feldy View cemetery on Friday 24th with at least ten birds doing lots of calling as they fed with a mixed tit flock of long-tailed tits, great tits and blue tits. The flock was busy feeding among the birch trees as well as along hedgerows and other trees. A female blackcap was the only other warbler seen here.

There was plenty of sunshine on Friday for the walk along the Strood seawall. Birds of note along the channel were a greenshank, 25 teal, three wigeon, fifty golden plover and forty grey plover.

Three male stonechats and a female were seen close to the seawall, twenty meadow pipits flew north-west over and two buzzards circled over Strood Hill fields.

In the Pyefleet the osprey was seen perched behind Pewit Island on Friday by Martin Cock, also seen along the seawall from the Oyster Fishery to Shop Lane were 100 swallows, house martin, stonechat and twenty meadow pipits flying west. A red squirrel was seen in Shop Lane.

Steve Entwistle reported seeing on Friday afternoon by the Golfhouse, two shoveler, seven teal, 30 wigeon, 16 black-tailed godwits, seven turnstone, a water vole in the dyke and a clouded yellow.

Two clouded yellow butterflies were seen along the inside of the Strood seawall on Friday, there was also one seen here the day before on Thursday - pictured above.

A fresh painted lady was sitting on a flowering ivy bush beside Feldy View on Thursday 23rd.

A wheatear perched on posts in the Strood channel on Thursday 23rd, also three stonechats seen inside the seawall. A merlin was watched flying fast down channel from the Strood causeway, scattering all the birds before it slowly banked round and without slowing down for a breather, it continued to power back high over the Strood road. The first merlin sighting on the island this autumn.

Along the channel on Thursday were eight avocets, 300 golden plover spooked by the merlin, two greenshank, four Mediterranean gulls, eight wigeon, 15 teal and 180 black-tailed godwits mainly by the Dabchicks. Ten meadow pipits flew over and four chiffchaffs were by Feldy View.

In Meeting Lane on Thursday morning Martin Cock saw a hobby and a blackcap, while in the afternoon the osprey was seen in the Pyefleet from Maydays also four buzzards. A chiffchaff was in his West Mersea garden.

Wigeon numbers are slowly building up for the winter at East Mersea with 75 on the saltmarsh pools by the Golfhouse on Wednesday 22nd, also twelve teal seen here too. On the east side of the Colne seven brent geese are also recent arrivals for the winter. Two Sandwich terns, a common tern, 36 avocets, 50 ringed plover and a bar-tailed godwit were seen while above were two buzzards over Ivy Farm and a house martin with 100 swallows.

On the park pond on Wednesday were two shoveler, two gadwall, 25 little egrets here with 36 more on the Golfhouse saltmarsh, a water rail squealed, three Cetti's warblers called from various locations, four yellow wagtails, ten meadow pipits, pair of blackcaps and four great spotted woodpeckers were the other highlights from the country park. There was also a nice display of at least 13 clouded yellows enjoying the various yellow flowers like bristly ox-tongue and bird's foot trefoil on the grazing fields and seawall.

Martin Cock walked the seawall between the Oyster Fishery and East Mersea Point on Wednesday and noted seven brent geese, 100 wigeon, five Sandwich terns, kingfisher, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, four Cetti's warblers, four yellow wagtails, 100 swallows and several chiffchaffs.

A Mediterranean gull was in the Strood Channel on Tuesday 21st, while fifty black-tailed godwits were feeding by the Dabchicks. A stonechat was perched on a bush by the dyke, fifty swallows and a sand martin were feeding over the fields and perching on the maize crop, also 700 starlings fed in the grass field, a reed warbler called from reeds, two blackcaps and six chiffchaffs were in Feldy View and a sparrowhawk passed over.

The osprey was seen in the Pyefleet channel perched on a post in front of Pewit Island on Tuesday morning by Shaun Bater, also noted from the Shop Lane seawall were 17 avocets, green sandpiper, black-tailed godwit and two green woodpeckers by the wood.

Martin Cock also watched the osprey on Tuesday fishing in front of the Oyster Fishery for about ten minutes before it flew back to the fence behind Pewit Island. Also two Sandwich terns, two common terns, six clouded yellows and a brimstone butterfly.

Steve Entwistle reported very little on Tuesday afternoon in the Cross Lane and Waldegraves area with 82 ringed plovers, lots of oystercatchers, curlews, a few Mediterranean gulls, common gulls and eight great black-backed gulls.

A willow warbler and chiffchaff were seen in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday while in Shop Lane near the pub were a Mediterranean gull, kestrel and a clouded yellow.

A jay perched on a bench in Feldy View on Monday 20th.

Along the Strood channel were 200 golden plover, 20 grey plover, 50 black-tailed godwits, one knot and six Mediterranean gulls. A wheatear was on the seawall, a pair of stonechat was by the dyke, two meadow pipits flew over, thirty swallows flew over the maize, while a buzzard and reed warbler were also noted.

Two chiffchaffs were in Ron Harvey's garden in Whittaker Way on Monday afternoon.