LATE WHEATEAR

A wheatear along the Strood seawall on Saturday 25th was a late autumn migrant for the island. Before this individual, the last wheatear seen on the Island was a fortnight previously. 

Also seen along the Strood seawall were Sandwich tern, common tern, male pochard flying down channel, 150 brent geese and 20 shelduck. A large squadron of 200+ cormorants flew north-west over the Pyefleet towards Abberton reservoir, three buzzards were over Bower Hall.

Three stonechats, two rock pipits and forty linnets were noted too.

One of four chiffchaffs seen beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Saturday, also a goldcrest heard too.

Carrie Horwood visited Feldy View and the path beside the Firs caravan park on Saturday and saw a black redstart, 6 siskins, goldcrest and chiffchaff.

Michael Thorley saw a ringtail hen harrier by the Strood on Saturday afternoon.

A song thrush was in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday.

At Cudmore Grove two red squirrels were seen by Daniel Woollard on Saturday munching on hawthorn berries in the garden of his bungalow.

On Friday 24th there were, 15 goldfinches, five chiffchaffs and a goldcrest in the Feldy View area. In a brief visit to the Strood channel, three stonechats, rock pipit, 15 shelduck, 30 avocets were noted.

On a windy and wet Thursday 23rd, four redwing and a goldcrest were the only birds of interest near the Firs Chase caravan park.

Martin Cock reported seeing two Sandwich terns and six great crested grebes offshore from the Esplanade on Thursday.

A mobile black redstart was found by Andy Field in the Brickhouse Close area of West Mersea on Wednesday 22nd. Andy managed this record shot as it perched on a roof of one of the houses.

A pair of stonechats photographed by Andy along the Strood seawall on Wednesday.

A common seal also photographed by Andy as it swam along the Strood channel, spooking some of the waders and wildfowl as it fished along the edge of the saltmarsh.

There were sunny and calm conditions along the Strood channel on Wednesday with a high spring tide covering the saltmarsh. Birds noted included a red kite over Peldon, marsh harrier, buzzard, sparrowhawk, 25 avocets, five Mediterranean gulls, greenshank heard calling, 120 turnstones and 30 golden plovers. Small birds of interest were a brambling heard calling as it passed over, two corn buntings, two rock pipits, five stonechats, while in Feldy View there were two goldcrests and two chiffchaffs. 

In the sunshine a clouded yellow, five small whites and red admiral were seen on the wing along with a migrant hawker over the dyke.

The ring-necked parakeet was heard calling on Wednesday morning from the gardens in Firs Chase.

A tawny owl was heard calling early on Wednesday morning in Cross Lane by Shaun Bater.

At Cudmore Grove two redpolls, two goldcrests and a chiffchaff were reported by Simon Patient on Wednesday morning.

At Coopers Beach on Wednesday, Michael Thorley reported 64 curlew, 35 redshank, black-tailed godwit, 15 oystercatchers, five common gull and a great black-backed gull.

Brent geese numbers are slowly building up along the Strood channel with fifty noted on Tuesday 21st. Ten shelduck and thirteen little grebes also present.

A grey plover was seen by the Strood seawall on Tuesday, ten ringed plovers were noted before the tide covered the mud, while fifty turnstones were on boats by the Hard.

A Sandwich tern flew along the Strood channel on Tuesday.

Two kestrels, two redpolls, four stonechats, six reed buntings were noted during the seawall walk, while a goldcrest was by the Firs Caravan park.

A hen harrier was seen by Martin Cock flying over the Strood causeway, as he drove onto the island on Tuesday.

On a blustery and wet Monday 20th, a few birds noted during a brief visit to Feldy View and along to the Dabchicks included two goldcrests, three chiffchaffs, stonechat, 20 golden plovers and a kestrel.

The ring-necked parakeet was heard squawking briefly from gardens in Firs Chase again.

On Sunday 19th a black-tailed godwit was feeding in the pond at Waldegraves Holiday park, along with an assortment of mallards, gulls, moorhens and a little egret.

Offshore a dark phase Arctic skua was watched flying west into the mouth of the Blackwater and disappearing from view. 

Also in the Waldegraves area was a covey of 12 red-legged partridges scurrying across a field near Cross Lane, also song thrush, two chiffchaffs and a buzzard seen here, while a pair of stonechat was just east of the holiday park.

At the Rewsalls boating lake on Sunday, waders were gathered for the high tide roost on the side lake with 170 redshank, 60 turnstones, 130 curlew, four black-tailed godwits forming the main flocks.

A small flock of 19 ringed plover gathered on a small island by the boating lake on Sunday. Eighteen golden plover were flying over, two grey plover and two dunlin noted too.

Twenty-two little grebes were in the Rewsalls side-lake on Sunday. The kingfisher was seen perched on the fence-posts on the Rewsalls marshes, thirty brent geese, two rock pipits and a Cetti's warbler also noted.

A buzzard circled over the Rewsalls fields on Sunday, three kestrels also seen.

Two goldcrests and chiffchaff seen by the Youth Camp entrance.

This grey squirrel was seen by the Youth Camp entrance on Sunday.

A red-throated diver was seen by Jim Hume flying down-river from Fingringhoe towards Stone Point on Sunday.

Moth numbers continue to dwindle heading into the autumn - this Feathered Thorn noted in the Firs Chase garden on 18th.

 Large Wainscot on the 18th.