SUNSHINE ALONG STROOD

Finally there was some nice warm sunshine for a walk along the Strood seawall on Monday 30th. A quick visit to the Strood reservoirs pictured above, revealed a pair of great crested grebes, 10 mallard, reed warbler and whitethroat as well as a few coots and moorhen. A cuckoo perched on top of a tall tree calling near the East Mersea road and then called from trees near Strood Hill.

The hoary cress flowers are just about past their best alongside the seawall, although there haven't been many sunny days recently to enjoy them. The cuckoo first seen and heard near Strood Hill, flew low across the fields and perched in some bushes where it fed on some of the many tent-webs of brown-tail moth caterpillars. The cuckoo called a few times and then flew across off the Island towards the trees of Ray Island.

In the channel 2 avocets and 10 whimbrel were the main waders of note, while 2 common terns and a Mediterranean gull were noted too. A female marsh harrier was seen beside the Ray Channel but no sign of the short-eared owl on the Ray.

One wheatear flitted along the seawall, one corn bunting sang from one field while a second bird flew onto the Island from the Ray direction. One reed warbler, 2 whitethroats, yellow wagtail, 4 linnets and 3 reed buntings were seen along the walk.

The rape fields were looking very yellow and no doubt providing real misery for any hay fever sufferers at the moment. The sunshine brought lots more butterflies out and about than of late, with small tortoiseshell, peacock, small white, orange-tip, large white and green-veined white all noted on the wing during the walk. A common lizard was basking on an old wooden pole.

OWL WEEKEND

There was the unexpected find of this long-eared owl by Martin and Ann Cock at Maydays Farm on Sunday 29th. The discovery was quickly relayed to Steve, Andy and myself and we all abandoned whatever quiet Sunday afternoon activities we were doing and dashed down to see the bird.

Andy Field took these two photos of the owl as it perched on a fencepost with it ruffling its wings getting ready to fly, in the picture above. A few minutes earlier it had watched a fox walk close by which we thought might have flushed the bird.

Martin had first seen the long-eared owl as it flew along the borrowdyke towards a small plantation. He was surprised to find it wasn't the more often seen short-eared owl, but the scarcer long-eared owl. The last one seen on the Island was probably about ten years ago. This bird eventually took off and flew alongside a hedgerow for another 80 metres where it perched up for a few more minutes, with a few small birds making anxious calls beside it.

Other birds noted here were 5+ yellowhammers, house martin, cuckoo, pair of Canada geese and a couple of reed warblers were heard.

Earlier in the day a wheatear was seen on the beach at St Peters and a lesser whitethroat was heard singing. At the end of the day Steve walked the Strood seawall and noted cuckoo, whimbrel, 5 common terns and 2 swifts.

It turned out to be a good weekend for seeing the "eared-owls" as the previous day, I managed to see the short-eared owl again on Ray Island whilst walking the Strood seawall on Saturday. The bird was seen in the middle of the day flying low over the long grassland for several minutes. David Nicholls tells me that he has seen this owl several times over the last month. A cuckoo was also seen landing on a bush on the Ray, probably the same bird seen heard calling over the seawall on Friday.

The fields beside the Strood, pictured above, are mainly oil-seed rape although some are looking very patchy. One brent goose was still feeding in one field, a sparrowhawk flew up Strood Hill, four reed buntings were heard singing but only one corn bunting and also a little egret in the dyke.

In the channel 5 whimbrel were noted but other than 25 black-tailed godwits, very few other waders seen during the low tide.Two marsh harriers were flying over Feldy marshes and 2 common terns flying noisily up channel.

In Firs Chase 4 young moorhen chicks were seen at a pond near Firs Chase and some young robins have also fledged near here. The cuckoo flew over Firs Chase calling on Saturday as it headed towards Coast Road.

LAPWING CHICKS

The sea off the country park on Thursday 26th was still rough following more unsettled weather. It was a bit of a struggle to stand still in the strong wind whilst looking out to sea in the afternoon. No sign of any interesting birds offshore such as the two arctic skuas Martin Cock had seen from West Mersea the day before.

There was the colourful sight again on the grazing fields of 300+ black-tailed godwits during the high tide. The big highlight here however was the sight of at least 3 tiny lapwing chicks walking about the grass amongst the pools. One of the parents, presumably the mother, walked across and crouched over the chicks to give them some shelter. The parents have done well to get the eggs to hatch as the local foxes prowl around so much.

Also around the pools were snipe, several redshank, avocet, 25 teal, gadwall and mallard while close to the borrowdyke were two wheatears in each field.

The two nightingales were still singing at opposite ends of the car park, although not quite so much in the wet weather. Two chiffchaffs and two blackcaps and a whitethroat were also singing while a small flock of 10 linnets were noted too.

Earlier in the day a male marsh harrier was seen flying over fields near the East Mersea P.Y.O field. The day before a male marsh harrier was seen flying alongside the Strood causeway as it headed off the island.

Another disappointing mothing session on Tuesday night with only twelve moths noted. Two species made their first appearances of the year with an oak tree pug and 3 frosted green moths, one of them pictured above. The hebrew characters are still outnumbering the other moths with common quaker the only other species noted.

SPOONBILL SURPRISE

Recent rains have topped up the pools in the park's grazing fields to the levels they were in late winter. There was more rain at the start of Tuesday 24th but then the day brightened up.
Having teamed up with Martin Cock for a walk along the seawall, we were surprised to find the juvenile spoonbill feeding on the edge of the mudflats. Martin had also seen the bird flying north over the fields yesterday so maybe it'll stay in the area for a while.

There appeared to be a small influx of wheatears with 8 birds seen in 3 different locations. By the end of the afternoon all eight were together in one of the fields with 6 of the birds being males. A swift flew east over the Point, 3 whimbrel were seen near the Point, 2 singing whitethroats were heard by the seawall, while a sedge warbler singing at the pond was a new bird in.

A male marsh harrier was mobbed by 2 common terns as it headed upriver and a great crested grebe and a common seal were seen near the mouth of the Colne. Two pairs of avocets were in the area still and two brent geese were on the saltmarsh near the Golfhouse.

Despite the shower squalls, the two nightingales were still singing on and off during the day from opposite ends of the car park. On the pools 200 black-tailed godwits roosted and also present were 6 snipe, 6 redshank, 25 teal, pair of wigeon, 2 pairs gadwall, pair of shoveler and 6 lapwing. On the pond 3 pochard and 12 tufted duck were the main ducks of note.
Two adders were noted in their regular spots on Monday.

The run of disappointing catches in the moth trap continues since the start of April. This neatly marked chocolate-tip moth was the only moth different in a haul of about 15 moths on Monday night, compared with the other recent regulars.

RON'S REDSTART

In between the showers, this common lizard was seen basking on top of a wooden post in the country park on Sunday 22nd. A second lizard was nearby on another post, also enjoying the warmth as were a couple of adders at their usual spots. A group of walkers also reported seeing an adder on the seawall near the Point. Butterflies seen during the sunny spells were speckled wood, small white, large white and a peacock.

Best bird of the day found at the park today was by Ron and Jenny Harvey who found a colourful male redstart feeding briefly beside some bushes in the corner of the park around midday. Unfortunately the bird soon moved on and couldn't be relocated. Ron was lucky enough to see a redstart in his West Mersea garden last autumn, the only redstart on the Island last year.

A quick early morning walk to the Oyster Fishery building pictured above, provided views across to Langenhoe Point. A common buzzard crossed the river Colne and headed over Langenhoe passing six marsh harriers that were in the air. On the Langenhoe Point mud were a pair of avocets, while along the river were seen 3 common terns.

Along the seawall were at least a couple of common whitethroats, 2 swallows while the male wheatear was at the Point again for the third day. Singing from bushes near the hide in the park was a willow warbler, with 2 singing chiffchaffs, 2 nightingales and 2 blackcaps all adding to the spring chorus.The sand martins are still flying around the cliff although only five birds so far.

On the grazing field pools, 300 black-tailed godwits were present on the high tide roost and a pair of avocets in the evening. A water vole was seen in the dyke on Sunday and a weasel in the car park on Saturday.

Martin Cock saw a muntjac deer by the footpath to the east of Meeting Lane in East Mersea and also noted one or two blackcaps, chiffchaffs and whitethroat.

The evening walk beside the Strood Channel on Saturday evening was threatened with looming black rain clouds as in the photo above. Birds of note during a quick walk were 40+ corn buntings in a flock, 5 common terns along the channel where 70 noisy redshank were also noted. Numbers of other waders much lower along the Strood with a few black-tailed godwits, curlews, oysteratchers and grey plovers seen.

Earlier in the day at the park a yellow wagtail flew over the fields, a male marsh harrier swooped down and hovered briefly over the reeds at the park pond scaring a moorhen. A grey heron and little egret were noted here while 3 pochard and 10 tufted duck were still present. On the fields a summer plumaged dunlin fed in the pools and  five snipe were also seen.
 
At the Point the male wheatear perched up on the pillbox for the second day and 2 common terns were seen over the river and two whitethroats were along the seawall.

AVOCETS ARRIVAL

One of the local pairs of avocets turned up on the pools in the grazing fields at the country park on Friday 20th. The pair seemed to be feeding well for some time and then began the elaborate mating ritual for a few minutes before getting distracted by something and so went off to stand with the black-tailed godwits, pictured above.

The sight of this pair of  potential breeding avocets suggests that they'll try and nest on the saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse again. The other local pair of avocets were also seen this morning, as they fed in the saltmarsh pools.

Also noted in the fields were 100 black-tailed godwits, 60 redshank, 5 snipe, 8 lapwing, 25 teal and pairs of wigeon, gadwall and shoveler. Four swallows were seen during the day passing over the fields, while at the cliff there were at least four sand martins. A male sparrowhawk perched in the hedge behind the pond for several minutes, where some of the wildfowl on the water included 8 tufted duck and 2 pochard.

Singing throughout most of the day were the two male nightingales. One of the birds was singing so loud, it could still be heard over the loud noise of the lawnmower and whilst I wore a set of ear defenders too.

In between the heavy squalls which included one heavy flurry of hail during Friday, there was some pleasantly warm weather. A walk towards the Point along the seawall lined with Alexanders plants, pictured above, provided views of a nice male wheatear and 2 common terns at the end of the day. Fifty brent geese flew low downriver, while earlier in the day 16 curlew were calling loudly as they headed out high, presumably on their migration north.

A weasel scampered across the car park in the middle of the day, while sunny periods saw peacock, small white and the speckled wood butterflies on the wing.

During a quick walk round the park on Thursday afternoon, I was surprised to find a cuckoo feeding in an oak bush near the beach. Usually my first cuckoo of the spring is normally heard calling first or maybe seen in flight. The bird was feeding on the caterpillers of the brown-tail moth clustered near one of the tent-webs, pictured above. The cuckoo flew a short distance and perched on a fence post providing a nice clear view before it flew away.

On the grazing fields on Thursday 400 black-tailed godwits provided a colourful sight alongside sixty noisy redshank. Offshore a flight of 60 cormorants flew along the outer edge of the mudflats and a common tern was seen too.

There was the nice sight of a barn owl flying low over the car by the Strood reservoirs at about 7pm Thursday, still in broad daylight. A bit further north from the Strood, Hugh Owen reported a marsh harrier, ringtail hen harrier and a common buzzard flying over Langenhoehall marshes earlier in the day. Back on the Island, late on Thursday evening, a badger was seen trotting along Bromans Lane in the car headlights.

On Tuesday a peregrine flew over the grazing fields on its way northwards, scattering many of the birds as it passed by. At the end of the day a little owl perched on wires over Bromans Lane.

The saltmarsh near the East Mersea Point is displaying lots of the tiny white flowers of scurvy grass, as in the picture above.

GARDENING FRIEND

A pair of very confiding robins joined in the gardening in Firs Chase over the weekend. Both birds were showing great interest as I turned the compost heap over, dropping down onto the compost to pick up spiders, centipedes, worms and other tasty morsels. It seemed as if the birds might have had young to feed as they carried beakfuls away with them.

Elsewhere in the garden the pied blackbird was still present, while singing from the nearby trees were a chiffchaff and blackcap. Overhead a pair of displaying stock doves glided together, above the gardens, which seemed an interesting sight for a bird not normally associated with gardens. One of the regular sparrowhawks passed overhead coming from The Lane, where there was a goldcrest heard singing.


This green-veined white butterfly was the only butterfly seen in the garden over the last few days, but then it has been surprisingly chilly in the northerly breeze.


A Monday evening walk alongside the Strood channel was a bit quiet as the sun went down and the tide came in. Twenty black-tailed godwits were the main waders of note other than the noisy 150+ redshank. A little egret and pochard were noted in the dyke and the two brent geese were still feeding in the fields, while a kestrel and 20 linnets were seen nearby.

A late afternoon walk on Friday by the Strood provided views of a short-eared owl hunting over the long grasslands on Ray Island, a pair of avocets in the channel, a male wheatear by the seawall and 2 singing corn buntings in the oil-seed rape crop.

Martin Cock heard the first nightingale back to the Island singing by the country park entrance on Saturday morning. This is eight days later than the first date last year when the nightingale was first heard. A lot of other migrants seem to be a bit later this year and the cold northerly winds won't be helping them.

Other birds noted by Martin at the park were a swallow, sand martins, common tern and also the first whitethroat by the Oyster Fishery. On Saturday swallows were also seen over the East Mersea Vineyard, Haycocks Lane and over Firs Chase too.