MAKING THE MOST OF SOME SUNSHINE

A comma butterfly was making the most of the sunshine along Cross Lane on Thursday 5th.

A song thrush and singing greenfinch were of interest along the Lane.

At Waldegraves Holiday Park a redshank was standing in a pond behind Decoy Point. A reed bunting feeding on the reed-heads by the pond was of note for the site.

An oystercatcher was feeding on one of the camping fields at Waldegraves on Thursday. A buzzard and a green woodpecker were seen nearby, while offshore were 20 great crested grebes and also four sanderling on the offshore island with 20 oystercatchers.

Ten Firebugs were found at the back of the beach to the west of Waldegraves - the same location where a small number of them were seen last autumn. First Island records were just last year.

In front of Waldegraves around fifty Early Colletes Bees were buzzing low over the grassy-sandy area. This spring-flying solitary bee was first found in Essex only twelve years ago and is known from only six other localities in the county - especially alongside the Colne estuary /Colchester area.

The Early Colletes Bees were seen burrowing into bare sand patches such as shown here in front of Waldegraves.

One of the fishing lakes at Waldegraves in the spring sunshine on Thursday.

A male kestrel perched on some trees by the Youth Camp on Thursday.

A female siskin was feeding in the alders beside the East Mersea Vineyard on Thursday, along with ten goldfinches. Earlier in the morning a male and female siskin were seen feeding here by Steve Entwistle and Martin Cock. Steve also noted 2 long-tailed tits, six fieldfares, great spotted woodpecker and three wrens in this area below the Vineyard. 

Martin Cock in addition also reported 30 fieldfares, 12 meadow pipits, 3 peacock butterflies and a grey squirrel during his visit to the Youth Camp area.

A blackcap was singing in Martin's West Mersea garden on Thursday.

Four linnets were noted near the Boating Lake on Thursday. On the side lake at high tide were 130 turnstones, 80 redshank, grey plover and two oystercatchers, also three little grebes, with a pair of mute swans in a nearby arable field.

A clump of Lesser Celandine was in flower in front of the Youth Camp on Thursday.

On Wednesday 4th this Mediterranean gull with a metal ring on its leg was seen along the Strood Channel. Other birds of interest seen during the walk along the Strood seawall included 100 brent geese, 50 shelduck, 50 wigeon, 34 grey plover, ten dunlin and three knot.

In the Strood fields on Wednesday were 30 golden plover, 11 corn buntings perched on wires, stonechat, 50 linnets and also four rock pipits along the seawall.

A song thrush was seen near Feldy View and there were four blackcaps in the Firs Chase garden

SOAKING UP THE SUN

The adders were making the most of the early spring sunshine at Cudmore Grove with seven individuals seen on Tuesday 3rd. This one flattening its body out to catch as much of the sun's rays.

Seven adders are the most individuals to have ever appeared at Cudmore Grove during the first week of March. 

A pale male adder with the clear zig-zag markings along the back. This male will probably be dancing with rival males at the end of this month and if successful, will be mating with the females soon after.

Three tufted ducks were on the park dyke on Tuesday, six gadwall were on the park pond with four little egrets, while a chiffchaff was singing loud and continuously from the trees beside the pond. More likely an overwintering bird than a recent arrival. A goldcrest was with a tit flock in the park.

On the park fields at least one lapwing was displaying and three other birds were seen on the fields, also 85 curlew feeding and roosting here, five shoveler, two greylag geese seen, while 200 wigeon were on the inundated saltmarsh at high tide.

Andy Field visited Feldy View on Tuesday morning and saw a chiffchaff there and a possible second bird nearby, also a goldcrest. In the Strood fields were a great white egret and fifty golden plover.

A green woodpecker was feeding in a grass paddock near the Nothe, behind the Dabchicks on Monday 2nd. A second green woodpecker was heard yaffling near the Firs Chase Caravan park and two male great spotted woodpeckers were drumming in the area.

The wintering firecrest was seen in trees beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Monday, the chiffchaff was beside Feldy View and a sparrowhawk went through the Firs Chase gardens.

Along the Strood channel on Monday were 150 brent geese, a marsh harrier and two buzzards passing over. 

A grey plover was resting on top of a post as the tide came in along the Strood on Monday. Three Mediterranean gulls were in a field, also two stonechats and two rock pipits seen too.

Andy Field noted four buzzards heading south between Mill Road and Strood Hill on Monday morning. 

At Maydays and Reeveshall Martin Cock reported two buzzards, six marsh harriers, also two great white egrets in Broad Fleet, with several pairs of lapwing displaying and two red-legged partridges also seen.

Jodie from the Bird Aware Essex team reported a marsh harrier, avocet, great crested grebe, pochard among several species seen at Cudmore Grove on Monday.

The cherry plum blossom has burst out rapidly in many places in recent days, such as on this little sapling in front of the Firs Caravan park.

A female pochard was photographed by Peter Marchington on the country park pond on Sunday.

A pair of gadwall photographed by Peter on Sunday at the park pond.

The pair of gadwall again photographed by Peter at the park pond on Sunday.

Birds of note seen from the Strood seawall on Sunday included a marsh harrier, two great crested grebes, 30 golden plover, 3 lesser black-backed gulls, 40 linnets and 2 stonechats in a field, 500 brent geese near Peldon, while a song thrush and redwing were noted at Feldy View. Two blackcaps were in the Firs Chase garden again.

A pair of red-legged partridge was seen by Jack Hoy looking totally bewildered running about the road outside Tesco. A red squirrel was also seen crossing the road near the Fox pub on Sunday.

The overwintering chiffchaff was in Feldy View on Friday 27th, while by the nearby seawall were 20 linnets, three stonechats and a Cetti's warbler. A marsh harrier and a buzzard passed over as did a pair of greylag geese. Along the channel were four great crested grebes, 70 shelduck, 150 dunlin, 45 black-tailed godwits and one avocet.

Four red-breasted mergansers were seen on Friday by Peter Marchington on the sea opposite Shears Court - possibly three of the same birds seen earlier off the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle.

Andy Field reported seeing the first hedgehog of the year in his High Street North garden on Saturday night.

The main birds of interest on Thursday 26th along the Strood channel were a marsh harrier, great crested grebe, 100 wigeon, 100 golden plover, greylag goose, 20 linnets and a corn bunting flying south-west. A chiffchaff and singing song thrush were in Feldy View, while two blackcaps were on the fat-balls in the Firs Chase garden.

Carrie Horwood reported on Thursday at East Mersea, a merlin hunting the paddocks near Ivy Farm, 2 noisy water rails near the Oyster Fishery and a goldcrest near the bus turning circle car park.

A Dotted Border was one of 16 moths of four species at the Firs Chase moth trap on March 1st.

HINT OF SPRING

There was the feeling of spring in the air on a sunny Wednesday 25th. Several butterflies were on the wing including this small tortoiseshell along the front of the Firs Chase caravan park. Nice to see this so early, after such a poor showing last year.

This battered peacock butterfly was enjoying the sunshine in Feldy View, another was seen on the seawall and one by the edge of West Mersea. However it was the brimstone butterflies that caught the eye with seven being seen during the walk from Firs Chase, to Feldy View, then past the caravan park and back to Firs Chase. 

Elsewhere a brimstone was reported on Monday from Cudmore Grove by Martin Cock, while two were in Adrian Amos's East Road garden along with a peacock there.

A goldfinch perched near Feldy View and a song thrush was inside Feldy View on Wednesday. A firecrest and blackcap were seen along the path beside the Firs Caravan park and a great spotted woodpecker heard drumming.

Steve Entwistle saw the chiffchaff in Feldy View and a pair of song thrushes with a blackcap alongside the caravan park. Also a brimstone and a stonechat near the seawall.

A male shoveler was resting on the mud along the Strood channel on Wednesday. In the fields were 100 golden plover, while four buzzards were seen in the air, two flying over Ray Island, the other two over the fields. Two male reed buntings were singing along the borrowdyke.

At Cudmore Grove Martin Cock reported a pochard and a goldcrest on Wednesday.

The overwintering chiffchaff was feeding beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Tuesday 24th, doing a bit of flycatching from the branches of a tree near the seawall. A female blackcap was seen in the same tree.

Three stonechats were by the Strood seawall on Tuesday, a greenfinch was heard singing here too. In the fields were 18 golden plover, two avocets in the Strood channel, buzzard perched on a tree, while a sparrowhawk flashed through the Firs Chase gardens.

Andy Field walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Tuesday and reported a peregrine, pair of kestrels at their box, displaying ringed plovers at the Point, pair of pintail in the Colne and two pochard on the dyke.

A male reed bunting was singing by the Strood dyke on Monday 23rd with a second male singing nearby. In Feldy View the overwintering chiffchaff was also doing a spot of quiet singing from the perimeter hedge.

The few birds of note seen during the Strood seawall walk included three marsh harriers, 20 avocets, 2 shoveler, 2 stonechats and 110 golden plover in the field.

On Sunday 22nd the black brant was near the Strood seawall with a dozen other brent geese. Around 500 brent geese were seen in the Ray Channel / Peldon area, a pair of Egyptian geese was feeding on the Peldon side while a single bird flew to Bower Hall. A great white egret was seen flying along the Peldon seawall, three marsh harriers were seen and a red kite over Barrow Hill.

Walking the new coastal footpath beside the Strood fishing lakes, provided views of seven pochard and ten mallard.

The new coastal path, soon to be officially opened, passes along the top of the seawall above the Strood junction, which enables walkers to stay off the busy road.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday two pairs of stonechat, two rock pipits, two kestrels and 60 avocets in the channel were seen. A firecrest was along the path beside the Firs Chase caravan park, while four blackcaps were feeding in the Firs Chase garden again.

A buzzard flew over the Bower Hall saltmarsh on Saturday, three other buzzards and three marsh harriers were seen too, while a peregrine flew over the Bower Hall farm buildings. 

The top end of the Pyefleet channel by Bower Hall on Saturday saw forty teal, 20 shelduck and ten wigeon, while the leucistic redshank was with 100 other redshank. A flock of fifty chaffinches were by a game crop near the paramotor field, three yellowhammers, three reed buntings, two meadow pipits and two Cetti's warblers were noted during the walk from Maydays along the Bower Hall seawall. A red-legged partridge ran across a field at Maydays.

A brown hare was at Bower Hall and a common seal was on the Pyefleet saltmarsh.

The grazing fields at Cudmore Grove were looking ideal for wildfowl and waders with all the standing water here on Friday 20th. Estimates were made of the birds here during a rain shower, as part of the monthly wetland bird count having walked with Andy Field from Maydays to Cudmore Grove during the high tide period. 

Here at Cudmore Grove 750 wigeon and 500 brent geese were in the fields, also six greylag geese, pochard, four gadwall and 10 tufted ducks seen on the dyke and park pond. 

The borrowdyke at Cudmore Grove has filled up with water in recent days and flooded the folding path  inside the seawall. This might take some time to soak away as there's nowhere for it flow to!

At the start of the WeBS count at Maydays, a yellowhammer, two corn buntings, four brown hares, and a wisp of 25 snipe in a field were of note, while a great white egret over the Maydays marsh and ten pintail were seen in the Pyefleet. On Reeveshall 500 brent geese, 11 Canada geese and four greylag geese were feeding, while four red-breasted mergansers were in the Pyefleet. Six marsh harriers and three buzzards were seen, while a bar-tailed godwit flew off the Golfhouse pools area.

Carrie Horwood and Charlie Williams whilst doing the WeBS count along the Strood channel on Friday saw four goosander land briefly on the water before flying over Ray Island, black brant, kingfisher, green sandpiper, water rail, great white egret on the fields, 220 shelduck, 77 avocets, 3 snipe, 89 black-tailed godwits, 7 bar-tailed godwits, marsh harrier, a peregrine over Bonners saltings and a merlin over Cobmarsh island.

Carrie visited the Rewsalls marsh on Friday and reported 35 sanderling on the beach, 32 black-tailed godwits of note there, also two goldcrests in the trees. 

Birds noted along the Strood on Thursday 19th included this black-tailed godwit near the Dabchicks sailing club, also a bar-tailed godwit feeding in the channel. A great white egret was in the weedy field,  500 golden plover were in another field, also seen were a marsh harrier, buzzard, 50 linnets, two stonechats and two greylag geese flying along the Strood channel.

A song thrush and two blackcaps were in Firs Chase.

A flock of 500 golden plover was in a field by the Strood on Wednesday 18th, also three stonechats along the edge. A marsh harrier and buzzard were noted, 700 brent geese were over Ray Channel, while 20 avocets and five shoveler were the main birds of interest in the Strood.

At Maydays farm on Wednesday a male peregrine was seen sitting in a field, three marsh harriers, buzzard, 60 golden plover and two brown hares were seen by Martin Cock.

At the Esplanade Steve Entwistle saw a great northern diver on the sea and a red-throated diver flying west on Wednesday afternoon.

The RSPB carried out their second bird count of the winter on the beach recharge sites of Cobmarsh, Packing Marsh, Old Hall Point and Shingle-head Point, with the help of Stacey Belbin's Lady Grace boat on Tuesday 17th. One of the highlights for Kieren, Steve, Megan and I was seeing the regular purple sandpiper roosting on the Tollesbury beach recharge - pictured here in the centre asleep with turnstone, dunlin and ringed plover nearby. A great northern diver and two Slavonian grebes were seen near the entrance to Tollesbury Fleet, eight pintail and 140 oystercatchers were on Cobmarsh Island and 12 sanderling were on St Peters beach.

Steve Entwistle visited Cudmore Grove on Tuesday and saw 2 coot, 2 pairs of gadwall, 2 pochard, 5 tufted ducks and a red-throated diver. At Coopers Beach there were 200 turnstones, 7 grey plover, 10 ringed plover and 20 snipe flushed from near the counter wall beside the marsh. Later at the West Mersea Hard three black-tailed godwits and a ringed plover were seen by Steve.

Three red kites were seen on Tuesday flying over Barrow Hill by Rob Lee

The moth-trap was finally fired up during the last week of February as there were a few nights without any rain being forecast for a change. Three Oak Beauties appeared on the night of the 25th.

The first Hebrew Character was seen on the 24th.

Seven Common Quakers were noted on the 22nd Feb - the first night for the moth-trap this year.

March Moth.

STROOD GREAT WHITE

The regular great white egret was back again in the weedy fields beside the Strood on Monday 16th. It has been stalking the fields and borrowdyke for the last month or so - especially since the fields have become wetter.

The flooded borrowdyke beside the Strood seawall appears to have happened because the sluice flap has wedged open allowing seawater to pour in during the high tide! Usually the flap on the outside of the sluice is closed by the rising tide, which prevents seawater pouring in.

The black brant was feeding with 100 brent geese in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Monday 16th. In the channel were great crested grebe, 30 avocets and 100 dunlin.

A flock of nine fieldfares was on bushes beside the Strood seawall on Monday, also here was a pair of stonechats and fifty linnets. In the nearby field 500 golden plover were gathered, also a Mediterranean gull with some black-headed gulls. Two marsh harriers flew over, while a sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a kestrel over Feldy View.

Two blackcaps were in the Firs Chase garden on Monday.

A firecrest was photographed by Andy Field in Shop Lane on Saturday 14th.

The firecrest was in trees beside the layby at Fishponds Wood - Andy's photo.

Another of Andy's photos of the firecrest - the same bird was first seen several weeks ago in the same area. The other overwintering firecrest on the island is at West Mersea beside the Firs Chase caravan park.

Andy watched the harriers going into the Langenhoe roost from the Shop Lane seawall on Saturday later afternoon and counted 15 marsh harriers but no hen harrier. Also seen were three buzzards, ten pintail and 1000 brent geese on the Shop Lane field.

Steve Entwistle saw two little owls in Bromans Lane near the farm on Saturday late afternoon at dusk, with one of the birds calling behind the Bromans white house.

Nice to see the sun shining on Saturday over the Pyefleet channel, where four red-breasted mergansers, five pintail, ten shoveler, forty black-tailed godwits, thirty knot and the leucistic redshank were seen. Most of the five marsh harriers noted were over on Langenhoe.

The Big Farmland Bird Count was carried out for thirty minutes at Maydays farm beside this game cover crop on Saturday. The main birds noted were two buzzards, four song thrushes and a Cetti's warbler. A chiffchaff was seen in nearby bushes.

A wren made the most of Saturday's warm sunshine in the Firs Chase garden, sunbathing on the side of a tree!

On Friday 13th a skein of 18 white-fronted geese was heard calling first before being seen, as they flew up the Strood channel, passing over Ray Island as they continued to the north-east. A pair of Egyptian geese were seen briefly flying along the Feldy Marsh seawall. The great white egret was in the Strood fields, also the pair of stonechat and fifty linnets.

Three blackcaps were in the Firs Chase garden on the fatballs again on Friday.

Daryl Rhymes watched an adult little gull fly out of the Blackwater estuary on Friday, seen from the Esplanade. Twenty red-throated divers were also seen mostly flying east, also a great northern diver dropped in.

There was a larger than usual flock of 250 golden plover on the Strood field on Thursday. The pictures posted on this blogspot often lose their sharpness but there are 27 golden plover in this picture!

As well as the golden plover in the Strood field on Thursday, some of the 250 lapwings seen during the walk were in this field, also two great white egrets, grey heron and fifty linnets. Two marsh harriers, two buzzards were flying about, while a red-breasted merganser was in the channel.

Three redwing flew over Feldy View.

A jay rested in a tree beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday.

Steve Grimwade walked the Cudmore Grove to Shop Lane circuit on Wednesday 11th and noted a male hen harrier over Reeveshall, 3 marsh harriers, 16 red-breasted mergansers, sparrowhawk, four stonechats, 1500 brent geese including a colour-ringed bird. Also two grey squirrels in Shop Lane and two grey squirrels in Cudmore Grove.

Martin Cock at Maydays on Wednesday also saw the male hen harrier heading towards the Fingringhoe Wick nature reserve, a male marsh harrier, great white egret, 2 buzzards, 8 Canada geese and a calling water rail.

Andy Field heard a wigeon flying over his garden in High Street North late on Wednesday night - a garden tick!

The West Mersea firecrest beside the Firs Chase caravan park was seen on Tuesday by Andy Field.

Birds noted during a walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday included 52 avocets, two marsh harriers, buzzard, 60 golden plover, 80 linnets, 2 stonechat, 2 rock pipits, ten pied wagtails, male reed bunting singing and two song thrushes by the caravan park.

On Tuesday afternoon Steve Entwistle at Maydays reported 4 yellowhammers, 6 corn buntings, Cetti's warbler and a mute swan pair.

The previous afternoon on Monday 9th, Steve at Maydays reported water rail, 105 shelduck, 3 shoveler, 5 pintail, mute swan pair, 55 grey plover, 500 dunlin, Mediterranean gull, two redwing, 3 rock pipits, 3 corn buntings and 15 linnets. 

In Empress Drive Steve saw a mobile flock of 12 fieldfares and also 13 goldfinches.