ORCHID SPOTTING

Managed to track down the common spotted orchids in a field near Diary Lane off Shop Lane on Friday 10th - first found the previous week by Andy Field.

The three common spotted orchid spikes were still in full flower, surrounded in the grass by the the small red-pink flowers of grass vetchling.

Several meadow brown butterflies were seen in the grassland as well as small heath, common blue and a burnet companion day-flying moth.

A buzzard perched on the north side of Gyants Marsh near Shop Lane on Friday, another buzzard was seen flying over fields, a sparrowhawk was being mobbed by 15 swallows, two green woodpeckers, Cetti's warbler, yellow wagtail, six whitethroats and four blackcaps were noted.

A chiffchaff singing in Shop Lane on Friday was one of three heard singing on the walk.

A muntjac deer ran through a crop of wheat.

At Cudmore Grove the barn owl was seen by Simon Patient hunting over the field near the park pond before entering the nestbox carrying prey at 9.30 on Friday morning.

At St Peters on Friday Steve Entwistle noted a greylag goose on Cobmarsh Island, 3 common terns and also a distant peregrine perched and flying about the Bradwell power station.

On the Rewsalls marshes from Coopers Beach on Thursday a pair of avocets, two oystercatchers, six shelduck, three little egrets and a reed bunting were noted, while five common terns were offshore.

One of the shelduck having a rest on the marshes near Coopers Beach on Thursday.

A male linnet was singing from a bush on Thursday by Coopers Beach, three others seen too. The Cetti's warbler was singing as were three whitethroats heard too, a grey heron flew over.

A female common blue butterfly was resting on some birdsfoot trefoil by Coopers Beach on Thursday.

The day-flying Mother Shipton moth was also seen on Thursday at Coopers Beach.

At West Mersea three buzzards drifted north-west over the Firs Chase garden with the resident crows chasing them onwards, also the cuckoo was calling regularly and the blackcap singing.

A house martin was seen going to its nest on a house opposite the vets near Queens Corner.

On Wednesday 8th one of the oystercatcher chicks was visible in the dinghy by the Dabchicks sailing club. The rusty swallow was flying about the Dabchicks area too.

Along the Strood seawall on Wednesday were two cuckoos, 25 curlew, buzzard, sedge warbler singing, three reed warblers singing and one whitethroat too. A meadow pipit was displaying over the saltmarsh, two pairs of yellow wagtail and two reed buntings singing. Two green woodpeckers were in Feldy View.

Twenty four swifts were over the West Mersea houses, while a buzzard flew over Firs Chase and the cuckoo calling through the day here. A painted lady was briefly seen in the garden.

A corn bunting perched beside the Strood seawall on Wednesday.

An elephant hawkmoth was the first hawkmoth of the season in the Firs Chase garden on the night of the 10th.

Beautiful hook-tip

Miller moth