ELUSIVE REDSTART

Four sedge warblers were singing along the Strood dyke on Monday 13th, as was a reed warbler although it was tucked deep inside the reedbed and a whitethroat was along the dyke too.

The highlight of the morning was a male redstart seen very briefly in Feldy View. It perched on the top of the boundary hedge for a couple of seconds - long enough to enjoy the colourful markings of the head and chest, before it disappeared. It was only seen very briefly later in the morning by Martin Cock and remained elusive for others who came to look.

Also on Monday 13th a red kite flew north-west over the Strood fields, before crossing over to Ray Island. Two buzzards and a sparrowhawk were also seen during the walk. In the channel two great crested grebes, three whimbrel and forty redshank were noted, a pair of gadwall flew into the Strood dyke while ten brent geese were seen from the Hard.

Nice to see a male wheatear in the rough Strood field on Monday, though it was a pity it was so distant in the middle of the field. The resident pair of stonechat was in their usual spot near the corner reedbed, but another male was seen halfway along the seawall by the central ditch. Two swallows were by the Dabchicks. The ring-necked parakeet was heard calling in Firs Chase earlier in the morning.

Steve Entwistle visited Feldy View a couple of times on Monday and while the redstart didn't show, he did note green woodpecker, blackcap, four robins, pair of great tits, chiffchaff and also a song thrush down the side of the caravan park. By the Strood channel there were two avocets, 15 redshank, 3 curlew, 2 lesser black-backed gulls, red-legged partridge and 8 linnets. 

Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit on Monday morning and noted 4 chiffchaffs, 2 whitethroats, "more blackcaps than you can shake a stick at", red kite, 2 avocets on the pools, yellow wagtail flying over, 5 or 6 pairs of lapwing in the fields and 2 pairs of ringed plover at the Point.

A nightingale was heard singing by the dyke at East Mersea between the Oyster Fishery and Ivy Dock on Monday by Mark and Jane Dixon.

Michael Thorley photographed this queen wasp in his garden in East Mersea on Monday.

A False widow spider photographed by Michael on Monday in his garden.

Rob Lee reported on Monday morning a stoat nesting in his kitchen ceiling at Barrow Hill, while Carrie Horwood was pleased to see a hedgehog in her Fairhaven Avenue garden the previous night.

On Sunday 12th there were four whimbrel seen along the Strood channel, this one quite close to the seawall, while the others were flying up channel calling as they went. Three great crested grebes were in the channel and a lapwing flew to Feldy Marshes.

Three sedge warblers, whitethroat and stonechat were along the Strood dyke, also four little egrets here, while a buzzard seen, four swallows were seen flying north and two by the Dabchicks.

Martin Cock found two wheatears at Maydays farm on Sunday, also a greenshank, 35 grey plover, leucistic redshank, marsh harrier, two whitethroats and two sedge warblers.

A yellow wagtail was seen by Michael Thorley drinking from his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Sunday afternoon.

Rob Lee photographed this resident pheasant that comes each day to his house at Barrow Hill.

Birds noted at Maydays Farm on Saturday 11th included five marsh harriers, three buzzards, pair of red-legged partridge, ten stock doves, four great crested grebes, four grey plover, the leucistic redshank with fifty other redshank and at least six lapwing on one Reeveshall field. 

A lesser whitethroat singing was the first back onto the Island this spring, two whitethroats, three Cetti's warblers, yellow wagtail flew over, ten linnets and six swallows were the main birds noted.

Three brown hares were seen running about a cultivated field.

There was the very unexpected sight over the Firs Chase garden on Friday of a common crane flying overhead. It was only seen because it was heard doing two or three brief trumpeting calls which made me look up - luckily I was in the garden at the time.

The common crane circled round several times, gaining height as it drifted north-east, where it was luckily seen at the same time by Andy Field circling high over his garden in High Street North.

The common crane soon stopped circling and turned back to the west where it was last seen heading back over Firs Chase and The Hard in the direction of Old Hall. It was heard calling several times as it was passing overhead. A buzzard was seen heading west over the garden too.

As well as the crane, other birds seen by Andy Field on Friday while looking skywards from his High Street North garden included 2 red kites, 8 buzzards, sparrowhawk, a kestrel and also two Mediterranean gulls.

Three red kites were seen on Friday during a walk along the Strood seawall, also two marsh harriers and two buzzards. At least 30 Mediterranean gulls were seen, some in the channel while others following a tractor working a nearby field. Two sedge warblers, reed warbler, whitethroat and stonechat were seen from the seawall.

Along the Strood channel on Friday were three great crested grebes, whimbrel, 25 curlew, two black-tailed godwits, 100 redshank, two dunlin and four little egrets.

A willow warbler and whitethroat were seen by Martin Cock on Friday morning along the path in East Mersea between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane.

Rob Lee saw eight shelduck on the Barrow Hill meadow on Friday morning.

Two corn buntings perched in a tree by the Strood seawall on Thursday 9th. Also seen by the Strood were red kite, buzzard, 2 great crested grebes, 2 black-tailed godwits, 50 redshank, 5 Mediterranean gulls and stonechat.

Butterflies noted included orange-tip by Feldy View, 3 brimstones and one in the garden, peacock, small white and a comma. A slow-worm was sunning itself along the path, south side of the Firs Caravan park. Jack Hoy saw a brimstone butterfly in his Mersea Avenue garden.

Martin Cock visited the Strood earlier on Thursday morning and noted six sedge warblers, reed warbler, two whitethroats, two chiffchaff, blackcap, 2 whimbrel, red kite and several Mediterranean gulls.

Rob Lee saw five buzzards and two swallows at Barrow Hill on Thursday. 

Michael Thorley heard a blackcap singing behind his garden near Meeting Lane, also a bat flying over his garden at dusk on Thursday.

The first swallow back at the Dabchicks Sailing Club was seen perched on a boat cable nearby on Wednesday 8th - two others were seen over the Yacht Club which presumably were also the same two seen earlier over Feldy View. Birds seen along the Strood seawall were 12 brent geese, four avocets, two black-tailed godwits, 12 turnstones, Mediterranean gull, buzzard, stonechat and a sedge warbler. A willow warbler was singing at the bottom corner of the Firs Chase caravan park and a red kite was over the Peldon fields. Two brimstone butterflies were seen during the walk.

Andy Field also visited the Strood seawall on Wednesday morning and saw two sedge warblers singing along the dyke. Steve Entwistle saw a showy song thrush and four brimstones in the area of Feldy View and the side of the caravan park.

Rob Lee reported a male hen harrier flying over the West Mersea Hard towards Old Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Later a nightingale was heard singing on Ray Island - a site where one was heard last year, also on the Ray whitethroat, chiffchaff and a blackcap.

In East Mersea Martin Cock saw two whitethroats, chiffchaff, blackcaps everywhere and 38 black-tailed godwits all near the Oyster Fishery on Wednesday morning.

At Cudmore Grove Simon Patient saw an adder and grass-snake Wednesday late afternoon.

A short-eared owl was photographed by Andy Field on Tuesday 7th being mobbed by carrion crows as it crossed over the Colne at Cudmore Grove.

Later in the day Andy watched a barn owl hunting over the fields by the Strood fishing lakes in the evening.

A swallow was seen by Rob Lee flying over Barrow Hill on Tuesday evening.

Three swallows were seen by Jack Hoy at Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane on Tuesday.

Birds noted from the Strood seawall on Tuesday included ten Mediterranean gulls, two buzzards, sedge warbler singing, stonechat, ten linnets, three lapwing flying over the Peldon seawall and ten great black-backed gulls by the Hard.

A Swallow Prominent came to the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 8th.