WILLOW WARBLERS STOP OFF

Several willow warblers have been stopping off on the Island in recent days during their autumn migration south to Africa. Five were seen in hedgerows beside the East Mersea boating lake on Tuesday 5th. Also on autumn passage were 12 yellow wagtails heading west, 8 swifts,  20 house martins, 25 swallows and two sand martins. Also seen there were two reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, three whitethroats, ten linnets and ten goldfinches. 

Next to the boating lake were a common sandpiper, 70 redshank, 30 turnstones, five little egrets, 7 little grebes, while offshore were 15 common terns.

Three willow warblers were also seen on Tuesday 5th at Feldy View and photographed here by Jon Ward.

Another willow warbler photographed by Jon Ward in Feldy View on Tuesday.

A lesser whitethroat photographed during Jon's visit to the island by Jon on Tuesday.

Sparrowhawk on the island photographed by Jon on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon at Maydays farm, Steve Entwistle reported a great white egret, greenshank, pair of stonechats, yellowhammer, four whimbrel, 8 curlew, grey plover and also three house martins on the farmhouse. Ten house martin pairs have nested on the farmhouse this summer.

There was a nice show of butterflies on buddleia beside the East Mersea church on Tuesday with ten red admirals and eight commas noted.

The big buddleia bush by the East Mersea church is always worth a look on a sunny day when it's in flower.

On Monday 4th a pair of Sandwich terns rested on the mud near East Mersea Point along with their fledged juvenile. At least 26 common terns were seen on the mud too, although there was a continual to-ing and fro-ing out to sea to fish.

A ringed plover that was presumed fledged was on the mud by the Point on Monday, although it was still being watched over by a parent close-by. Other waders noted as the tide receded were 150 black-tailed godwits, two bar-tailed godwits, whimbrel, 50 curlew, 30 turnstone, four dunlin, two grey plover and and avocet.

Twenty Mediterranean gulls were feeding on the mudflats by the Point on Monday. A hobby was seen chasing after a sand martin over the middle of the Colne river. In total ten sand martins, 20 swallows and a house martin were noted. A buzzard and kestrel were seen over the park fields, while along the dyke was the pair of mute swans and two cygnets and a tufted duck with two ducklings.

In Feldy View on Monday Andy Field noted 3 willow warblers, two lesser whitethroats and a swift overhead.

On Sunday 3rd a clouded yellow butterfly was photographed on the seawall at Maydays farm. 

One of the six common sandpipers seen along the Maydays creek on Sunday, also a greenshank over the saltmarsh. A cattle egret was with the cattle on Reeveshall, a hobby flew low over the fields at Maydays. two marsh harriers, five stonechats and a yellowhammer were noted in the area too. Three house martins were circling over the farmhouse. An adult shelduck was with six well grown ducklings in the Pyefleet and a flock of twenty grey plover was also seen.

Michael Thorley reported seeing ten turnstones, pied wagtail and five greylag geese flying west at Coopers Beach on Sunday afternoon.

A mass of peacock butterfly caterpillars was clustered around a nettle-head near the Firs Chase caravan park on Saturday 2nd. In Feldy View there were three willow warblers, while in the fields were three kestrels and along the channel were 30 black-tailed godwits, two common terns, eight little egrets, ten great black-backed gulls by the Hard, while 15 swallows were flying near the caravan park.

A male ruddy darter was in Feldy View on Friday 1st.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall included marsh harrier, four kestrels, fifty black-tailed godwits, four golden plover, whimbrel, ten little egrets, three sand martins flying west, 150 linnets in the weedy fields and also six swifts over the houses.

Andy Field photographed this whitethroat on Thursday 31st during his walk around the Cudmore Grove circuit. Birds noted were ten whitethroats, four lesser whitethroats, four reed warblers, three willow warblers, chiffchaff, twenty swallows, twenty sand martins and six house martins.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Thursday included this peregrine that passed overhead, also buzzard, eight Mediterranean gulls, ten black-tailed godwits, whimbrel, three golden plover and three common terns.

A kestrel perched up beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday, two others were seen on the nearby telegraph wires over the fields.

A corn bunting perched in a bush along the Strood seawall on Thursday, also twenty linnets in the weedy fields.