READY TO LEAVE

The young swifts appeared to be ready to leave the nestbox on Andy Field's house in High St North on Monday 17th, pictured by Andy.

In East Mersea three painted lady butterflies were seen near the boating lake on Monday 17th. 

Also near the boating lake was a peacock butterfly, as well as several meadow browns, gatekeepers, small / Essex skippers, brown argus, while on a game cover strip were 100+ small whites fluttering about.

Walking west from the East Mersea church on Monday a sparrowhawk, buzzard, 40 swifts flying west and three yellow wagtails were seen. By the Rewsalls marshes a common tern, little egret, little grebe, a pair of oystercatcher and a Mediterranean gull were seen. Five sand martins were flying west with twenty swallows.

A small colony of bee-wolves was busy with activity at the beach in front of the boating lake with this individual seen digging out sand in various places before uncovering a second bee-wolf buried beneath.

At Maydays Steve Entwistle walked the seawall on Monday evening and noted two greenshank, sand martin, eight house martins, two grey plover, buzzard and marsh harrier. Also eight Essex skippers, pair of ruddy darters and six migrant hawkers.

A skylark was enjoying having a dust bath on the path on the Strood seawall on Sunday 16th. The only birds of note seen during the high tide walk were a Mediterranean gull, kestrel, little egret, yellow wagtail, two broods of mallard ducklings in the dyke and ten swifts over the houses.

A common sandpiper perched on the seawall sluice beside the Maydays creek on Saturday 15th. Later it was seen flying low along the saltmarsh and calling as it headed up the Pyefleet. 

At least four common terns were fishing along the Pyefleet on Saturday, also seen were a great crested grebe, whimbrel, five little egrets, two shelduck, marsh harrier, thirty swifts, two house martins, yellow wagtail and two reed warblers. Two brown argus were seen along the seawall along with lots of meadow browns and gatekeepers. Three adult common seals were resting on the saltmarsh with at least two pups seen.

A very small and young oystercatcher chick was trying to hide along the Strood seawall during the high tide period as I walked past on Friday 14th.

The oystercatcher parents were looking on as I walked quickly past where the chick was hiding. There have been at least two pairs of oystercatchers that have tried to nest in the nearby Strood fields this spring / summer.

Along the Strood channel at high tide were two black-tailed godwits, three common terns, lapwing, two yellow wagtails, two sand martins flying west, ten swifts, two reed warblers and a flock of 30 house sparrows feeding on the ripening wheat.

At Cudmore Grove on Friday 14th, Michael Thorley photographed this skylark, one of three seen, also two muntjac deer in the grazing field and a green woodpecker with a juvenile in Bromans Lane.

Earlier on Friday Martin Cock visited the Golfhouse area and reported two golden plover, four dunlin, two Sandwich terns, 100+ black-tailed godwits. Also a grey squirrel dead by the roadside near Mersea Barns.

Rusty Marshall photographed this hummingbird hawkmoth in his Firs Chase garden on Thursday 13th.

GODWITS AT THE GROVE

There was a colourful display on the Cudmore Grove mudflats on Thursday 13th with lots of black-tailed godwits still in summer plumage.

The 400+ black-tailed godwits were arriving to feed as the receding tide began to uncover the mud.

This was one of three colour-ringed black-tailed godwits seen in the flock. Hopefully we'll get more details about this bird shortly.

Further along the mudflats were two grown up ringed plover chicks along with an adult.

A ringed plover was still sitting on her two eggs on the beach at the East Mersea Point, inside her roped off area, to stop eggs being accidentally trampled on. The rope and signs were put up by members of the Bird Aware Essex Coast team the previous week.

Other waders seen were 100 redshank, 30 oystercatchers, an avocet, whimbrel and twenty curlew. A Sandwich tern flew past the Point and into the river calling, also three common terns seen feeding and ten Mediterranean gulls on the mud.

At least one barn owl chick was peering out of the nestbox by the park pond on Thursday morning.

An adult barn owl was snoozing in the old kestrel nestbox at the back of the grazing fields.

A little grebe chick was seen in the park dyke on Thursday.

Eight tufted ducklings were along the park dyke with their mum, also a tufted duck flew off the park pond earlier.

Other birds noted at the park were five little egrets roosting at the pond, 20 sand martins passing over, two kestrels, two singing reed warblers and ten linnets.

Three six-spot burnet moths were among the long grass at the park on Thursday.

Two different skipper species posed on the scabious flower showing the differing tips of the antennae with small skipper on the left with orange tips and an Essex skipper on the right showing black tips.

A marbled white was glimpsed very briefly when it appeared up and out of the grass then was lost to view in the area near the park workshop on Thursday 13th. The first record for the park and only the second sighting on the island. Other butterflies seen included good numbers of meadow browns, gatekeepers and a couple of brown argus seen too.

A male black-tailed skimmer was seen on the beach by the park seawall.

At least twenty small red-eyed damselflies were seen at the park, most seen along the dyke.

A common blue damselfly was seen on the park dyke.

Half a dozen bee-wolves were flying about the East Mersea Point.

STROOD CORN BUNTING

A corn bunting was singing from a bush beside the Strood seawall on Tuesday 11th - for the second morning running. Also noted from the seawall were a female pochard in the dyke, four lapwing, golden plover flying over, whimbrel, ten curlew, nine black-tailed godwits and 100 redshank along the channel. Two sand martins were flying west off the island, 12 swifts over the houses, reed warbler, whitethroat, two yellow wagtails and ten linnets were also noted. Three brown hares were seen in one of the fields.

Butterflies noted in the Feldy View area were brown argus, small skipper, Essex skipper, meadow brown, gatekeeper, small white, red admiral and comma.

At least two barn owl chicks were staring out of the nestbox beside the country park pond in the evening of Tuesday. Despite the repeated calls from the young, neither of the two adults appeared in the last hour of daylight, maybe a bit breezy.

A water rail called from the reeds at the pond which is an unusual record for July here. Two kestrels, two green woodpeckers, two whitethroats, ten swifts and five swallows were noted, also at least ten Mediterranean gulls flying over the park pond near dusk.

At dusk a badger crossed Bromans Lane, a little owl perched on a tree just west of the Dog and Pheasant and another little owl perched on a roof on the house at the top of Waldegraves Lane.

On Monday 10th along the Strood seawall, the corn bunting was singing from a bush-top, lapwing, two black-tailed godwits, marsh harrier, buzzard, three sand martins flying west, sedge warbler and two reed warblers singing, two yellow wagtails and three brown hares in the fields.

Two female pochard were briefly in the Strood dyke on Sunday 9th. 

Four Sandwich terns flew noisily up channel and headed east in the direction of Bower Hall. Also noted from the seawall were two common terns, eight lapwing, six golden plover, 110 redshank, sparrowhawk, sedge warbler, three reed warblers, flock of twenty house sparrows, five yellow wagtails, four linnets and ten swifts. Four brown hares were chasing each other around in one of the Strood fields.

A barn owl was heard calling as it flew over Firs Chase in the early hours of 1.30am on Sunday morning, whilst the garden moth trap was being emptied. 

Michael Thorley photographed this small skipper on Sunday at Cudmore Grove.

Another picture by Michael of the small skipper feeding on knapweed.

There was some seal pup activity seen in the Pyefleet Channel from Maydays on Saturday 8th, with three common seal pups lying beside and presumably feeding, from their mothers on the mud, while a fourth pup nearby was calling out but with no sign of the mother in attendance. The tide was still coming in and hopefully the mother would be arriving shortly.

Two adult shelduck were trying to keep an eye on their four young and very mobile ducklings in the Pyefleet, also great crested grebe, seven black-tailed godwits, five redshank, common tern along the channel. Six little egrets, four marsh harriers, displaying meadow pipit, Cetti's warbler, six reed warblers and three house martins were over the farmhouse.

David Nicholls was pleased to see and photograph this male Banded demoiselle by his pond in his Queen Anne Road garden on Saturday - a rare visitor to the island with less than one sighting a year.

Two little gulls were reported by Zane Sargeant from the Esplanade on Saturday 8th.

In Shop Lane Martin Cock saw one white-letter hairstreak, while in the Pyefleet were six black-tailed godwits and six common terns.

Thirty swifts were seen by Steve Entwistle flying over his house in Empress Drive on Saturday.

On Friday 7th at Cudmore Grove, the barn owl chicks were seen in the morning by Martin Cock in the nestbox and an adult was asleep in the nearby kestrel nestbox.

NESTING BARN OWLS

The barn owls nesting at Cudmore Grove were watched by Shaun Bater who took these photos on Friday 7th.

One adult barn owl was seen during the evening returning with food, by Shaun.

The barn owl was seen disappearing inside the nestbox in the trees behind the park pond, which is visible from the bird hide.

At least two barn owl chicks were seen looking out of the box

Another picture by Shaun of one of the barn owl chicks.

Darren Tansley at the Essex Wildlife Trust was called out to the Strood causeway on Friday after hearing of a large otter dead by the road near the dog training access. It appeared to be in good condition and without showing any bad signs of being hit by a vehicle. This individual was going to be sent off for more analysis. The last otter to die on the Strood was over fifty years ago back in 1970, when one was "accidentally destroyed" near the Strood - according to an Essex Field Club journal!

A speckled wood butterfly photographed by Shaun Bater.

Gatekeeper photographed by Shaun.

Red admiral photographed by Shaun.

Also on his early morning walk on Friday 7th in West Mersea were three swifts in Empress Drive and two in Estuary Park Road.

In Shop Lane on Friday Steve Entwistle found a white-letter hairstreak, present in the same area near Fishponds Wood for the third year running. Also a peacock, two red admirals and a meadow brown.

Jon Ward photographed one of the barn owls hunting by the park pond at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday 5th. 

 

Two of the three barn owl chicks photographed by Steve Entwistle on Wednesday 5th. The adult was seen feeding them in the evening.

Earlier at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday Martin Cock saw six avocets, 150 black-tailed godwits, a ringed plover sitting on two eggs at the Point, fifty sand martins, tufted duck with six young and ten Mediterranean gulls.

Michael Thorley saw a swift flying over his East Mersea garden on Wednesday.

At the East Mersea boating lake on Tuesday 4th, there were four painted ladies, three gatekeepers, twenty small whites, four small skippers and a Cetti's warbler seen by Steve Entwistle.

On Monday 3rd Martin Cock reported forty Mediterranean gulls with some black-headed gulls on the dried up Golfhouse pools, a ringed plover sitting on eggs at the Point and a meadow pipit feeding young by the Point.

A red kite was seen by Michael Thorley near the Strood and then later at Blue Row on Monday.

The osprey was watched on Wednesday 28th June fishing in the Pyefleet channel for about fifteen minutes by Martin Cock. It was seen from Maydays flying up to the Strood and then returning back down the Pyefleet to Mersea Stone and then up the river Colne.  Also in the Pyefleet were three common seals, two of which had pups.

On Tuesday 27th Steve Entwistle visited Maydays farm and reported seeing a brown phase cuckoo, reed warbler, buzzard, plenty of Essex skippers, three small heaths, three small tortoiseshells and lots of meadow browns. 

Martin Cock walked the area near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Monday 26th and saw five black-tailed godwits - the first returning birds of the autumn, a few sand martins, lesser whitethroat and common whitethroats singing.

MID JUNE HIGHLIGHTS

A chiffchaff was photographed by Andy Field in the Shop Lane area on Saturday 24th June. Also a yellow wagtail, a few whitethroats and a very distant osprey seen through the heat haze as it perched on a post on the Geedon Marshes.

Andy also photographed this meadow brown butterfly - one of hundreds seen in the Shop Lane area.

An Essex Skipper also photographed by Andy.

 Essex Skipper another shot by Andy.

A lesser stag beetle was seen by Caroline White in her West Mersea garden.

On Friday 23rd a barn owl was seen asleep in the kestrel nestbox at Cudmore Grove by Martin Cock.

A newly emerged Southern Migrant Hawker was photographed by Andy in his West Mersea garden on Tuesday 22nd.

A big Horsefly / Cleg was seen by Andy in his kitchen on Wednesday 23rd. 

A hobby was seen by Andy flying over the High St North and Whittaker Way area on Thursday 22nd.

A female broad-bodied chaser was photographed by Michael Thorley at his pond in his East Mersea garden on Thursday.

A blue-tailed damselfly made a brief appearance at Michael's East Mersea garden pond

A chiffchaff was heard singing in Michael's garden on Thursday.

A cinnabar moth caterpillar was seen by Caroline White at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday 20th.

A cuckoo was heard calling early on Tuesday morning in the Empress Drive area by Steve Entwistle and the previous day it was calling a lot in Empress Avenue.

A barn owl was seen having a rest in the kestrel nestbox at Cudmore Grove on Monday 19th, photographed by Andy Field.

A young ringed plover chick on the mud near the East Mersea Point photographed by Andy.

A nest with three oystercatcher eggs in it was found by Andy at East Mersea Point.

A Green-eyed Flower Bee along with a Parasitoid Wasp were also seen at the Point by Andy.

Two young swallows photographed by Andy on the seawall sluice at Cudmore Grove.

A red squirrel at Cudmore Grove photographed by Andy on Monday.

A weevil Liparus coronatus was photographed by Andy at Cudmore Grove.

A male sparrowhawk was photographed by Andy Field having its lunch in his West Mersea garden on Sunday 18th. A probable tawny owl flew over his High St North garden late on Friday night.

A little owl was seen by Steve Entwistle on Friday 16th sitting on a fence in the middle of the day, north-west of Dawes Lane.

On Wednesday 14th a red kite was seen by Steve flying over Seaview Avenue heading towards the Strood.

Near East Mersea Point on Tuesday 13th, a pair of ringed plovers and two chicks were on the beach near the seawall corner, seen by Caroline White.