FELDY VIEW PIED FLY

A pied flycatcher was found by Andy Field feeding among the birch trees in Feldy View on Tuesday 16th. This is a scarce visitor to the Island on autumn passage and their habit of feeding inside trees make them hard to spot. As the morning warmed up the pied flycatcher seemed to become less active for several minutes at a time.

Almost of greater interest in Feldy View on Tuesday was a record number of 25+ willow warblers feeding in the birches and oak trees, some calling and sub-singing. A willow warbler was also feeding in the Firs Chase garden.

A walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday produced three sand martins, ten swallows, sedge warbler, two reed warblers, blackcap, two whitethroats, lesser whitethroat and fifty linnets. Along the channel were 150 black-tailed godwits, 150 redshank, 20 grey plover, ten turnstones, six common terns, golden plover, three grey herons and ten little egrets. A male marsh harrier hunted over the fields and a buzzard perched on a bush.

Six green sandpipers were seen by Andy flying off the saltmarsh beside the Firs caravan site and they headed over to Copt Hall on Tuesday.

Early evening at Coopers Beach on Tuesday, Steve Entwistle saw nine dunlin, whimbrel, curlew, 106 golden plover and two ringed plover on the Rewsalls marshes.

Along the Strood channel on Monday 15th were ten golden plover, 25 grey plover, two ringed plover, four common terns, 150 black-tailed godwits and 150 redshank. 

There were lots of small birds feeding in the stubble field beside the central ditch with a whinchat being the most notable. Also two juvenile stonechats, 100 linnets, 50 house sparrows, 25 skylarks, ten corn buntings, ten reed buntings, Cetti's warbler, four reed warblers, three whitethroats, three yellow wagtails, sedge warbler, two greenfinch, ten goldfinch, four willow warblers, as well as two buzzards.

At Maydays on Monday morning Martin Cock saw three hobbies, male marsh harrier, common sandpiper, golden plover, 20 grey plover, willow warbler, chiffchaff, sedge warbler, reed warbler, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat. 

A hummingbird hawk-moth visited the Firs Chase garden briefly on Monday.

It looked like there was a young oystercatcher chick just visible beside the parent bird on the back of an oyster fishing boat in the Strood Channel on Sunday 13th. An oystercatcher has been sitting on a nest among a coil of old ropes for what seemed like an eternity.

Two red kites were seen circling near the Strood causeway for several minutes on Sunday morning, drifting slowly over to the Mersea side. Later one of the red kites seemed to be feeding on something in a stubble field, below the bowls club.

Birds of interest seen from the Strood seawall on Sunday included 18 grey plover, 150 black-tailed godwits, two Mediterranean gulls, whitethroat, yellow wagtail, a chiffchaff by the reservoirs, also a painted lady by the seawall. 

Steve Entwistle reported seeing at Meeting Lane five lesser whitethroats, eight goldfinches while nine long-tailed tits were in Shop Lane on Sunday.

A gannet was photographed by Judith Sorrell on Sunday as it sat on the water among the swimmers off the West Mersea beach, presumably a poorly bird.

A very worn female common blue was feeding at the lavender flowers in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday, also a willow warbler feeding in the birch tree in the garden.

A wasp spider was photographed by Andy Field in the field near the Shop Lane seawall on Saturday 13th. A grey squirrel was seen beside the Fishponds Wood, and has been reported. A chiffchaff and young sparrowhawk calling were in the wood. A weasel crossed the East Mersea road near Weir Farm, narrowly avoiding being run over.

At Maydays on Saturday a whinchat was seen near the seawall close to the dyke near the Reeveshall field, also sedge warbler, Cetti's warbler, four reed buntings, three whitethroats and a flock of 25 chaffinches feeding on the farm track.

In the Pyefleet were 12 greenshank - six of them feeding on the mud opposite before being joined by another flock of six. Sixty grey plover, whimbrel, ten black-tailed godwits, common tern and four shelduck were also seen. A common seal was swimming along the channel while along the seawall were two common blues and a brown argus butterfly.

Late Saturday morning Steve Entwistle visited the Strood and reported four Mediterranean gulls, 11 corn buntings, two stonechats, six linnets, grey heron and 25 swallows.

A whinchat was in the Strood fields on Friday 12th, perching on bushes and then dropping to the ground to feed. Also three corn buntings, reed warbler, two whitethroats, two reed buntings and two yellow wagtails. In Feldy View there were seven willow warblers and another one in Firs Chase.

A sparrowhawk circled over Feldy View on Friday morning.

Nearly 200 black-tailed godwits were standing on the mud in the Strood channel behind the Dabchicks on Friday, before the incoming tide forced them to fly off. Also four grey plover in the channel.

A common seal had caught a flat-fish in the Strood channel and was holding it out of the water before swallowing it. The second day running the seal has been in the Strood channel.

At Maydays farm on Friday morning Martin Cock reported seven green sandpipers flying over, two common sandpipers, seven greenshank, whimbrel, three grey plover, Cetti's warbler, two buzzard, two marsh harrier and a wasp spider.

There was drama in Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane when a sparrowhawk attacked a magpie before a second magpie arrived to attack the sparrowhawk. The magpies retreated and the sparrowhawk perched on a fence before flying off noisily to a tree next door.

Michael Thorley photographed common darters at his East Mersea garden pond.

Common darter at Michael's garden pond.

Also in Michael's garden were juvenile whitethroat, as well as young blue tits and great tits.

Two willow warblers were in Steve Entwistle's Empress Drive garden and one was also in Firs Chase, while Andy Field reported a hummingbird hawk-moth in his front garden in High St North.

At least ten willow warblers were seen on Thursday 11th during the morning walk from Firs Chase onto the seawall via Feldy View with one in Firs Chase, one in the Lane, four Feldy View, two beside the caravan site and two in seawall bushes. Other small birds were stonechat, sedge warbler, two reed warblers, lesser whitethroat, two whitethroat, while overhead were four swallows and a swift over the houses.

Fifty black-tailed godwits, little grebe and a common seal were in the Strood channel while two kestrels were over the fields.

A wheatear was seen by Steve Entwistle in horse paddocks by Bower Hall farm track. Two willow warblers were in Martin Cock's garden first thing at The Coverts.

A toadflax brocade caterpillar feeding on purple toadflax in the Firs Chase garden, despite no adults being seen in the garden moth-traps this summer.

An L-album wainscot visited the garden moth-trap on Sunday 14th.

White-point

Small square-spot rustic

Maple prominent

Saltmarsh plume, with the wings held at a distinctive angle.

COBMARSH PLOVER

This ringed plover was one of forty seen on Cobmarsh Island on Wednesday 10th. Two yellow wagtails were also on Cobmarsh while on Packing Marsh Island there were 200 herring gulls gathered.

Kieren Alexander, site manager with the RSPB at Old Hall Marshes, was helped taking down the No Landing signs from Cobmarsh Island and Packing Marsh Island now that the nesting season is over.

A black-tailed godwit was one of 150 seen in the Strood channel near the Dabchicks on Wednesday morning. Three willow warblers were in Feldy View and nearby a blackcap and ten long-tailed tits, and a sparrowhawk, while over the houses were still three swifts. The rusty coloured swallow was seen flying near the Dabchicks with three other swallows. A willow warbler was also feeding in the Firs Chase garden for a third day, also a hummingbird hawkmoth seen here.

A swift was seen flying over Martin Cock's house in The Coverts on Wednesday.

A juvenile marsh harrier was rescued by Jack Hoy from the Pyefleet Channel at Maydays appearing exhausted and weak on Wednesday. It is being looked after and hopefully will be released soon when it regains its health again.

On Tuesday 9th the first returning wheatear to the island this summer /autumn was present beside the seawall to the north of Shop Lane. Two sparrowhawk fledged chicks could be heard calling and flying about inside Fishponds Wood. Another sparrowhawk was seen later to the west of Shop Lane.

In the Pyefleet channel were five black-tailed godwits, 16 little egrets, three grey herons, two common terns, while flying over the fields were 70 swallows, two sand martins and a house martin.

A Chinese water deer was watched feeding in a field near Gyants Marsh to the west of Shop Lane late morning on Tuesday. It soon bolted back across a lucerne and stubble field towards Reeveshall farm.

A juvenile and a tatty moulting adult buzzard were noisily flying about just west of Shop Lane on Tuesday.

At least five willow warblers were feeding with a tit flock in Gyants Marsh on Tuesday.

A lesser whitethroat perched up in a hawthorn bush near Gyants Marsh on Tuesday, also a blackcap and a yellowhammer seen during the walk.

Most butterflies seen during the walk from Shop Lane to Gyants Marsh were feeding on lots of flowering fleabane, such as this gatekeeper. Two clouded yellows and 20+ common blues were flying over a lucerne field while a purple hairstreak was seen high in some oaks and 3 brown argus beside the path.

A red squirrel descended down the cedar tree in the Firs Chase garden on Wednesday.

A Cypress pug in the Firs Chase moth trap has become commoner in Essex in recent years.

 

A purple bar was of interest in the Firs Chase moth trap.

YOUNG DUCKS

A young pochard was on the dyke at the country park on Monday 8th with no sign of any siblings or parent nearby.

Also on the park dyke were three young tufted ducks busy diving underwater to feed.

At the park pond twelve little egrets roosted in the trees, nearby the head of a barn owl could be glimpsed in the owl box and a sparrowhawk landed in the tall trees. A willow warbler was calling among a tit flock at the park, a lesser whitethroat and three whitethroats were seen by the pond. Three yellow wagtails flew over the grazing fields while flying overhead were six sand martins, ten house martins and thirty swallows.

A willow emerald was resting out of the breeze beside the pillbox in the bottom corner of the park - the same location where they have been seen in previous years.

 

There seemed good numbers of small red-eyed damselflies along the park dyke on Monday with at least fifty seen resting on the algae at the western end of the dyke.

A recently fledged ringed plover along with a sibling and parent were feeding on the recently exposed mud beside the East Mersea Point on Monday. Other than 50 oystercatchers, four black-tailed godwits and 30 redshank, there weren't many other waders seen.

Five Mediterranean gulls were feeding on the mud off the park on Monday, three common terns were seen in the estuary.

A red squirrel was clambering through the branches along the horseride at the country park on Monday.

At one point the red squirrel paused for a few minutes, allowing some passer-byes to stop and admire the squirrel. It did remain hard to spot through the foliage when it didn't move.

In the evening on Monday Steve Entwistle visited the seawall beside East Mersea Point and reported seeing two ringed plover, five sanderling and a common tern.

A southern migrant hawker dragonfly rested among the reeds along the Strood borrowdyke on Sunday 7th. There have been up to three on the wing along the main reedbed over the last fortnight. Several were also in this area last summer too. Also along the dyke were ruddy darters and blue-tailed damselflies, while a common blue butterfly was over the grass.

Birds seen on Sunday during a walk along the Strood seawall included stonechat, yellow wagtail, two willow warblers, 40 linnets, sparrowhawk, ten swallows as well as three swifts over the houses. Along the channel were 200 redshank, 150 black-tailed godwits, three grey plover and two Mediterranean gulls.

Martin Cock visited Cudmore Grove very early on Sunday morning and saw six lesser whitethroats, 10 reed warblers, five sanderling, six avocets, two ringed plovers, three teal and the unexpected sight of a water rail flying across the park pond.

At West Mersea Martin reported two swifts over his house and two willow warblers in his garden.

A juvenile green woodpecker was feeding on the Maydays seawall with three other green woodpeckers on Saturday 6th.

Another hot day on Saturday with lots of blue sky over Maydays and the Pyefleet Channel. On the mud were seven shelduck, an avocet, three grey plover, two whimbrel, black-tailed godwit, two common sandpipers, greenshank, 18 little egrets, three grey herons with two common terns flying up the channel.

Also at Maydays a willow warbler was in a tree by the seawall, two Cetti's warblers, chiffchaff, three whitethroats, sedge warbler, three buzzards, sparrowhawk, eight swallows and three house martins were seen during the walk.

A hummingbird hawkmoth was pictured by Andy Field feeding in his garden in High St North on Saturday. After it had flown into his conservatory, it was released back into the garden near an Abelia bush where it immediately started feeding.

The less often view of a hummingbird hawkmoth when it is actually resting its wings, pictured inside Andy's conservatory.

In the Firs Chase garden on Saturday there were two song thrushes hopping about, the first ones seen here since late spring. Butterflies present were three red admirals, comma, holly blue and two small whites.

A dark sword-grass moth was of interest in the Firs Chase moth trap, usually regarded as an immigrant.

PASSAGE WILLOW WARBLERS

Willow warblers have begun stopping off on the Island during their autumn passage south. Three were down the side of the Firs Caravan park on Friday 5th and one was also with a long-tailed tit flock in Firs Chase.

A whimbrel was feeding along the Strood channel on Friday with other waders being 250 black-tailed godwits, 200 redshank, five grey plover and a golden plover. Two buzzards were high over the Strood Hill while a peregrine flew over the seawall carrying some prey.

A yellow wagtail perched on the Strood seawall sluice on Friday. A stonechat was still feeding along the central ditch, twenty linnets were also here while 300 starlings were feeding by the Strood road and three swifts over the town.

A southern migrant hawker was along the Strood dyke, a hummingbird hawkmoth flashed past the Hard car park and another was seen in the Firs Chase garden.

On Thursday 4th five willow warblers were feeding in the birches in Feldy View.

A juvenile green woodpecker was peeking round the side of a tree in Feldy View.

Three buzzards drifted south-west off the Island by the Strood on Thursday.

Along the seawall were seen 250 black-tailed godwits, 250 redshank, eight grey plover, lapwing, two common terns, while two stonechats, forty linnets and two yellow wagtails were in the fields.

A great white egret was seen flying over the Strood causeway late Thursday afternoon by Steve Entwistle.

A painted lady was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Thursday afternoon and nine greenshank were seen high over Firs Chase as they flew south west to the Hard.

A brown argus was seen in Feldy View on Thursday.

A little egret was feeding along the Strood channel on Wednesday 3rd, also four others and a grey heron. A peregrine flew over the channel, flushing away the waders and gulls, as it headed high to the Dabchicks. After birds had settled back, 310 black-tailed godwits were counted with most near the Dabchicks, also 200 redshank, six grey plover and common tern. 

In the fields were flocks of 50 house sparrows and thirty linnets, also a whitethroat and two yellow wagtails while eight swifts were over the houses.

Andy Field enjoyed a close view of a male marsh harrier near Feldy View on Wednesday, although no sign of any willow warblers.

It was nice to see the female red squirrel return to the garden feeder in Firs Chase on Tuesday 2nd.

Along the Strood were 150 black-tailed godwits, 150 redshank, three grey plover, seven dunlin, 50 house sparrows, two yellow wagtails and five swifts over the houses.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday Steve Entwistle noted a barn owl at the nestbox by the park pond, also sedge warbler, 2 blackcaps, lesser whitethroat, four whitethroats, 15 long-tailed tits, five swifts, offshore were 125 black-tailed godwits and 21 common gulls.

Most of the 250 black-tailed godwits were resting on the mud behind the Dabchicks sailing club on Monday 1st. Other waders along the Strood channel were two whimbrel, six grey plover, 200 redshank, also 12 little egrets and two grey herons.

A marsh harrier, two buzzards, two kestrels were seen also a young sparrowhawk calling near the Lane. Ten swifts and a house martin were noted flying over the houses, while three willow warblers were feeding in a pine tree in Feldy View. Three yellow wagtails, three reed warblers, blackcap and a whitethroat were also noted on the walk.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday, Andy Field reported seeing barn owl in the box, water rail heard at the pond, 283 black-tailed godwits, whimbrel, leucistic oystercatcher, six common terns, little tern, three Mediterranean gulls, ten reed warblers, sedge warbler, six whitethroats, three blackcaps and two chiffchaffs.

A red squirrel was seen in a garden in Bromans Lane on Monday morning by Simon Patient.

Beside the Bower Hall seawall on Monday Steve Entwistle saw a male southern migrant hawker, 19 ruddy darters and nine blue-tailed damselflies. Eleven house martins were at Maydays and six more over Haycocks, also a yellow wagtail at Maydays. A swift was over Empress Drive.

Recent moth highlights from the Firs Chase garden include a couple of black arches, the first ones here for three years

A second gypsy moth for the summer.

A sandhill rustic - a nice coastal species.

Small rufous, first garden record