BEETLE-MANIA

A big crop of rosemary beetles has recently been eating one of the rosemary bushes in Michael and Sarah Thorley's East Mersea garden

At least seventy of the destructive rosemary beetles have been eradicated in recent days, pictured by Michael.

Rosemary beetles are not native to the UK but have quickly colonised the whole country over the last sixty years following the importation of many rosemary plants from the Mediterranean during that period.

A female broad-bodied chaser was photographed in Michael's garden near Meeting Lane on Wednesday 7th.

Lots of azure damselflies were by the pond in Michael's garden.

The hoverfly Merodon equestris - Narcissus bulb fly was pictured in Michael's garden.

The distinctive zebra spider with the white and black banding, photographed by Michael in his garden.

Birds seen in Michael and Sarah's garden included a great spotted woodpecker on the bird seed feeder, as well as the usual goldfinches, greenfinch, robin, and great tits feeding their young.

BOAT TRIPS

A yellow-legged gull was seen on Packing Marsh Island in the Mersea Quarters, during a boat trip organised by the RSPB on Friday 2nd to survey the nesting birds on the recharge beaches of Cobmarsh, Packing Marsh, Old Hall Point and Shingehead Point at Tollesbury. Joining Kieren Alexander and Steve Hunting on the Lady Grace boat we were on the water for a couple of hours. There appeared to be nearly a hundred nesting pairs of herring gulls and half a dozen nesting lesser black-backed gulls on Cobmarsh and Packing Marsh.

One Mediterranean gull found nesting among a small colony of black-headed gulls on Great Cob Island in Tollesbury Channel was a nice surprise. The first nesting record of Mediterranean gull for this Island and for the main part of the Old Hall Marshes RSPB reserve.

A handful of common terns were seen during the trip, this one landing briefly on Great Cob Island. 

Half a dozen ringed plover pairs were seen on the various beaches with one small chick spotted on the Shinglehead Point. Also seen were 30 non-breeding ringed plovers, a dunlin and a sanderling. Over a dozen oystercatchers were seen nesting with others in the area too. A couple of brent geese and a great crested grebe were seen too.

The osprey was seen near the Strood Channel early afternoon on Friday by Jonathan Bustard.

Kieren Alexander RSPB site manager Old Hall Marshes organised a trip out with Jim Pullen on Thursday 1st to look at Rat Island in the river Colne for any signs of nesting gulls. Sadly the once large black-headed gull colony disappeared a few years ago and there was no sign of any activity this year. 

Birds on Rat Island were some mainly roosting waders 25 grey plover, 20 curlew, four turnstone also 19 gadwall flew off which was an unusual record for here, 2 brent geese and a mute swan. A few redshank and oystercatchers were seen. A pair of ringed plover was on Langenhoe Point, while on Pewit Island in the Pyefleet four pairs of herring gull and an oystercatcher were nesting on the old Nissen hut. Also two reed buntings on the island, a number of oystercatchers and 25 grey plover - possibly the same flock seen earlier. 

A male marsh harrier flew low over Pewit Island in the Pyefleet as we motored past on Thursday. A flock of 15 common terns flew east down the Pyefleet, a cuckoo called from Langenhoe, while by the East Mersea Oyster Fishery a Cetti's warbler and lesser whitethroat were singing.

A grey seal was seen from the boat in the Geedon channel near Rat Island on Thursday.

Martin Cock visited Cudmore Grove on Thursday morning and noted four sanderling four curlew, three turnstone, two ringed plovers while four pochard were on the park pond.

One of five sanderling seen at East Mersea Point and photographed by Andy Field at on Wednesday 1st June. Also seen during his walk round Cudmore Grove were the barn owl beside the owl box at the pond, a little tern distantly off Point Clear, two reed warblers, two blackcaps, Cetti's warbler, two lesser whitethroats, two chiffchaffs, little grebe with young on her back, four turnstones, ringed plover on a nest cordoned off, also two others seen

A sea holly clump on the East Mersea Point photographed by Andy.

Brown argus photographed by Andy at the country park.

An azure damselfly photographed by Andy at the country park on Wednesday.

A sedge warbler was singing in a willow tree beside the Strood dyke on Tuesday 30th, also reed warbler, yellow wagtail, common tern, three grey plover and a cuckoo on Ray Island were the main birds noted during a brief visit to the Strood channel.

A cream-spot tiger moth was photographed by Chris Burr in his garden in Shop Lane on Monday 29th.

The greenshank was still on the Reeveshall pool on Monday 29th, presumed the same bird seen here nine days earlier. Also here a pair of gadwall, little egret and a pair of shelduck. Two singing corn buntings were near the Reeveshall seawall and a third bird also present.

Ten shelduck were noted during the walk along the Reeveshall seawall on Monday, also three marsh harriers, two buzzards, two greylag geese, cuckoo, two great crested grebes, two lapwing, 12 grey plover and three common terns.

A male marsh harrier was hunting over the Strood fields again on Sunday 28th. A flock of 12 Canada geese and one greylag goose flew down the Strood channel towards the Hard, three common terns also along the channel.

On the fields were a gadwall, eight shelduck, buzzard, green woodpecker, three reed warblers, six linnets and a yellow wagtail, also 15 swifts and two house martins noted over the houses.

Jack Hoy visited Maydays farm on Sunday and reported a red kite heading south-west towards the Strood, also a pair of great tits feeding a brood in a water pump and a peregrine harassing a buzzard on the Langenhoe ranges.

The osprey was seen perched on a distant post beside the Langenhoe solar farm on Saturday 27th. It was seen through the heat haze as it spent its time perched during the mid morning period. It was still perched until the late afternoon when it was seen by Steve Entwistle circling over Pewit Island, heading towards the Colne where it did a couple of unsuccessful dives, before being lost to view as it then headed up river.

Five redshank were seen on the Maydays saltmarsh on Saturday, one lapwing was still sitting on its nest, four marsh harriers and three buzzards flying about, two cuckoos, along the Pyefleet were two great crested grebes and a common tern. Beside the seawall were a sedge warbler, three reed warblers, two whitethroats, two yellow wagtails, singing yellowhammer, four linnets and two house martins by the farmhouse.

Andy Field walked from Shop Lane to Maydays on Saturday and saw the osprey, two hobbies over Langenhoe Marsh, five marsh harriers, six buzzards, four turnstones, greenshank on the Reeveshall pool, common tern, two corn buntings and also a weasel in Shop Lane that got within inches of a song thrush.

Steve Entwistle visiting Maydays mid afternoon on Saturday, as well as seeing the osprey, had several good flight views of a hobby hunting on Langenhoe, cuckoo also there, six lesser black-backed gulls, nine ringed plovers, reed warbler, Cetti's warbler, three marsh harriers, kestrel and a lesser whitethroat.

On Friday 26th during a walk along the Strood seawall, a hobby briefly showed over Ray Island, a marsh harrier, buzzard, male gadwall, pochard, two ringed plovers, three avocets, common tern, Cetti's warbler, three reed warblers, two whitethroats, five yellow wagtails, ten swifts over the houses and a pair of sparrowhawks over Firs Chase.

A poplar hawk-moth was found by Rusty Marshall resting on the side of a house in Fairhaven Avenue on 25th May.

A mass of the destructive box moth caterpillars were removed from the box bushes in Rusty's Firs Chase garden.

GARDEN WILDLIFE

A few things of interest have been seen in the Firs Chase garden over the last week or so.

Butterflies have been a bit scarce in the garden during the cloudy and chilly days of the last week, however a green hairstreak was nice to see resting beside the back door of the house on Friday 26th. Up to five holly blues have been fluttering around various parts of the garden recently, also at least one small white occasionally. 

A large red damselfly was resting in the sunshine in the garden on Friday 26th - not always seen each year here. A hornet seemed to be feeding in a decaying cavity in the wooden pergola on the 24th - first garden sighting.

Several birds have been prostrating themselves in the sunshine, this great tit leaning over at such an angle it looked like it was just about to topple off its perch!

A recently fledged great tit has quickly learnt about the benefits of sunbathing in the garden!

A pair of stock doves has paid almost daily visits to the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden recently.

A male sparrowhawk was displaying over the Firs Chase garden, with a second bird higher in the sky on Saturday 27th.

At least three red squirrels have been visiting the Firs Chase garden in recent days usually individually, although three were seen at once on Friday 26th.

At least one of the red squirrels has taken a fancy to the peanut feeder for the birds.

Another unusual mammal sighting for the Firs Chase garden was a badger on the front doorstep trying to wrestle open the big tub of peanuts stored beside the doorstep, late at night on Saturday 27th.

Moth-trapping has been very poor this spring because of the cold nights and has only been operated on five nights during May. This lime hawkmoth was a nice surprise in the garden moth trap on Wednesday 24th.

The buff-tip was resting beside the trap on Friday 26th - looking like a snapped-off twig.

A small ranunculus was a nice moth to record on 21st May, only the one was seen last year.

The Scarce Forest Tubic- Dasycera oliviella, was noted on the 21st and 31st May - a distinctive looking micro moth.

Up to four cockchafers have also been recorded at the moth trap during May, with four seen on the 26th.

LINGERING OSPREY

A pair of avocet was feeding in the pond in the Strood fields on Thursday 25th, with another three feeding in the Strood channel.

A casual scan of the skyline looking from the Strood seawall towards the Peldon Rose provided a distant view of an osprey slowly flying east over the Mersea Road as it headed into the Pyefleet. It was watched for a couple of minutes as it flew into the distance and dropped down out of view somewhere near the Langenhoe solar farm. 

Later in the day, the osprey was seen by Jonathan Norgate feeding on a large fish, while Jack Hoy also saw it flying over the Bower Hall saltings. It was also distantly visible through the heat haze from near the Strood causeway. This bird is likely to be the same one that has lingered in the Pyefleet as one was first seen there ten days earlier. The osprey was also seen in the Pyefleet the previous day by Andy Field as it perched on a fencepost by the solar farm.

The male gadwall was feeding on one of the shrinking wet flashes in the Strood field on Thursday.

The male oystercatcher was keeping vigil over its mate on the nest in the wheat field at the Strood on Thursday. Along the dyke were four singing reed buntings, four reed warblers, also two yellow wagtails by the seawall. A Cetti's warbler was singing at the Strood layby and another on Ray Island where a cuckoo was also calling. 

A female linnet was feeding on the top of the Strood seawall on Thursday. A male marsh harrier hunted over the fields and later a female marsh harrier seen in the area too. Two buzzards were noted while in the channel down to the Hard were four common terns.

On Wednesday 24th the osprey was seen perched in front of the Langenhoe solar farm, here pictured perched distantly on a fencepost just above the bush by Steve Entwistle from the Maydays seawall.

Andy Field reported the osprey earlier on Wednesday during his walk along the seawall from Shop Lane to Maydays. 

Also seen were five marsh harriers including a food pass over on Langenhoe, three buzzards, common tern, two or three cuckoos, two corn buntings, two yellow wagtails, six reed warblers, sedge warbler and two Cetti's warblers. Martin Cock added a whimbrel and a curlew to the morning list.

A pair of brown argus butterflies were photographed by Andy during his walk along the Pyefleet seawall on Wednesday.

At Cudmore Grove a green hairstreak was seen by Simon Patient on dog rose beside a path between the car park and the hide on Wednesday morning.

Two brown argus butterflies seen by Andy.

A male marsh harrier circled over the Strood seawall and fields on Wednesday morning, the bird displaying and calling as it flew high over the field. A second bird was seen over the fields too and a buzzard. 

Along the Strood dyke were two sedge warblers, three reed warblers, three whitethroats, three reed buntings and four yellow wagtails. A grey heron flew over and four little egrets were in the area. A cuckoo was calling from Ray Island, four avocets and three common terns were along the Channel while ten swifts were flying over the houses.

A single sea pink / thrift plant had almost fifty flowers gently swaying the breeze along the Strood seawall.

In Feldy View three rose chafers were seen feeding and flying about beside the flowers of the Photinia type bushes.

A male marsh harrier was hunting the Strood fields on Tuesday 23rd, passing over a couple of carrion crows here. Also noted along the seawall were gadwall, four avocets, two grey plover, ringed plover, curlew, common tern, two sedge warblers, three reed warblers, two whitethroats, three yellow wagtails, cuckoo on Ray Island, Cetti's warbler at the Strood layby and 15 swifts and a sparrowhawk over the houses.

Two brown hares were in the Strood fields, this one happy to watch folk walk along the seawall.

Four avocets were feeding along the Strood channel on Tuesday.

In Feldy View on Tuesday a striking rose chafer was watched feeding on a flowering bush - possibly a Photinia bush. Also in Feldy View a small copper, speckled wood and holly blue butterflies.

A cuckoo perched on the wires over the Firs Road cemetery on Monday 22nd with a male heard later calling on Ray Island. Along the Strood seawall a hobby was over the Peldon seawall, two buzzards, gadwall, five avocets, whimbrel, curlew, greenshank heard, five little egrets, Cetti's warbler on the Ray, sedge warbler, three reed warbler, two whitethroats, three yellow wagtails and ten swifts over the houses.

Three brown hares were in the Strood hill field - one was seen unwittingly walking too close to a nesting oystercatcher which flew at the hare to force it away. Also a small heath was along the seawall.