HEATWAVE CONTINUES

A lesser whitethroat was feeding in the trees in Feldy View on a very hot and windy Tuesday 14th. There was very little bird activity late morning in the ongoing heatwave.

The lesser whitethroat was picking off insects in some of the silver birch trees in Feldy View. A whitethroat was the only bird of interest in Feldy View and a song thrush seen nearby during the middle part of the day. Forty swifts were flying over the West Mersea houses and ten swallows by the Dabchicks.

Twenty two lapwings flew off Ray Island when a buzzard flew over, also ten little egrets seen on the saltmarshes at high tide.

Two Wall Browns were in Feldy View on Tuesday, also 30 Brown Argus, 20 Common Blues, 70 Gatekeepers, 50 Meadow Browns and a Painted Lady.

Two Six-spot Burnet moths were feeding on a lavender bush in Feldy View on Tuesday.

Amongst lots of grasshoppers in Feldy View was this Meadow Grasshopper on lavender.

A Painted Lady feeding on buddleia in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday afternoon.

A Ruby Tiger in the garden moth trap in Firs Chase in Monday evening was the first of the summer.

Seven Elephant Hawkmoths and a Pine Hawkmoth also noted.

A Small Mottled Willow moth - one of several this summer.

The first Tree-lichen Beauty was on the night of the 13th.

Hedgehogs are still regular visitors to the garden of Carrie Horwood in Fairhaven Avenue.

A badger was recorded in Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden at 3.30am on Tuesday morning.

A Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly was photographed by Peter Marchington on the East Mersea Golfhouse path on Monday evening.

A pair of Mediterranean gulls on the beach near Shears Crescent on Sunday 12th was the first ones Peter had seen here since March.

A greenshank was seen by the Strood causeway on Sunday by Steve Entwistle.

This male Oak Eggar moth was photographed by Peter Marchington in his Shears Court flat on Saturday 11th.

A pair of swifts was seen flying low over Shears Crescent on Saturday morning by Peter.

Meanwhile a female Oak Eggar moth was photographed by Steve Entwistle on his Empress Drive house on Saturday.

On Friday 10th at the East Mersea Golfhouse pools on the saltmarsh were a pair of common terns with three large chicks on a pool drying out fast, pochard on the park dyke with 2 young, yellow wagtails and ten Mediterranean gulls - all seen by Martin Cock.

Michael Thorley saw a male yellow wagtail at his garden pond in East Mersea, also a female blackcap, whitethroat in the garden and a young linnet in his fruit cage on Friday.

A badger was filmed in Michael Thorley's garden in East Mersea near Meeting Lane on Wednesday night.

A fox also in Michael's garden on Wednesday 8th.

Michael Thorley photographed this Hummingbird Hawkmoth in his East Mersea garden on Tuesday 7th.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth photographed by Michael.

Daniel Woollard had an evening stroll at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday and reported a barn owl hunting along the grazing marsh, 8 black-tailed godwits on the mud and 25 Mediterranean gulls with lots of young too. A badger showed well from the bird-hide about 10pm and a pair of little owl was feeding on the ground along Bromans Lane.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen by Steve Entwistle on Sunday 5th in his Empress Drive garden.

On Friday 3rd Martin Cock reported 2 common terns and 3 largish chicks on the Golfhouse pools at East Mersea, also several black-headed gulls chicks there, 6 Mediterranean gulls, Sandwich tern and a red kite were in the area.

A brimstone butterfly was in Martin Cock's West Mersea garden on Friday.

Michael Thorley saw a red-legged partridge on his neighbour's garage roof near Meeting Lane in East Mersea on Friday.

A Large Marsh Horsefly Tabanus autumnalis was photographed by Carrie Horwood in her Fairhaven Avenue house on Thursday 2nd.

Andy Field saw two red kites separately over his garden in High Street North on Thursday afternoon.

Martin Cock saw a Marbled White butterfly and a marsh harrier at Maydays farm on Thursday.

Andy Field photographed this long-tailed tit in Shop Lane during his visit to the nearby seawall on Wednesday 1st. A distant osprey was seen perched on a post on the Geedon saltings, also seen were a whimbrel, 2 black-tailed godwits and 3 marsh harriers.

A Comma butterfly photographed by Andy during his visit to the Shop Lane and Reeveshall seawalls on Wednesday. Other butterflies noted were White-letter Hairstreak, Ringlet, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Large White, Small White, Small Skipper and also a Marbled White.

Steve Entwistle at Maydays farm on Wednesday also watched the distant osprey on the Geedons pole, two yellowhammers, yellow wagtail, 8 house martins, greenfinch and a Marbled White on the seawall and a Banded Demoiselle also seen.

On Monday 29th June in the evening the osprey was seen on the pole on the Geedons by Martin Cock, also twenty black-tailed godwits.