CUDMORE CIRCUIT

A male reed bunting was in full song perched on a shrubby sea-blite bush at the East Mersea Point on Tuesday 6th. 

On the mud near the East Mersea Point was a pair of ringed plovers, while nearby another ringed plover was still sitting on her nest on the beach. A fourth ringed plover was on the beach near the old fort. Other waders seen were a pair of redshank, four whimbrel and 90+ oystercatchers on the mudflats.

In the river Colne there was no sign of the little tern that Andy Field had been watching twenty minutes before I got there, or even the three Sandwich terns that flew into the Colne an hour earlier, only four common terns fishing in the river. Three great crested grebes and a couple of cormorants were also in the river.

A dumpy-looking little lapwing chick was feeding in the park's grazing field on Tuesday. The four pairs of lapwings in the fields have at least ten chicks amongst them, although only three were on view among the long grass.

Two sedge warblers were singing along the park dyke and also two reed warblers, two Cetti's warblers and three whitethroats heard during the Cudmore Grove circuit. Ten linnets and six swallows also noted but no sign of any sand martins by the cliff.

A mute swan was sitting on her nest along the park dyke on Tuesday, with the male at the other end of the dyke. Two greylags were noted, also a Canada goose paired with a hybrid Canada / greylag goose, a pair of gadwall, five tufted ducks seen too. Four pochard had been seen earlier on the pond by Andy Field.

At West Mersea on Tuesday, Shaun Bater saw five mallard ducklings on a small pond at Sanderlings Reach, while four pochard and a mallard were on the larger pond there.

A swift was back in the nestbox on Andy Field's house in High Street North on Monday 5th. We look forward to seeing the pair successfully rear some chicks this summer.

A hobby was seen on Monday by Rob Lee as it flew east over Barrow Hill.

At Maydays farm with a chilly northerly breeze blowing, fifteen minutes had to be spent sheltering beside a bush from a rain shower. After that birds noted from the seawall included a cuckoo calling then flying north off the island to Langenhoe, 20 lapwings on Reeveshall and 15 whimbrel feeding on the fields and mudflats.

Along the Maydays dyke were a pair of yellowhammer, stonechat, two singing sedge warblers, three reed warblers, two Cetti's warblers, lesser whitethroat and two whitethroats. A corn bunting was singing on Reeveshall and four swallows over the fields, two marsh harriers and 6 swifts noted too.

In the Pyefleet there were four grey plover, four dunlin, four redshank, 15 shelduck and a great crested grebe.

A house martin was seen on Monday in Haycocks Lane by Steve Entwistle.

On Sunday 4th the pair of stonechats was watched beside the Strood seawall, perching up on bramble bushes and calling repeatedly, suggesting they were very anxious about me being there, maybe some chicks in the area. Four sedge warblers and four reed warblers were singing, also whitethroat and two Cetti's warblers.

Two water rails called from each of the reedbeds, a pair of shoveler flew onto the pond behind the fields, two pairs of pochard landed briefly in the dyke, yellow wagtail flew past as did two house martins. A nightingale and cuckoo were heard across on Ray Island.

A pair shelduck was feeding in the Pyefleet on Sunday, also greenshank, eight whimbrel, avocet, six ringed plover, two marsh harriers and two buzzards seen, ten brent geese on Packing Shed island.

Three brown hares were in a Strood field and a hairy dragonfly flew along the seawall.

At Maydays farm on Sunday, Martin Cock saw a red kite, buzzard, marsh harrier, common tern and ten brent geese.

A pair of oystercatchers was seen prospecting the recently cultivated weedy field by the Strood on Saturday 3rd. Also in the fields were ten stock doves, lapwing flew off, two buzzards overhead and eight swifts over the houses. In the Pyefleet were three common terns, whimbrel and two brent geese.

Two skylarks crouched down on the Strood seawall on Saturday, also in the area were the stonechat pair, two sedge warblers, two reed warblers, two Cetti's warblers, three reed buntings, while five house sparrows were seen flying over the Strood channel to Ray Island. 

At Maydays on Saturday Martin Cock reported 8 sedge warblers, 4 reed warblers, 11 whimbrel, 2 marsh harriers, 2 buzzards, 3 cuckoos, a Chinese water deer and also a possible sighting of a short-eared owl on Langenhoe marsh.

A cuckoo was seen flying from Empress Avenue to Fairhaven Avenue on Saturday morning by Shaun Bater, also a swift seen over Kingsland Road.

Three swifts were seen by Adrian Amos flying over his East Road garden on Saturday.

A male hen harrier was seen heading north-east from Barrow Hill by Rob Lee on Saturday morning.