REWSALLS MARSHES

At the lake and the Rewsalls marshes on Thursday 16th for the high tide roost were a common sandpiper, 200 golden plover, and 20 little egrets. Offshore a couple of Sandwich terns flew past, also 20 common terns while on the shingle island off Waldegraves were 350 herring gulls and 50 ringed plovers. Fifteen Mediterranean gulls roosted with the black-headed gulls in two fields next to the Youth Camp.

Two wheatears were feeding along the collapsed seawall in front of the Youth Camp on Thursday. A south-westerly passage took place during the morning with 80+ meadow pipits, 100 swallows and ten house martins noted. On the marshes were thirty linnets, four buzzards came in off the sea heading north and another buzzard circling high near the East Mersea church. A chiffchaff and four lesser whitethroats were feeding in some of the bushes by the marshes.

At Cudmore Grove in the early evening on Thursday, Steve Entwistle reported seeing the first brent geese back for the winter with three on the east side of the Colne. Also two Sandwich terns on the mud, 40 turnstones, three knot, 30 dunlin, two bar-tailed godwits, great crested grebe, 23 lapwings and three grey plover.

A clouded yellow was seen on the East Mersea seawall on Thursday by Angela Buckley.

A green woodpecker was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Thursday.

A hummingbird hawk-moth was also photographed by Michael in his garden.

The hummingbird hawkmoth hovering in front of the flowers to feed.

A female common darter seen egg-laying at Michael's pond.

In the Firs Chase garden on Thursday, this small toadlet had a lucky escape from the lawn-mower as the long grass on the lawn had its first cut for three months.

A colour ringed Mediterranean gull was seen along the Strood channel on Wednesday and photographed by Andy Field. Five other Med gulls were seen along the channel.

A close-up of the Mediterranean gull's ring shows the number - we're waiting to hear where it was ringed.

Walking the Strood seawall with Andy on Wednesday morning, birds noted included a peregrine low over the fields and then over the houses, seven buzzards, a whinchat, wheatear, six yellow wagtails, Cetti's warbler, 100 linnets, five meadow pipits, fifty swallows with two sand martins.

Along the Strood channel were 150 black-tailed godwits, two greenshank, four ringed plover, 25 grey plover and two common terns.

A large hairy fox moth caterpillar was marching across the path on the top of the Strood seawall on Wednesday.

At Maydays on Wednesday Martin Cock noted three greenshank, whinchat, kingfisher, two Sandwich terns, 14 grey herons, four meadow pipits, yellow wagtail, whitethroat, 120 curlew, five buzzards, two sparrowhawks and a marsh harrier.

On Tuesday 14th along the Strood seawall were seen a buzzard, greenshank, five golden plover, 30 grey plover, 100 linnets, 1000 starlings, 70 black-tailed godwits, three mute swans, three common terns. Twenty house martins were still flying over the houses at Wellhouse.

A red squirrel was reported being seen near the entrance to the Firs Road cemetery.

At East Mersea on Tuesday morning, two yellow wagtails, whitethroat, two Cetti's warbler, wheatear, 12 Sandwich terns and forty house martins were seen by Martin Cock between Cudmore Grove and the Golfhouse.

A wing-tagged marsh harrier was photographed by Richard Brown on Langenhoe ranges and he's since found out that this is a female bird ringed on 14th June 2021 at its nest in Norfolk at Wild Ken Hill, along two male siblings. This is the first sighting of her away from her natal area. One of her brothers was seen at Trimley Marshes in Suffolk on 20th August 2021.

Earlier on Monday 13th, the osprey was seen fishing in the river Colne near Langenhoe Point. It was also reported by Liz Huxley who was watching from Brightlingsea. A curlew sandpiper was seen on the mud near Ivy Dock by Martin, also 12 knot, 15 bar-tailed godwits and 12 Sandwich terns.

Steve Entwistle visited Reeveshall on Monday afternoon and noted four marsh harriers, sparrowhawk, little tern, Sandwich tern, two mute swans, 30 swallows and a chiffchaff in Fishponds Wood.

In Firs Chase on Monday afternoon a buzzard passed over the garden mewing, while a willow warbler was calling in a birch tree. Also 12 red admirals and a comma butterfly feeding on the ivy flowers.

A very young muntjac deer was seen by the Potifars in their Shop Lane garden on Wednesday 15th and was thought to have been born between the 9th and the 15th September. The second year running a young muntjac was thought to have been born in their garden