MERSEA WILDLIFE: June 2026

At least two oystercatcher chicks could be seen in the dinghy near the Dabchicks sailing club, being looked after by their parents on Wednesday 10th. An anxious time for the parent birds with people and dogs so close to the dinghy.

Another oystercatcher was looking concerned on the Strood seawall on Wednesday, although no sign of any youngsters nearby. In the Strood channel were two great crested grebes, three common terns, a curlew and a lapwing. Two great spotted woodpeckers flew from the Firs Caravan park, then over the Strood channel towards Ray Island. A large flock of 150 swifts was circling high over the Peldon fields, feeding as they flew about.

A red kite flew over the Strood fields and two buzzards were also seen in the air. A sedge warbler and two whitethroats were along the Strood dyke, also eight swallows seen during the walk.

An unexpected sight in Feldy View on Wednesday was this family gathering of five recently fledged goldcrest youngsters, huddled together in a pine tree waiting for their parents to come back to feed them. There's been no sign of any goldcrests in the area all spring, so maybe this family has come from The Lane area. A cuckoo was seen flying towards Feldy View.

Butterflies in Feldy View included 3 Small Heaths, 3 Meadow Browns, 2 Holly Blues, Red Admiral and a Comma.

A young goldfinch with the brown head was following a parent about in Feldy View as it fed on the flower seed-heads on Wednesday.

At East Mersea on Wednesday morning, Martin Cock reported black-headed gulls on nests on the saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse, also a pair of common terns and avocet possibly nesting. A redshank chick also seen.

Martin heard a goldcrest singing in conifers opposite his house in The Coverts on Wednesday.

Andy Field photographed these two swallows at Cudmore Grove by the park pond, with one of the birds briefly joining him in the bird-hide on Wednesday morning.

Andy also photographed a cuckoo perched in the alders by the country park pond on Wednesday.

At the end of Wednesday afternoon as the clouds thickened and conditions turned blustery, a flock of 90 swifts headed north and low over the Firs Chase house in a ten minute spell.

Michael Thorley photographed this Tachina fera fly on his garden cornflower marigolds in his East Mersea on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 9th a family of blackcaps was seen in the bushes beside the Firs Chase caravan park, with two of the recently fledged birds seen here waiting to be fed.

Another of the recently fledged blackcap chicks seen by the Firs Chase caravan park on Tuesday.

Butterflies seen in Feldy View included this tatty Painted Lady resting on a bench.

Three Meadow Browns were seen in Feldy View, also three Small Heaths and two Holly Blues.

Half a dozen Bryony Bees were feeding on the white bryony flowers beside the path down the side of the Firs Caravan park on Tuesday.

Looking north over the Strood channel, the sky behind Ray Island was as black as night-time on Tuesday late morning, as the western side of Colchester got hammered with rain.

Birds seen along the channel included a great crested grebe, three common terns, while over the fields were two marsh harriers, two buzzards and two kestrels. A peregrine was seen flying north over the Firs Chase caravans as it headed over the channel towards Peldon.

In the Strood dyke were three singing sedge warblers, two reed warblers, whitethroat, two reed buntings and also six linnets seen. Ten swifts were flying over the West Mersea houses.

A fox was checking out the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday evening.

Michael Thorley alerted the Bird Aware Essex coast team about this oystercatcher nest with eggs that he found on the beach on Tuesday near the East Mersea blockhouse.

On a brief visit to the Strood channel on Monday 8th a pair of Canada geese was seen with three half-grown goslings feeding on the saltmarsh in front of Feldy Marsh. Six shelduck and two common terns were the only other birds of note in the channel, while two reed warblers and four whitethroats were seen by the seawall.

Birds noted on Sunday 7th during a brief Strood visit included a red kite over the fields, Canada goose flying down channel, five shelduck and a whitethroat. Three oystercatcher chicks were seen in the dinghy near the Dabchicks sailing club.

David Bullock in East Mersea was pleased to find this female Stag Beetle in his garden along East Mersea road near the turning for North Farm on Sunday 7th.

David has been fortunate to have seen in his East Mersea garden both the female Stag Beetle this year and a male two years ago. Possible signs there's a small breeding population nearby maybe.

David also photographed a redshank standing on a fencepost at the Cudmore Grove grazing fields on Sunday.

A barn owl was seen by Jack Hoy on Sunday, as it flew towards him on the bird hide path with something in its talons heading towards the Cudmore Grove pond, maybe to the nestbox there.

A Common Broomrape was flowering again in a front garden in Strood Close on Sunday. It was seen two years ago here and seems the only location on the island for it.

Andy Field's trail camera saw this fox cub visit his garden and go inside the hedgehog feeding station on Saturday 6th.

Thirty swifts were seen on Saturday flying over the West Mersea houses seen from the Strood seawall. Two kestrels, two reed warblers, two whitethroats and a reed bunting were seen, while two curlew were on the saltmarsh on Ray Island.

On Friday 5th a barn owl was seen in the evening at 8pm, hunting the seawall near the bottom of the Strood Hill.

A green woodpecker was seen feeding amongst the long grass in Feldy View on Wednesday 3rd. A lesser whitethroat was heard singing in Feldy View.

Recent moths seen included this Yellow Shell during the day in Feldy View.

Broad-barred White in the Firs Chase garden moth trap.

Lychnis.

Miller above, and a very dark Large Yellow Underwing pictured below.

Very excited to find this rare immigrant Striped Hawkmoth come crashing into the back garden at 2am on Tuesday 2nd as I was clearing away the moth trap in the drizzle.

There has been a recent influx into mainly southern England of several Striped Hawkmoths, including half a dozen into Essex. This one is the first record for Mersea Island. After posing for a few photos, it was released and it flew away like a bullet, without any hint of a backward glance!

Other Hawkmoths into the Firs Chase back garden on the night of the 1st were this Eyed Hawkmoth.

The first Poplar Hawkmoth of the spring was this late one on the 1st. There were three Elephant Hawkmoths also in the trap that same night.

A Pine Hawkmoth was noted two nights earlier on the 29th May.

A young pied wagtail was begging for food from the male, seen on Tuesday 2nd near Feldy View. A cuckoo was heard calling, five swifts were over the houses while a curlew and six shelduck were in the Strood channel.

Eighty swifts were seen by Martin Cock drifting west over his West Mersea house in The Coverts on Tuesday morning.

A pair of red-legged partridge was photographed by Steve Entwistle in the Maydays farmyard on Tuesday late afternoon. Also noted there were 3 male yellowhammers, whitethroat, four reed warblers and a male marsh harrier.

A female green woodpecker dropped down into the back-garden of the Firs Chase house on Monday 1st.

The green woodpecker spent a minute having a drink from the half-barrel of water in the garden, before flying off. First time a woodpecker has been seen coming down to drink from here.

A Painted Lady was also seen feeding in the garden.

A trio of recently fledged swallows waited to be fed at the back of the Dabchicks Sailing Club on Monday.

Other birds noted on the short visit to the Strood included a common tern, two great crested grebes, cuckoo, while a sparrowhawk and yellow wagtail were noted flying over Feldy View.

A Holly Blue was feeding in Feldy View on Monday, as were three others.

Two Red Admirals were also feeding on the cherry laurel bush in Feldy View on Monday, and a Painted Lady too. Also in Feldy View were a Large Skipper, Common Blue, Small Heath, Small White and an Emperor Dragonfly.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was photographed by Michael Thorley as it fed on some Sweet William in his East Mersea garden on Monday afternoon.

Martin Cock visited Maydays farm on Monday and reported seeing a red kite, two buzzards and a pair of yellowhammers.

On Sunday 31st a red kite was seen flying over the Strood fields late morning, also a marsh harrier and buzzard noted, while on Ray Island there were three Egyptian geese and two brent geese. A great crested grebe was in the Strood channel and fourteen swifts were flying over the West Mersea houses.

A Meadow Brown and Painted Lady were in Feldy View.

At East Mersea on Sunday, two common terns were seen feeding off the Point by Carrie Horwood.

At Cudmore Grove in the evening, Steve Entwistle watched the barn owl over the grazing fields - seen from the bird hide, also a hobby flew close by the hide, a cuckoo, two swallows and grey heron at the pond. A cuckoo was also seen flying across the fields by Bromans Lane.

A barn owl was seen by Carrie Horwood hunting the area of fields near the Strood fishing lakes on Sunday evening at 8pm and also Saturday evening.

The second swift egg was seen laid in the nestbox at Andy Field's house in High Street North on Saturday 30th. The picture taken from the nest-cam off the computer screen.

On Friday 29th along the Strood seawall was this shelduck - six were noted, also one Egyptian goose opposite the Dabchicks, great crested grebe, 3 little egrets, redshank and a lapwing.

This moulting gadwall was on the Strood borrowdyke on Friday, also along the dyke were stonechat, singing birds included four reed warblers, two sedge warblers, two reed buntings, two whitethroats. In the fields were twenty linnets, a yellow wagtail flew into the fields, two kestrels, buzzard and two calling cuckoos were heard.

A Common Blue and Painted Lady were in Feldy View on Friday morning.