DISPLAY OF ORCHIDS

The colony of green-winged orchids continues to flourish in Dave Chadwick's garden on Victoria Esplanade and I was grateful to him for inviting me to call round to admire them on Tuesday 1st. These flowering spikes appeared much more purple than the others nearby.

There are probably about 400 flowering spikes of the green-winged orchids in the back garden, with another 25 spikes in the front garden.

This colony has been thriving for many years and is the only place left on the Island where they grow, other than an occasional plant in the nearby Willoughby car park. They seem to thrive in the damp springtime soils.

Several common-spotted orchids also grow in the garden although their flowers will peak about a month later than the green-winged orchids.

Earlier on Tuesday a red kite was seen drifting over the Strood channel as it headed slowly towards Peldon. A male marsh harrier hunted over the Strood fields, a buzzard and sparrowhawk were also seen during the walk along the Strood seawall. A cuckoo was calling from overhead wires, a red-legged partridge was near Feldy View and forty swifts were in the skies over the houses.

Songsters beside the seawall were three reed buntings, three reed warblers, corn bunting while two whitethroats were also heard and five yellow wagtails noted.

The first common blue butterfly of the summer was seen in Feldy View on Tuesday.

Later on Tuesday Steve Entwistle reported seeing at the Strood reservoirs a cuckoo, a pair of mute swans while two reed warblers and a Cetti's warbler were heard singing.

Andy Field walked the Reeveshall seawall on Tuesday morning and reported pair of marsh harriers over Broad Fleet, four buzzards, two common terns, 21 grey plover, brent goose in the Pyefleet, a pair of gadwall, pair of corn buntings, two yellowhammers and a chiffchaff. Insects on the wing noted were six orange-tip, four small heaths and a cinnabar moth.

Ben sat patiently beside me on the Reeveshall seawall on Monday 31st while I waited to see if any owls showed in the last hour of daylight. A barn owl was eventually seen but in the distance on Langenhoe, while a pair of marsh harriers, kestrel and sparrowhawk were seen on Reeveshall. A cuckoo flew past, a pair of gadwall, pochard, five shelduck, brent goose, two hybrid greylag / barnacle geese and a common tern were also noted.

Driving along Shop Lane back towards home, the tawny owl perched over the road and a bit later a little owl was beside the East Mersea road on top of a telegraph post near Bocking Hall farm.

A song thrush enjoyed the bank holiday sunshine basking in the Firs Chase garden on Monday 31st.

In the Waldegraves area on Monday morning a corn bunting was perched on a hedge, a yellow wagtail called from overhead wires, four young coot chicks were being fed by parent on a fishing lake where a reed warbler was singing too, a sparrowhawk and kestrel were noted as was a cuckoo, yellowhammer, five blackcaps and seven whitethroats singing. 

Eight house martins were flying around the Old Rectory house near Weir Farm, in East Mersea, while in West Mersea Shaun Bater noted a swift over his house in Estuary Park road.

Michael Thorley reported seeing a large grass snake in his garden near Meeting Lane.

Lots of orange-tips were on the wing on Sunday 30th with this one photographed in the Firs Chase garden late afternoon.

Five gadwall flying over Firs Chase noisily quacking to each other was an unusual sighting, also a buzzard and a whimbrel flew over the garden on Sunday.

There was the unwelcome sight of a grey squirrel seen briefly in the Timns Firs Chase garden on Sunday morning.

Steve Entwistle saw the cuckoo perch on wires near Feldy View and also saw orange-tips here on Sunday.

A couple of large red damselflies were seen beside a ditch to the west of Meeting Lane on Sunday morning. A dozen small heaths were flying over a grass field near Shop Lane and a green hairstreak made a brief appearance in Dairy Lane near Shop Lane.

Birds noted during a walk between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane on Sunday morning were 14 singing whitethroats, six blackcaps, four Cetti's warblers, four lesser whitethroats, five chiffchaffs, a pair of cuckoos, yellowhammer, buzzard, also great spotted woodpeckers attending nests in Meeting Lane and in Manwood Grove and the pair of marsh harriers seen over Reeveshall. A brown hare was seen near Weir Farm and another near Shop Lane.

A common sandpiper was seen in a saltmarsh creek near Bower Hall farm on Saturday 29th during a walk along the whole north side of the Island from East to West.

Two cuckoos were heard calling, meadow pipit, yellow wagtail, two house martins, a pair of red-legged partridge and a covey of five escaped helmeted guineafowl were at Bower Hall.

Along the Strood seawall on Saturday were a corn bunting, two pairs of yellow wagtail, two common terns and two reed warblers.

Walking the Maydays seawall on Saturday provided views of eight great crested grebes in the Pyefleet, a lapwing, yellowhammer, two reed warblers and two reed buntings. At Reeveshall were a pair of gadwall, pair of marsh harriers, three pairs of oystercatchers, two pairs of Mediterranean gulls flying over, three common terns and a singing corn bunting.

A Cetti's warbler was singing by the Oyster Fishery while by the Golfhouse were eight avocets and three chicks on the saltmarsh, also three redshank and a common gull here. On the nearby mud were 15 ringed plover, five dunlin, with a cuckoo noted too.

This deformed male emperor moth was found resting on the grass on the Maydays seawall on Saturday afternoon. The wings hadn't developed properly and the body was half the size of a healthy male emperor. A few years ago after rearing a batch of emperor eggs through to adult stage, a couple of adults sadly emerged with crumpled wings and were more like a large bumble bee than a large moth, lacking the wide wingspan and a powerful flight. It seems some deformities do occur whilst caterpillars pupate.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore Grove circuit round the seawall on Saturday morning and noted two cuckoos, three chiffchaffs, blackcap, whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler, Cetti's warbler, little grebe, eight avocets and three chicks, lots of sand martins, swallow, great spotted woodpecker and green woodpecker.

On Friday 28th along the Strood seawall were seen two marsh harriers, six buzzards, two male cuckoos calling, an avocet, five singing reed warblers, five yellow wagtails and singing corn bunting and Cetti's warbler at the Strood reservoir.

Later over Firs Chase were two buzzards and also two sparrowhawks seen too.

At Maydays on Friday, Martin Cock reported two marsh harriers, sedge warbler, reed warbler, Cetti's warbler, whitethroat, four yellow wagtails, an avocet and also a small heath butterfly.

BEACH WHEATEARS

A pair of wheatears was a surprise find on the beach at St Peters on Thursday 27th, as it's quite a late date for them to be still passing through.

The smart looking male wheatear was perching on some of the dinghies by the beach.

The pair of wheatears stayed close together, sometimes they were feeding along the beach but having to dodge the walkers which was made more often because of the very high tide reducing the area to feed on.

Feeding on the St Peters saltmarsh during the high tide on Thursday were two little egrets.

Also noted were six common terns flying about, 18 oystercatchers on Cobmarsh Island, a great crested grebe offshore, while at St Peters were a reed bunting, two linnets and two singing reed warblers.

Steve Entwistle watched a hobby at Maydays farm fly towards the Strood on Thursday morning, while at the end of the day a tawny owl was seen in Shop Lane at dusk.

Two spotted flycatchers were seen beside Firs Chase caravan site on Thursday evening by Matt Trevillion

The pair of avocets was getting very agitated on Wednesday 26th as the tide got higher and higher onto the island where they've been nesting for the last three weeks on the saltmarsh pools near the East Mersea Golfhouse. 

The water level got to such a height that it could've flooded any eggs but instead there was the pleasing sight of three tiny chicks that were able to hop about amongst the vegetation and had obviously hatched out just a couple of days before these high tides came. One tiny chick is just visible in the photo beside the sitting avocet. 

Six other avocets were also present on the pools as were three redshank and two pairs of oystercatchers.

A pair of oystercatchers was at the East Mersea Point feeding along the water's edge and a flock of twelve birds were seen flying past. A small flock of eight dunlin and a ringed plover flew around the beach and there was also the ringed plover still sitting on her four eggs but no sign of the other nesting bird. Offshore were two great crested grebes, and a common tern in the Colne.

Two Egyptian geese were still on the park's grazing fields along with a pair of Canada geese. On the park pond were two pochard and two tufted ducks, a buzzard flew over and a cuckoo was heard calling. Around the park and nearby hedges and copses were heard fourteen singing whitethroats and eleven blackcaps.

A small male adder was basking beside the central track across the country park on Wednesday.

A painted lady was well camouflaged after it closed its wings when it landed on the central track at the park.

At West Mersea on Wednesday, a hobby, spotted flycatcher and a cuckoo were seen by Jonathan Bustard in the Feldy View / Strood seawall area.

On Tuesday 25th a spotted flycatcher was found in the scrubby corner next to the Firs Chase caravan site and although it was actively feeding it disappeared for periods of time around the trees. Along the Strood seawall were noted three brent geese, sparrowhawk and two house martins. A steady passage of 25 swifts drifted west off the Island and later in the day another 30+ swifts were seen heading west over Firs Chase too.

Andy Field reported after his walk along the Reeveshall seawall on Tuesday, female marsh harrier at Broad Fleet with four others noted on the Ranges as was a buzzard. A singing corn bunting, a common tern in the Pyefleet, gadwall in the Maydays dyke and also very good views of a Chinese water deer showing its tusks and all!

A little owl was seen early evening at Maydays farm on Tuesday by Steve Entwistle, and later a mistle thrush in a horse paddock in Shop Lane.

LAKE-SIDE TERNS

A pair of common terns was resting on the side-lake to the East Mersea boating lake on Monday 24th. Every so often one of the common terns would have a fly around the flooded marshes during the high tide period. Also on the flooded marshes were six shelduck, 12 mallard, two little egrets, a lapwing and fifty herring gulls, while a reed warbler and reed bunting were heard singing. Five great crested grebes were on the sea offshore from Coopers Beach, and a pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over calling.

A little owl soon emerged after a downpour of rain at the Youth Camp to feed on the recently mown grass on Monday morning. Other birds noted during a walk from East Mersea church to the Youth Camp included 14 singing whitethroats, three blackcaps, a chiffchaff, 3 yellow wagtails, buzzard, 14 linnets and four house martins seen around the Old Rectory.

A green hairstreak fluttered around some bramble on Monday morning near the East Mersea church on Monday, also five painted ladies and an orange-tip along the path to the west of the church,

On Sunday 23rd at the country park, this sparrowhawk was photographed by Steve Entwistle at the back of the pond. Four little terns were seen flying past the park - the first sighting on the Island this year, also four common terns offshore and 20 sand martins over the grazing fields.

Later Steve reported a pair of red-legged partridge near Bower Hall farm.

Martin Cock noted during his walk at the park to the Oyster Fishery on Sunday - two Egyptian geese, four Canada geese, six sanderling, five avocet, six dunlin, whimbrel, Cetti's warbler, lesser whitethroat and many sand martins.

Birds noted during a walk along the north side of the Island on Sunday included at Reeveshall a pair of marsh harriers, two cuckoos, four lapwings, buzzard, singing reed bunting and corn bunting as well as two hybrid barnacle / greylag geese showing white faces. At Maydays five redshank, six shelduck, two lapwing, two reed warblers and two reed buntings were noted, while along the Bower Hall seawall were four whimbrel, five curlew, two male yellowhammers, 12 stock doves, kestrel and a red-legged partridge. Along the Strood seawall were a corn bunting, three brent geese, two yellow wagtails and two shelduck noted.

Mammals of note were a Chinese water deer hiding in a wheat field at Maydays, a grey seal in the Pyefleet, three brown hares at Bower Hall and two hares on the Strood fields.

On Saturday 22nd a hobby was watched flying across the Pyefleet at Maydays, the bird having spent several minutes sitting on the saltmarsh before heading south passing close by to me and then flying across Reeveshall. A sparrowhawk was also seen crossing the Pyefleet channel to Reeveshall and there was a pair of marsh harriers on Reeveshall and a third bird seen flying over the Maydays fields.

Along the Pyefleet were 17 grey plover, two whimbrel, five shelduck, two great crested grebes, also four lapwings, gadwall and three redshank in the area too.

Six yellow wagtails were noted at Maydays on Saturday, also two singing corn buntings, five reed buntings, four sedge warblers, five reed warblers, three whitethroats, Cetti's warbler, yellowhammer, as well as a male and female cuckoo, ten house martins and two swifts.

A brown hare rested beside a hedge at Maydays on Saturday. A Chinese water deer strolled along a field edge at Maydays before disappearing into the  reeds in a ditch.

A brown hare came close enough to Steve Entwistle on Saturday evening at Maydays for this picture to be taken. Birds seen by Steve late afternoon were a barn owl on Langenhoe, great white egret flying to Bower hall, five swifts, sedge warbler, reed warbler, kestrel, two yellow wagtails, yellowhammer, two lapwing, skylark, two lapwing, five marsh harriers and a cuckoo.

A sanderling in summer plumage was photographed near East Mersea Point by Andy Field on Saturday, among a small group of five of the birds. The nightingale was heard singing beside the park pond, three large and three small lapwing chicks were in the park fields, also there two Canada geese, while on the Golfhouse pools the avocet was still sitting and five other avocets were present and a ringed plover was still sitting on the beach.

In strong winds and a heavy rain shower on Friday 21st, the only birds noted during a quick walk along the Strood seawall were the wheatear still present after a week stop-off, two gadwall, pochard, four swifts, two brent geese, reed warbler and a reed bunting.

A male corn bunting was singing near the Strood seawall on Thursday 20th, as were two male reed buntings. A cuckoo and five yellow wagtails were seen from the seawall with a pair of gadwall and a pair of mute swans in the dyke. Along the Strood channel were a whimbrel, two dunlin and four common terns. A red-legged partridge was in the field near Feldy View and a brown hare was seen in one of the other Strood fields.

At the West Mersea Glebe fields on Thursday were 50 linnets, 100 starlings, two goldfinches, song thrush while in the air were two swifts and two house martins.

At Maydays farm on Thursday afternoon, Steve Entwistle reported seeing two gadwall, heron, six mallard, pair of marsh harriers, green sandpiper, two swifts and a cuckoo. Earlier in Shop Lane two red-legged partridges, a cuckoo flying over calling twice and a red squirrel were the highlights of Steve's visit there in the morning.

The first swift was seen inside Andy Field's swift box on his house in High Street North on Wednesday 19th with a second bird going inside the next morning.

NESTING PLOVERS

Two ringed plovers were found sitting on nests on the beach at East Mersea Point on Wednesday 19th. This presumed female pictured above was accidentally flushed off its nest nearby when I stopped to look at another ringed plover sitting on a nest about twenty metres away. I noticed this near bird running away from me and assumed it was the partner of the sitting bird I was watching.

After I walked away the ringed plover was soon walking back to a nest close to where I had been standing. A closer look through binoculars revealed three well camouflaged eggs.

The other ringed plover stayed sitting on her nest about twenty metres further along the beach. It would seem both pairs have laid about the same time as each other as there was no sign of any nesting last week. Another ringed plover was seen feeding on nearby mud, a presumed partner of one of the sitting birds. Unfortunately both nests are located in very vulnerable places on the beach where lots of walkers and dogs pass.

At the nearby saltmarsh pools near the Golfhouse, one avocet is still sitting on her nest with three other avocets feeding in the water. Two redshank were also present and might nest nearby later. On the park's grazing fields four largish lapwing chicks from one brood were still present, another female seemed to be squatting low to shelter some young chicks from the cold and another lapwing was seen incubating amongst some daisies. A pair of Canada geese and five shelduck were also noted.

On the mudflats were forty oystercatchers and five little egrets while in the river were a pair of common terns and five great crested grebes.  

The sand martins were busy at their colony in the cliff at the country park with at least ninety holes seemingly freshly dug out and in use. Around fifty sand martins were flying about the beach and nearby park, while five swifts were seen over the park too.

The song of the nightingale was heard again coming from the copse at the back of the pond, the bird has now been present for a week now. Seven blackcaps were singing in the country park where the population has increased in recent years - twenty years ago there were only eight blackcaps counted in the whole of East Mersea. Other warblers noted at the park and nearby hedges were two sedge warblers, three reed warblers, two Cetti's warblers, 12 whitethroats, two lesser whitethroats and two reed buntings.

A flock of fifty linnets was feeding in a horse paddock to the north of the park. 

In West Mersea the first swift was seen inside the swift nestbox on Andy Field's house in High Street North on Wednesday. A red kite flew south over Ian Black's house in Mersea Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, while earlier a buzzard was mobbed by crows as it flew west along Firs Chase to the Hard.

A green hairstreak butterfly was enjoying the warmth in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday 18th, occasionally flying off to chase a holly blue away. An orange tip and small white were also seen in the garden.

A slow-worm was spotted in the Firs Chase garden under the tree where the green hairstreak was basking. 

A painted lady was seen in Feldy View on Tuesday 18th and another one was seen the previous day beside the nearby seawall.

The wheatear was still on the washed up dinghy called "Get Wrecked" beside the Strood seawall on Tuesday 18th having been here for a few days. Other birds noted were three buzzards, cuckoo, 12 swifts, two common terns, two grey plover, whimbrel and six linnets.

Jonathan Bustard watched a spotted flycatcher near Feldy View and a marsh harrier over the Strood channel early Tuesday afternoon.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday morning, Andy Field reported the nightingale singing near the park pond, cuckoo, two largish lapwing chicks and two new small ones, 50 sand martins in and around the cliffs, two pairs of avocets on the Golfhouse pools, the female kestrel in the nestbox, a buzzard and a marsh harrier.

The sand martins were photographed by Andy Field at the park cliff.

The main sand martin colony is about halfway along the length of the park cliff.

Around fifty sand martins were seen at the park by Andy on the 18th.

On Monday 17th this male yellow wagtail was feeding beside the Strood seawall as were four others. The sunny weather saw several birds of prey take to the wing with eight buzzards and two marsh harriers seen, also two sparrowhawks and a hobby flashing low past the Dabchicks and another distant hobby circling and feeding over Old Hall marshes.

Also seen from the Strood seawall on Monday were two barnacle geese flying north-east over the fields, three brent geese, two gadwall on Ray Island, a pair of mute swans, two grey herons while along the channel were two whimbrel, curlew, three dunlin, and two common terns. Small birds noted were a singing corn bunting, four reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, cuckoo, 15 swifts and eight house martins. 

 

The rusty-breasted swallow was perched on wires next to the Dabchicks sailing club, close to where his mate is nesting in the old garage.

This colourful male linnet was photographed by Michael Thorley in the greenhouse in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Monday 17th. 

Sarah had found the linnet a bit stunned in the greenhouse. There was a female linnet also in the greenhouse which was sadly found dead.

The male linnet eventually recovered and flew away from Sarah's hands.

SEAWALL SOAKING

An ominous black cloud bore down on the Island on Sunday 16th bringing a deluge of rain and hail for twenty minutes or so. The morning walk along the Maydays seawall had been quite pleasant to start with but then the clouds gathered and the rain pelted down. After sheltering under a rather bare tree, the walk along the seawall later provided views of a cuckoo, pair of shoveler, three gadwall, pochard, four lapwing, pair of marsh harriers and eight greylag geese.

Along the Pyefleet channel were 160 dunlin, 24 grey plover, curlew, four redshank and six great crested grebes.

A male yellowhammer was by the Maydays seawall on Sunday morning, also counted were 11 singing reed warblers, nine whitethroats, four sedge warblers, three corn buntings, six reed buntings, Cetti's warbler and a pair of yellow wagtails. Four swifts were flying around over Reeveshall.

Martin Cock also got quite wet during his Sunday morning walk near the East Mersea Oyster Fishery area whilst noting three Cetti's warblers, two lesser whitethroats, a young tawny owl seen in flight, two common terns, two marsh harriers, blackcap, chiffchaff, whitethroats, two cuckoos, as well as a fox and a muntjac deer.

A whitethroat was photographed by Andy Field as it perched in a rosemary bush in Feldy View on Saturday 15th. 

Later on Saturday Jonathan Bustard noted along the Strood channel a wheatear, yellow wagtail, two swallows, a pair of kestrels, pair of swans, reed buntings, skylarks and a Cetti's warbler singing by the Strood reservoirs.

In the Coopers Beach and Rewsalls area on Saturday the cuckoo was calling, a little owl seen at the Youth Camp, mistle thrush at Rewsalls farm, three pairs of yellow wagtails while by the lake and marshes were a whimbrel, two pairs of shelduck, two pairs of oystercatchers, reed warbler, two little egrets, grey heron, 18 swallows and two whitethroats singing.

At Firs Chase a common buzzard and a sparrowhawk were seen over the garden on Saturday.

On Friday 14th a wheatear was seen along the Strood channel seawall, also a cuckoo calling, sedge warbler singing as were six reed warblers from the dyke. Three reed buntings and a yellow wagtail were also seen while a marsh harrier was seen passing over. Along the channel at low tide were three avocets, whimbrel, five dunlin, two grey plover and two pairs of common terns.

Martin Cock had a wet Friday morning walk near the East Mersea Oyster Fishery and Cudmore Grove area and reported five sedge warblers, six reed warblers, three Cetti's warblers, two cuckoos, two whimbrel, hobby, two greylag geese with four goslings, two Canada geese, three lapwing chicks at Cudmore Grove, the avocet still sitting near the Golfhouse and forty sand martins around the park.

A male yellowhammer perched on a tree between Shop Lane and Meeting Lane on Thursday 13th. Two common buzzards also perched together on one tree, while a marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and another buzzard were seen flying over the fields. Three pochard were seen at a pond east of Shop Lane and a cuckoo was heard in three different locations, maybe different birds involved.

Singing birds noted along the various hedgerows and copses were 21 whitethroats, nine blackcaps, seven chiffchaffs, four lesser whitethroats, two Cetti's warblers, three green woodpeckers and a reed warbler singing in Meeting Lane.

At West Mersea Steve Entwistle saw thirteen turnstones by the West Mersea Hard on Thursday morning.