BOAT SURVEY

I joined the RSPB on Monday 8th to help with one of their breeding bird survey sessions on-board Stacey Belbin's Lady Grace boat. Along with Kieren Alexander, Steve Hunting and Adam Nixon, we counted any nesting birds and chicks on Cobmarsh and Packing Shed Islands, Old Hall Point and Shingle-head Point at Tollesbury Wick.

There were plenty of herring gulls nesting on the islands with this family on Packing Shed. Hopefully we can track where this adult has been ringed as the number Y6PT can be clearly seen on the red ring on the leg. Ringed plovers, lesser black-backed gulls and oystercatchers were the other birds nesting on some of the beaches - final numbers still to be confirmed.

 

One herring gull was happy to ignore the sign instructions on Packing Shed island!

Other birds seen during the boat trip included a peregrine sitting on the Old Hall Point beach, ten common terns, two whimbrel, Mediterranean gull, great crested grebe, ten sand martins and a yellow wagtail.

Earlier on Monday morning a kestrel was seen perched in a tree in Feldy View surveying the grasslands below it. Two buzzards were later seen during the walk along the Strood seawall. Thirty swifts were flying over the nearby houses.

Three sedge warblers were singing along the Strood dyke on Monday, also two reed warblers heard.

A little egret was feeding near the Strood sluice outflow on Monday, also two others along the channel and a common tern feeding.

Two black-tailed godwits fed along the water's edge on Monday, also a whimbrel, 45 curlew, three shelduck, two lapwings and 44 redshank.

A comma butterfly rested beside the path near Feldy View on Monday.

Andy Field photographed this sand martin looking out of its nest-hole in the cliff at Cudmore Grove on Monday, two others noted too. Also seen on Cudmore circuit were six common terns, 14 Mediterranean gulls, two juvenile ringed plovers and a barn owl at the box.

A Beewolf at Cudmore Grove photographed by Andy.

A Mason Wasp at Cudmore Grove photographed by Andy on Monday.

A Small Skipper photographed at Cudmore Grove by Andy on Monday.

An Essex Skipper photographed by Andy at Cudmore Grove on Monday.

At Maydays on Monday, Martin Cock reported a peregrine, buzzard, marsh harrier, yellowhammer, pair of stonechat and a sedge warbler. Later a Painted Lady and a song thrush were seen by Martin in his West Mersea garden.

On Sunday 7th Martin Cock visited Maydays and saw a red kite, three marsh harriers, probable cattle egret with the cows on Reeveshall, stonechat, yellowhammer, two sedge warblers singing, reed warbler, two blackcaps, whitethroat and three common seals.

Two red kites were seen over Barrow Hill on Sunday by Rob Lee.

A six-spot burnet moth was seen at Cudmore Grove by Caroline White on Sunday.

Several clumps of Sea Holly were in flower on the beach just west of Waldegraves Holiday Park on Saturday 6th. There was a steady westward flow of seventy swifts during a half-hour period near midday. Four Mediterranean gulls and two linnets were noted by the beach. Two tufted ducks, moorhen and a mallard with five ducklings were on the pond by the new estate beside Cross Lane. 

At Cudmore Grove on Saturday afternoon Daniel Woollard saw 75 curlew, 14 Mediterranean gulls, 50 swifts, 20 sand martins with at least two chicks seen in the cliff, grey heron with four little egrets at the park pond.

Michael Thorley saw six tufted ducks and a dabchick with two young at Cudmore Grove on Saturday.

Steve Entwistle reported a song thrush and little egret from his West Mersea garden on Saturday.