BLACK REDSTART BY BEACH HUTS

A female / immature black redstart was found by the beach huts along the Victoria Esplanade by Andy Field, who took this photograph, on Thursday 22nd. The bird was heard calling and was found on top of one of the beach huts near the Two Sugars Cafe. It was later watched feeding in and around one area of the beach huts.

Jon Ward took this photograph of the black redstart found feeding amongst the beach huts on Thursday.

The black redstart was still present mid- afternoon in the same general area near the Two Sugars Cafe on Thursday. It was good at playing hide and seek between the beach huts, as it soon disappeared out of view for a while before being found behind some other beach huts.

A buzzard was seen flying east along the Esplanade and a Mediterranean gull was on the foreshore.

Also on Thursday morning from the Esplanade were an Arctic tern, red-throated diver and six Sandwich terns seen offshore by Andy Field.

A flock of oystercatchers was seen roosting on the saltmarsh along the Strood channel on Thursday. 

In the main reedbed along the borrowdyke a bearded tit was heard pinging and was seen briefly as it dropped into the reeds. Later in the morning Carrie Horwood managed to see the male bearded tit flying towards her for about six metres before dropping into the reedbed.

Four stonechats were along the Strood dyke and a rock pipit was along the seawall while a chiffchaff was by the caravan park.

 

A flock of 100 black-tailed godwits were resting on the mud near the Dabchicks Sailing Club on Thursday. Ten great black-backed gulls were by the Hard. 

The single resident ring-necked parakeet was seen flying over Firs Chase gardens squawking loudly late afternoon on Thursday.

A mistle thrush was seen feeding in the small paddock beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Wednesday 21st - the first sighting this year in the West Mersea area. Two chiffchaffs and 30 goldfinches were in Feldy View. Two stonechats, 40 linnets and a rock pipit were seen from the Strood seawall.

A shelduck was in the Strood channel on Wednesday. Four Egyptian geese flew over the Strood channel heading to Abberton reservoir, also a pair of greylag geese, 70 teal, 2 grey herons and a mute swan seen. A flock of 240 black-tailed godwits was counted on the mud behind the Dabchicks sailing club. Other waders of note in the Strood were 150 dunlin and 60 golden plover.

An Arctic skua was seen by Andy Field from the Esplanade as it flew out of the Blackwater estuary on Wednesday.

Martin Cock reported seeing a kingfisher, nine Egyptian geese and forty golden plover at Maydays farm on Wednesday.

A late sand martin was seen flying rather rapidly over the Legion Field by Richard Brown on Wednesday.

Birds noted during a late morning walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday 20th included 15 brent geese - three pictured above, nine Egyptian geese flew north-east over the fields, then a single Egyptian goose returned back down the Strood channel towards the Hard. Also along the channel were 140 teal, 200 golden plover, 50 Mediterranean gulls, bar-tailed godwit, 100 black-tailed godwits, red kite, marsh harrier and five stonechats. Three fieldfares were briefly in Feldy View and three song thrushes were in the paddock by the caravan park.

On Monday 19th at Cudmore Grove Country Park, Martin Cock reported a red-throated diver, stonechat, Cetti's warbler, chiffchaff, goldcrest and a tawny owl heard calling from the back of the pond. 

Late on Monday afternoon a male eider was seen on the sea drifting towards the Hard by Martin Cock from the Esplanade.

Along the Strood channel on Monday were three greenshank, bar-tailed godwit, 150 black-tailed godwits and 20 little grebes, while three buzzards, marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk also noted. In the Strood fields were 5 corn buntings, 15 reed buntings, 35 linnets, 3 stonechats, 30 skylarks and a Cetti's warbler in the reeds. Twenty goldfinches were by Feldy View and a brambling flew over west calling.

At dusk in fading light the silhouettes of at least six Egyptian geese were seen and heard calling loudly as they flew west over the Firs Chase garden on Monday early evening.

 

A great spotted woodpecker perched on a tree in Feldy View on Sunday 18th. During the morning a steady flow of redwings was seen with several flocks of up to 40 birds totalling about 200, flew west over the Firs Road cemetery. This was over a period of an hour and a half during the mid-morning period. Also seen were five fieldfares, while there was also a steady passage of 100 chaffinches in several flocks flying west, one brambling was heard calling. Two red kites also flew west low over the Firs Road cemetery.

From the Strood seawall on Sunday morning 72 wigeon, 25 teal, 15 little grebes, 100 black-tailed godwits, 3 buzzards and a sparrowhawk were noted.

Three song thrushes were seen feeding in the paddock by the Firs Chase caravan park on Sunday. From the Strood seawall 72 wigeon, 25 teal, 15 little grebes, 100 black-tailed godwits, 3 buzzards and a sparrowhawk were noted.

Offshore from the Esplanade, a red-throated diver was seen on Sunday by Andy Field. Elsewhere on the Island, Andy saw two red kites low over Bocking Hall, then at Stone Point 30 meadow pipits and a rock pipit, while 14 moulting shoveler were seen on the country park pond.

Daniel Woollard reported seeing a visible migration taking place over Cudmore Grove on Sunday morning with 257 woodpigeons heading west, 24 stock doves, 6 skylarks, 17 meadow pipits, 19 starlings and 16 redwing all heading west as well.

On Saturday at Maydays farm 2 red kites, 5 buzzards and a marsh harrier were seen. In the Maydays and Reeveshall fields there were 20 skylarks, two pairs of stonechats, three yellowhammers and a rock pipit along the saltmarsh. Along the Pyefleet were 8 avocets, 300 dunlin, 3 knot, 30 oystercatchers and ten great crested grebes.

A Clouded Yellow was seen beside the seawall.

Earlier in the morning twenty redwing were seen flying west over the Firs Chase garden.

Martin Cock saw a spoonbill flying east over the Strood causeway at the end of Saturday afternoon.

A kestrel was photographed by Mark Thomson sitting on a bush by the Strood fields on Friday 16th.

A buzzard photographed in Cross Lane by Mark Thomson on Friday. Nearby off Waldegraves there were six Sandwich terns, a few Mediterranean gulls and common gulls amongst the black-headed and herring gulls.

A pair of stonechat was feeding along the Strood seawall near the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday 15th. Forty house sparrows were also feeding on the seawall in the same area.

A grey plover seen in the Strood channel on Thursday.

A curlew also feeding along the Strood on Thursday, also of note were 60 black-tailed godwits, marsh harrier and thirty teal. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was along the seawall.

Mark Thomson photographed this poorly mute swan by the Hard on Thursday. It was later picked up at the Strood and taken into care as it had an untreated angel wing condition with deformed bones in the wing.

A Mallow moth was seen in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on the 19th.

 Silver Y moth.

Angle Shades

Another appearance at the moth trap this year of a Variable Cockroach with 3 on the 19th and one on the 14th. These followed an earlier one on the 6th October and first one this year on the 17th August. Last autumn it was noted at the moth trap on four nights in October and early November. A species that is still relatively new to Essex but on the increase from the south.