STROOD SANDPIPER

A common sandpiper was seen briefly alongside the Strood seawall on Friday 5th during the high tide. It stopped off a couple of times to feed beside the edge of the water. This is the first returning bird of the autumn. A great white egret flew down channel towards Salcott, two common terns and 15 black-tailed godwits were also noted.

A large feeding flock of 400+ swifts was circling over the fields on the Peldon side with many birds crossing over from the island to join the flock. Other birds noted during the seawall walk were two buzzards, two yellow wagtails, eight linnets and a singing reed warbler.

A red admiral rested on the path beside the Firs Caravan park on Friday.

An Essex Skipper was feeding on a scabious flower in Feldy View on Friday.

Along the Strood seawall an emperor dragonfly fed on a small white butterfly it had just caught.

Forty swifts were seen over Willougby car park on Friday morning by Martin Cock.

Six mute swan cygnets with a parent photographed by Caroline White at the Cudmore Grove pond on Thursday 4th.

The family of oystercatchers behind the Dabchicks sailing club continue to grow with these three chicks resting on the saltmarsh with a parent during the high tide on Thursday 4th.

Along the Strood seawall were 80 swifts, 15 redshank, Mediterranean gull, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, two common terns, two kestrels, sedge warbler, reed warbler, yellow wagtail and a whitethroat in Feldy View.

Two gatekeepers were seen on the bramble bushes near Feldy View on Thursday.

A spotted longhorn beetle was also on a bramble bush near Feldy View on Thursday.

At Cudmore Grove five stoats were seen by Mollie Kirk playing in the back garden of her bungalow on Thursday morning.

An oystercatcher nest was found on the beach at East Mersea Point with one egg in it.

On Wednesday 3rd the family of oystercatchers with chicks was feeding close to the path behind the Dabchicks during the high tide period.

During the walk along the Strood seawall on Wednesday three common terns were seen, ten lapwings, 15 curlew, three redshank, Mediterranean gull, pochard flying down channel, two marsh harriers, four buzzards, two reed warblers, sedge warbler, yellow wagtail and 30 swifts over the houses.

On Wednesday evening Steve Entwistle reported noting at Cudmore Grove whitethroat, three green woodpeckers, two sand martins, 43 swifts flying south west over the pond and a barn owl over the grazing fields. A little owl was seen later near Bocking Hall perched by the East Mersea roadside.

A summer chafer was photographed at Cudmore Grove by Caroline White.

A young pipistrelle bat was found looking a bit lost inside the house of Rusty and Michelle Marshall in Firs Chase on Tuesday 2nd. A call to the Essex Bat Rescue allowed the bat to be collected and cared for overnight.

The following evening the young pipistrelle bat was later returned to the Rusty and Michelle's house on Wednesday - thanks to Martin Pugh climbing a ladder onto the roof and placing the bat back in the bat roost up behind the soffits. Thirty common pipistrelle bats were watched emerging from their roost going out to forage. Hopefully the young bat will be found back inside the roost by its mother.

A fledged ringed plover chick was photographed by Lea Merclova at East Mersea Point on Wednesday. 

A barn owl was seen hunting the fields at Cudmore by Lea.

Martin Cock saw a pair of presumed stonechats at the back of the Golfhouse pools on Wednesday. Earlier a shelduck along with her five ducklings were seen by Martin walking along the East Mersea road down towards the Golfhouse.

On Tuesday 2nd a lapwing was feeding on mud near the path behind the Dabchicks sailing club just after the high tide. The only other birds seen during a brief visit to the Strood were five curlew, five redshank, two common terns, yellow wagtail and a sedge warbler, while 60 swifts were noted flying west.