SMART SPRING WHEATEARS

A male wheatear in its smart breeding plumage perched on a post beside the Maydays seawall on Saturday 15th.

Unfortunately a closer view of the same wheatear at Maydays was partially obscured by a tuft of grass on top of the fence-post.

Two more male wheatears were also seen near the Reeveshall seawall feeding in a grass field on Saturday.

Also on Reeveshall were 114 curlew, three lapwings, three swallows, while in the Pyefleet channel wader numbers were low although a greenshank was heard calling. Five buzzards and three marsh harriers were seen, three Mediterranean gulls and two great crested grebes too.

Five yellowhammers were seen near the Maydays seawall on Saturday, also a Cetti's warbler was heard singing, as was one over on Langenhoe. A brimstone and two peacock butterflies were seen too.

At Cudmore Grove a wheatear was seen on the seawall on Saturday by Caroline White.

Two yellow wagtails and a long-tailed tit were seen near Feldy View by Steve Entwistle.

A red kite was seen near the East Mersea church by Rob Lee on Saturday.

The male swallow with the rusty coloured underparts perched over the Dabchicks sailing club on Friday 14th - the third summer this bird has been seen here. Two other swallows were also flying about.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday was a lapwing on the flooded field which is an encouraging sighting as the fields look ideal for nesting waders. Three brent geese, 13 shelduck were also in the wet field, while a yellow wagtail flew over and a sedge warbler was heard singing from bushes at the end of the central ditch. A pair of coot was on the small pond at the back of the fields.

In the Strood channel were 15 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits, one bar-tailed godwit, 150 redshank, ten dunlin, five grey plover and five great crested grebes. Two buzzards, two kestrels and four Mediterranean gulls were seen too.

A couple of early cuckoo reports for Friday were from Dave Royce at the Firs Carvan park while near the Mersea Barrow a female cuckoo was heard making its bubbling call by Rob Lee.

A red squirrel was spotted on the cedar tree in my Firs Chase garden and photographed from the road-side, as I began my morning walk on Friday.

A great white egret stood in one of the Strood fields after feeding in the nearby dyke on Thursday 13th, also three little egrets and 17 shelduck seen. Along the Strood channel were five grey plover, black-tailed godwit and a bar-tailed godwit. Two buzzards, two marsh harriers, two swallows were seen flying. 

Five avocets were feeding along the edge of the Strood channel at low tide on Thursday.

Five Mediterranean gulls flew over the Firs Chase garden and a blackcap was singing near the Firs Caravan park.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park on Thursday, Caroline White photographed this mallard standing on the nestbox resulting in the little owl flying away. In the fields were two Canada geese and two muntjac deer while a water vole was seen in the borrowdyke.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit on Thursday and noted a sparrowhawk over the park entrance, three little grebes, pair of pochard, water rail calling and a greylag goose on the park pond. A blackcap, Cetti's warbler and three chiffchaffs were heard along the park horse-ride, two swallows over the dyke and four more near the Golfhouse.

On the grazing fields were the two Canada geese, shelduck, shoveler, lapwing displaying, kestrel, little owl in the nest-box, six linnets and also 15 brent geese on the saltmarsh.

Jack Hoy reported seeing a Chinese Water Deer at Maydays on Thursday.

On Wednesday 12th the great white egret was feeding along the Strood dyke again, also four little egrets in the area too. A pair of shoveler was resting by one of the pools in the fields for the third day.

A pair of avocet and a pair of shelduck were feeding near the Strood sluice outflow on Wednesday. Eight avocets in total were seen, two Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, 15 brent geese and five teal also noted. Three swallows including the rusty-coloured male seen near the caravan park, two linnets, meadow pipit were along the seawall while a chiffchaff and two blackcaps were singing near the Firs caravan park.

A black cloud skirted the Strood seawall during the morning walk on Wednesday.

Andy Field photographed these two sand martins at Cudmore Grove during his visit there on Tuesday 11th. Two were seen flying over the park pond and four were seen prospecting holes in the cliff by the beach. The little owl was seen at the old kestrel nestbox again, two pairs of pochard were on the park pond, eight chiffchaffs, blackcap, 100 brent geese, two greylag geese, two Canada geese, pair of lapwings, two wigeon, few teal and a shoveler were all on the grazing fields. Two Mediterranean gulls flew over and a house martin was seen flying over horse paddocks north of the park.

A swallow was seen flying over Chapmans Lane by Andy on Tuesday.

Two house martins were seen at Maydays farm by Jack Hoy on Tuesday.

Caroline White visited Cudmore and reported 30 turnstones and three sanderling on the beach, while in the fields were a large group of curlew, two greylag geese, two linnets and a cormorant diving in the dyke.

The first slow-worm seen by Caroline White this year was photographed in her garden compost bin, also a young grass-snake by her pond, plus peacock, brimstone and red admirals seen there too.

STROOD PEREGRINE

A peregrine flew across the Strood channel and then headed over the Strood fields towards West Mersea on a breezy and damp Easter Monday 10th. 

The great white egret was stalking along the Strood borrowdyke on Monday.

The great white egret then flew onto the nearby field beside three little egrets that were also there.

Ten black-tailed godwits were feeding on the last of the mud before high tide along the Strood on Monday, also eleven avocets feeding too. 

A pair of shoveler on the Strood fields was unusual on Monday, 21 shelduck and two ringed plovers were also on the fields, while five pochard flew off the Strood reservoirs and landed on the mainland side. Two swallows were flying over the Firs caravan park, a blackcap was singing down the side and a sparrowhawk was being followed by eight goldfinches in Firs Chase.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday Shaun Bater reported the pond very quiet with just a pair of mallard and two little grebes, while two greylag geese, a brent goose and two swallows were in the grazing fields. The little owl was in the kestrel box, two avocets on the Golfhouse pools and two linnets by the Golfhouse. A red-legged partridge was seen in Dawes Lane.

Three sand martins were seen flying along the park dyke on Monday by Caroline White.

On Sunday 9th Caroline White saw three corn buntings, two red-legged partridges, kestrel and a brown hare in Dawes Lane, while at Maydays five corn buntings, two yellowhammers and three reed buntings were seen. A greylag goose, nine shoveler, fifty brent geese and a brown hare were on Reeveshall. 

At Cudmore Grove Caroline reported two blackcaps, three chiffchaffs, kestrel and a water rail calling, two Canada geese, two green woodpeckers, pochard, two little grebes and a swallow. At Rewsalls boating lake some linnets, five reed buntings, while near Cross Lane were two chiffchaffs, greenfinch, Cetti's warbler and also a marsh harrier over fields at the top of the lane.

On Saturday 8th Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit and photographed this swallow perched on wires near the horse paddocks, also two buzzards seen here too. Other birds noted on the walk were five chiffchaffs, two blackcaps, two Cetti's warblers heard, at least three water rails heard at the park pond, three lapwings on the fields including a pair mating, two Canada geese flew over, ten pairs of shoveler, five pochard, five avocets on the Golfhouse pools, also on the walk were a red squirrel and a muntjac deer.

An adder was basking on the Maydays seawall on Saturday, in the same location 100m east of the seawall corner, where one was often seen last spring too. A peacock butterfly was seen beside the seawall.

A barnacle goose flew down the Pyefleet channel on Saturday along with two Canada geese, also five greylag geese noted during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls.

Two pairs of red-breasted mergansers and five great crested grebes were in the Pyefleet channel, as was a common seal. Four marsh harriers, at least eight buzzards and a sparrowhawk were noted flying about. 

A swallow was hunting over Reeveshall fields and two brown hares were in one field. A Cetti's warbler and four chiffchaffs were singing at Maydays while the northerly breeze helped carry the songs of two Cetti's warblers and a chiffchaff from Langenhoe across the Pyefleet to the Maydays seawall.

Caroline White saw a marsh harrier in Chapmans Lane on Saturday morning, also chiffchaffs and five greenfinches in Cross Lane.

There were six little egrets feeding on the Maydays and Bower Hall saltmarsh on Saturday.

Eight black-tailed godwits were feeding close to the Strood seawall on Friday 7th, also two avocets and a great crested grebe in the channel. A great white egret flew from the Strood fields over the seawall towards Feldy marsh on the mainland.

A few birds of prey enjoyed the sunny weather on Friday with this tatty buzzard over Feldy View one of seven buzzards noted. A red kite flew over the top of Strood Hill and was later seen flying west over the Hard, while two marsh harriers and two sparrowhawks were also seen. Three swallows, yellow wagtail heard and four calling chiffchaffs were also noted. 

In the Firs Chase garden a chiffchaff, brimstone and peacock butterflies were seen.

Caroline White walked the Cudmore circuit on Friday morning and noted five chiffchaff, little owl in the kestrel box, an avocet on the pools, buzzard, reed bunting, pair of greylag geese, great tit nesting in an old great spotted woodpecker hole along the horseride. Later in the day two avocets were on the Golfhouse pools, a cormorant eating an eel in the dyke while a buzzard was seen hunting over a field at Chapmans Lane.

Shaun Bater reported a chiffchaff heard in Empress Avenue and great spotted woodpecker in Broomhills Road on Friday morning while later in the afternoon a little owl was heard calling near the top end of Cross Lane.

Three swallows flew west past Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Friday.

Steve Entwistle counted 74 corn buntings at Maydays alongside Haycocks Lane on Wednesday 5th, also ten yellowhammers, Cetti's warbler by the seawall, two mute swans and six geese possibly Canada geese.

Martin Cock walked from Cudmore Grove to the Oyster Fishery on Wednesday and found a sedge warbler singing at the park pond, also a swallow, sand martin, little owl, 13 pochard, a few chiffchaffs, leucistic redshank, three marsh harriers and a pair of ringed plover at the Point.

Steve Entwistle didn't see the sedge warbler but did see the little owl chase the female kestrel from the nestbox at the park, also a swallow and the calling water rail at the pond.

No Landing signs were erected on Cobmarsh Island and Packing Marsh Island with the help of Kieren Alexander of the RSPB and with the help of Jim Pullen's boat. The signs ask people not to land on parts of the islands during the bird nesting season. People can still land on Packing Marsh but there is a roped off area of beach for nesting birds that is signed.

The signs were put up on Wednesday just in time with one ringed plover starting to lay eggs on Cobmarsh - one well camouflaged newly laid egg is pictured in the middle foreground. Five ringed plovers were seen on Cobmarsh Island, also five sanderling, fifty oystercatchers, reed bunting, Egyptian goose, little egret, 100 brent geese, along with 300+ herring gulls and a couple of lesser black-backed gulls. A buzzard and a red kite were seen flying west over the Mersea Quarters.

Two sloe carpets were on the side of Marion Potifar's house in Shop Lane on Sunday morning, taking a picture of one of them. The last time she had had seen them here was in 2018 on two dates that April. Sloe carpets have become nationally scarce in recent years with Essex one of the last strongholds for them now.

A red chestnut was in the Firs Chase moth trap on Sunday 9th.

Only one or two hebrew characters have been in the garden moth trap in the last fortnight.

KITE OVER CUDMORE

There was plenty of action at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday 4th with this red kite first seen by Steve Entwistle and then photographed by Shaun Bater as it passed over the pond and grazing fields, being one of the highlights. The first sand martin this spring on the island was seen by Jack Hoy at the park. 

Shaun noted during his Cudmore circuit walk on Tuesday song thrush and blackcap at the park entrance, while at the pond were five little egrets, two gadwall, two tufted duck, three pochard, little grebe, calling water rail and a greylag goose nest-building. Also at the park were two Cetti's warblers, five chiffchaffs, two kestrels, two reed buntings, grey heron, two mute swans flying over, four ringed plover at the Point and three avocets on the Golfhouse pools. In West Mersea four greenfinch were in Shaun's garden.

Andy Field also walked the Cudmore circuit on Tuesday and in addition to Shaun's sightings, also found six siskins feeding in the alders near the park pond also eight shoveler on the park fields, a red squirrel and two adders in the park. Later in West Mersea two Mediterranean gulls flew over Andy's garden.

Steve Entwistle also reported a sparrowhawk flying above the alders near the park pond on Tuesday.

One of the four ringed plovers at the East Mersea Point, photographed by Shaun Bater on Tuesday.

A brown hare in a field by Bromans Lane on Tuesday photographed by Shaun.

Brown hare photographed by Shaun.

Along the Strood seawall on a sunny Tuesday 4th, birds of note included a great crested grebe, 70 brent geese, nine shelduck, one golden plover, Mediterranean gull, two little egrets, two sparrowhawks, two buzzzards, kestrel and a chiffchaff singing in Firs Chase.

A buzzard drifted north-west over the Firs Chase garden in the morning.

On Monday 3rd Martin Cock walked from Cudmore Grove round to the Oyster Fishery and noted two Cetti's warblers, six chiffchaffs, two greylag geese nest building on the park pond, two Canada geese, the leucistic redshank, four avocets by the Golfhouse pools, four young moorhens at the Oyster Fishery and a brimstone butterfly.

At Rewsalls marshes on Monday there were 105 redshank, 175 turnstones, 12 dunlin, 11 brent geese, Mediterranean gull pair, nine little egrets, three singing Cetti's warblers, pair of buzzards, pair of red-legged partridge near Waldegraves, also thirty great crested grebes offshore. A chiffchaff was singing at the Youth Camp.

A few butterflies were enjoying the sunshine on Sunday 2nd April with this peacock seen near the beach at the Youth Camp.

Two comma butterflies were seen in Cross Lane on Sunday, also a brimstone flew past here, also one by the boating lake and another in the Firs Chase garden.

The wintering greenshank was roosting again at high tide at the Rewsalls side-lake on Sunday. Other waders on Rewsalls were forty curlew, four grey plover, thirty redshank, thirty turnstones, two Mediterranean gulls, three little egrets and two great black-backed gulls.

A chiffchaff fed along a hedgerow at the East Mersea boating lake on Sunday, also three singing near Waldegraves and Cross Lane. A swallow flying over the pine-wood at Waldegraves on Sunday was the first report of a sighting on the island this spring. 

From Cross Lane were a buzzard, male yellowhammer, Cetti's warbler while at Waldegraves a Cetti's warbler, little egret, sparrowhawk, 30 sanderling and great northern diver offshore.

A red kite and a buzzard flew over Martin Cock's West Mersea garden on Sunday morning. 

At Cudmore Grove a pair of kestrels was seen by the yellow nest-box by Caroline Wilson. 

Michael Thorley saw nine peacock butterflies and a greenfinch singing in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Sunday.

A red squirrel has been a regular visitor in recent days to Steve Entwistle's Empress Drive garden where it takes the monkey nuts from the back garden.

Andy Field walked the Cudmore circuit on Saturday 1st and noted five chiffchaffs, water rail squealing from the park pond, song thrush singing, Cetti's warbler calling near the hide, 19 black-tailed godwits, 30 curlew, pair of lapwing and four Canada geese on the grazing fields.

Two male marsh harriers and a chiffchaff were noted in the drizzle at Maydays on Saturday by Martin Cock. A pair of red-legged partridge was seen in Dawes Lane by Steve Entwistle.

Ron Harvey filmed two hedgehogs on his trail camera having a tussle together in his back garden in Whittaker Way on Friday night.

WET FOR WILDFOWL

More rain on the last day of March continued the unsettled and wet pattern for the month. The grazing fields at Cudmore Grove on Friday 31st were as wet as they've been all winter providing ideal conditions for those wildfowl and waders still present. A pair of greylag geese was on the park pond, presumably eyeing up suitable nesting spots.

Also present on the park pond were four pochard.

Four tufted ducks were on the pond on Friday and another eight were on the nearby borrowdyke.

A water rail and Cetti's warbler were heard at the pond while four chiffchaffs and a blackcap were singing at the country park. Two chiffchaffs were seen by the Golfhouse track.

The little owl on Friday was gazing out over the grazing fields from the old kestrel nestbox, although when it started raining, the owl dropped back inside and out of view.

On the fields were 100 brent geese, six shelduck, a pair of gadwall, twenty mallard, four teal, twenty wigeon, three lapwing and 12 black-tailed godwits.

Peering through the rain, six sanderling and ten ringed plovers were on the recently uncovered mudflats and six great crested grebes were in the Colne.

On Thursday 30th Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit and photographed this group of black-tailed godwits on the grazing fields - some of the twenty present. Also seen were a song thrush by the park entrance, 3 chiffchaffs and a Cetti's warbler heard, on the pond were two gadwall, two pochard, two shelduck, five tufted duck, two little grebe and two long-tailed tits here. 

The firecrest was seen again by Shaun, present for the second day along the horseride past the bird-hide, feeding with a tit flock. The bird was first found on Wednesday by Andy Field.

On the grazing fields were a shoveler, ten shelduck, ten redshank, 30 curlew and 400 brent geese.

Two wheatears were found on the Cudmore Grove seawall on Thursday afternoon by Caroline White.

Jon Ward photographed this chiffchaff at Cudmore Grove on Thursday from the bird-hide.

One of two redwing at the park was also photographed by Jon.

A song thrush near the park entrance photographed by Jon.

A redshank was feeding close to the Strood seawall on Thursday morning.

A male yellow wagtail flew off the seawall and crossed over to Ray Island where it landed on the edge of the saltings. Two snipe were flushed off the very wet grass field by the Strood by a couple of walkers. In the middle wet field were 80 brent geese, 16 golden plover, three ringed plover,  Mediterranean gull and 200 starlings. A great crested grebe was in the channel.

A blackcap and chiffchaff were seen in Firs Chase.

A kingfisher was seen catching a few tiddlers in the Strood borrowdyke on Wednesday 29th. It then flew low over the saltmarsh towards the Strood reservoirs.

A male marsh harrier hunted low along the dyke and was later flushed from the reedbed carrying a bird like a moorhen which it carried over to the mainland. A buzzard and sparrowhawk were seen, while in the channel were three great crested grebes, four little grebes, six avocets, 15 teal and four wigeon.

 

Some of the 150 brent geese seen from the Strood seawall on Wednesday were feeding in one of the grass fields. A flock of 20 corn buntings was feeding in the Strood Hill field, 16 golden plover and one ringed plover were in the flooded field.

In the Mersea Quarters there were about 300 herring gulls with most of them following a fishing boat towards the Hard. In Firs Chase two male blackcaps were seen together, presumably one of them being the bird that has overwintered and the other being a new migrant just arrived. A chiffchaff heard singing here and song thrush too.

A barn owl was photographed by Andy Field as it slowly made its way through the alder tree towards the owl nestbox on Wednesday 29th at Cudmore Grove. 

Another owl photographed by Andy on Wednesday at Cudmore Grove was the little owl perched in the kestrel nestbox.

A firecrest was a good find for Andy at the park on Wednesday morning. Last year there were no firecrests found on the Island. This one was found just beyond the bird-hide in the ivy covered trees.

The little owl was still perched in the nestbox later on Wednesday morning for Shaun Bater to photograph. As well as seeing the firecrest at the park, other birds seen during a walk of the Cudmore circuit were song thrush at the park entrance, four chiffchaffs heard and two seen, Cetti's warbler, two little grebes, pair of pochard, water rail heard at the pond. 

Shaun also saw the kestrel above the park cliffs, two greylag geese in the fields, also 600 brent geese, 20 curlew, 20 teal and wigeon, six tufted duck in the dyke and also fifty curlew feeding in the field behind Bromans Farm. Four brown hares were seen in a field near Bromans Lane by Martin Cock.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Tuesday 28th were five Canada geese flying, 26 shelduck, 12 teal, two great crested grebes, four black-tailed godwits and five avocets in the channel, seventy golden plover and a big flock of 800 starlings feeding in the fields. Two chiffchaffs were beside the caravan site and another in Firs Chase, also two blackcaps in the garden here.