FELDY VIEW EXCITEMENT

Three common terns were fishing along the Strood Channel on Friday 1st. At least 30 Mediterranean gulls were roosting on the water near the bottom of the Strood Hill, while the only waders of note at high tide were 20 black-tailed godwits, 8 ringed plover and two whimbrel.

A heavily moulting buzzard soared over the Strood channel on Friday with a second bird also seen in the air too. Four yellow wagtails, reed warbler and 20 swallows were also noted while a sparrowhawk and two willow warblers were in Feldy View.

The redstart was seen by a visiting birder on Friday morning in Feldy View- present for its tenth day.

At Maydays a common sandpiper, Sandwich tern and 12 knot were seen on Friday by Martin Cock.

Steve Entwistle saw a goldcrest, willow warbler and chiffchaff in a mixed tit flock in Cross Lane on Friday. Later eight black-tailed godwits were off the Esplanade and the distant peregrine was seen on Bradwell power station at the nestbox.

Michael Thorley photographed this small white in his East Mersea garden on Friday.

A spotted flycatcher was seen in Cross Lane on Thursday, while at Waldegraves at least ten Mediterranean gulls were in a mixed gull flock, also 12 ringed plovers on the offshore island.

At Rewsalls a kingfisher was feeding in the side-lake, common sandpiper, 70 redshank, 10 ringed plovers, 9 little egrets, 8 little grebes, 30 Mediterranean gulls and ten common gulls were noted. A wheatear perched on fence-posts, two Cetti's warblers sang, three reed warblers noted and 200 golden plover in a stubble field.

In Feldy View the redstart, pied flycatcher (for its second day) and two spotted flycatchers were seen on Thursday morning by Caroline Wilson, Jonathan Norgate and Jon Ward. Late afternoon two lesser whitethroats and a willow warbler were seen by Steve Entwistle and Paul Everett.

There was more flycatcher excitement in Feldy View on Wednesday 30th when a spotted flycatcher was seen again there, pictured above, but also a first winter / female pied flycatcher - a great find by Andy Field. The pied flycatcher was feeding inside the birch and oak trees and often disappeared for long periods and sadly didn't show itself long enough to be photographed. I don't think there were any sightings reported in the afternoon. The redstart was also seen in Feldy View again, present for a week now.

A siskin flew over Feldy View calling and a buzzard drifted high over too on Wednesday morning, while a lesser whitethroat and two blackcap were seen near the caravan site. A flock of 100 swallows with two house martins were heading north-west over the Strood, a male marsh harrier, five yellow wagtails and 100 black-tailed godwits seen along the Strood channel.

The spotted flycatcher was more obliging and posed here for Jon Ward in Feldy View on Wednesday.

Andy Field managed this snap of the spotted flycatcher in Feldy View on Wednesday.

One of four willow warblers in Feldy View photographed on Wednesday by Andy Field.

Two common lizards were photographed by Andy in Feldy View basking on one of the wooden memorial plaques on Wednesday.

On Wednesday evening 16 yellow wagtails were seen by Caroline Wilson in the Golfhouse paddock in East Mersea and a whinchat along the park dyke.

A speckled bush cricket photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 29th a whimbrel was on the saltmarsh along the Strood channel, also 100 black-tailed godwits, common tern, 15 little egrets, six buzzards together high over the Peldon seawall and two yellow wagtails and fifteen linnets over the fields.

A spotted flycatcher was in the aptly named Flycatcher Corner near Feldy View, also two lesser whitethroats and a flock of 24 goldfinches in the area.

Two willow warblers were feeding in the Firs Chase garden.

In East Mersea on Tuesday afternoon Martin Cock saw five Sandwich terns, green sandpiper and 12 yellow wagtails in the Reeveshall /Shop Lane area. Fifteen yellow wagtails were also seen flying about the paddocks at the south end of Shop Lane.

On Monday 28th a golden plover was on the Rewsalls side-lake, also in the area were common sandpiper, 50 ringed plover, 30 turnstone, 120 redshank, five dunlin, 12 little grebes, black-tailed godwit and eight little egrets. A kingfisher perched on fenceposts along the old dyke, three Cetti's warblers heard, willow warblers and three whitethroats by the boating lake.

Recently stripped pine cones by a red squirrel were found under the ten Scots Pine trees inside the entrance to Mersea Outdoors on Monday.

A buzzard perched on top of East Mersea church on Monday. A peregrine was seen circling high over Meeting Lane.

Ten red admirals were feeding on the buddleia bush by the East Mersea church on Monday.

Andrew Goodey saw the redstart near Feldy View near the Firs Caravan park on Monday morning, though it was still being elusive. It was seen later in the day by Steve Entwistle but it was very mobile.

Also seen by Andy during his walk to the Strood seawall was a raven heard calling several times over Feldy View, two yellow wagtails, three lesser whitethroats, 217 black-tailed godwits, 3 little egrets, chiffchaff, two willow warblers, 12 linnets, sparrowhawk, green woodpecker and thirty swallows.

AUGUST GARDEN MOTHS

The moth trap operated in the Firs Chase garden on thirteen nights during August with a variety of interesting species noted. One Old Lady came to the trap on 29th.

Only one Sandhill Rustic has been recorded during the month, on the 27th.

A Beautiful Hook-tip was on the 27th.

The immigrant Scarce Bordered Straw was on the 26th.

The second garden record of Rosy-striped Knot-horn was on the 21st - the first record was 8th July.

Treble-bar on the 21st.

Sallow Kitten on the 21st.

Pebble Prominent on 17th.

Orange Swift was noted on several nights in the second half of the month.

Common emerald on the 15th.

Drinker on the 15th.

Oak Processionary on the 15th.

Toadflax Brocade on the 14th.

Probably the highlight of the summer, the first Jersey Tiger here on the left, on the same night as the increasingly scarce Garden Tiger on 12th August.

REDSTART REVEALED

The immature male redstart was still by the footpath near Feldy View cemetery and revealed itself nicely for Andy Field to take these three pictures on Sunday 27th. It came out of the nearby hawthorns to perch on the fence three times.

The redstart has now been present for five days, although proving very elusive at times. The morning sunshine highlights the orange underparts nicely.

At times the redstart has flown into nearby hawthorn trees and remained hidden for long periods - photos by Andy. Three willow warblers were seen in the nearby Feldy View.

Later on Sunday morning Andy visited Shop Lane and the Reeveshall seawall and noted willow warbler, chiffchaff, 50 swallows, two house martins, three whinchats, wheatear, green sandpiper, Mediterranean gull, 260 redshank, two turnstones on the mud and two noisy water rails in the borrowdyke club-rush.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday a wheatear and two whinchats were near the borrowdyke, while three kestrels and ten linnets were flying over the fields. in the channel were four little grebes, 40 golden plover, 200 black-tailed godwits, 20 Mediterranean gulls, while two marsh harriers seen flying. A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen nectaring at some mallow flowers on the seawall.

Two willow warblers were seen in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday.

A flock of eight cattle egrets flew across the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday 26th and landed among the herd of cattle on Reeveshall.

The cattle egrets followed a few cows around but sadly only for ten minutes before they flew off, heading west along the Pyefleet towards the Strood. The last time a flock of cattle egrets was seen on Mersea was just under two years ago, 23rd October 2021 on Reeveshall.

Other birds seen during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawall on Saturday included a wheatear, two sand martins, two house martins with 100 swallows, yellow wagtail, two Mediterranean gulls, marsh harrier, three buzzards, great crested grebe, greenshank, 210 grey plover, eight bar-tailed godwits, ten black-tailed godwits, four dunlin and one knot. Also a common seal and a grey seal in the Pyefleet.

An osprey was seen by John Fell looking from Old Hall Marshes on Saturday, flying over the Feldy Marshes and Strood Channel area being mobbed by a female marsh harrier. It dived into Salcott Channel a couple of times.

The redstart was still beside the path down the side of the Firs Caravan park near Feldy View on Friday 25th, allowing itself to be partially photographed by Shaun Bater.

The redstart was photographed by Shaun, in the overgrown corner perching on dead branches and also a dead grass pile on Friday.

Earlier on Friday the redstart had not shown itself despite waiting and looking for it. Just after mid-day it was seen perched on the fence during a quiet period when no-one was walking the footpath. When someone walked past, it seemed to vanish inside a thick hawthorn tree and stayed hidden from view.

Three willow warblers were in Feldy View and three buzzards were seen soaring over the West Mersea High Street mid morning on Friday.

Two whinchats were still seen from the Strood seawall on Friday as was the wheatear and ten linnets in the fields. Along the channel were an avocet, two little grebes, 22 golden plover, 40 grey plover, 200 redshank, four Mediterranean gulls, also seen from the seawall were a marsh harrier, two kestrels and a sparrowhawk.

A black-tailed godwit was photographed along the Strood channel by Michael Thorley on Friday.

A clouded yellow visited a few flowering bristly ox-tongue flowers on Friday, before flying off. First sighting on the Island this year I think.

A fresh painted lady also along the Strood seawall on Friday.

The Strood wheatear photographed on full zoom in the bright sunshine by Shaun Bater on Friday.

At East Mersea on Friday Steve Entwistle reported four Sandwich terns, two knot, 18 common terns near Ivy Dock, also a whinchat near the Golfhouse sluice and nine yellow wagtails in the Golfhouse paddock.

ELUSIVE REDSTART

An elusive immature male redstart eventually showed itself to Jon Ward beside the path down the side of the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday 24th. The redstart was first seen very briefly the previous morning but stayed hidden yesterday afternoon when being looked for and again didn't show on Thursday morning despite  being looked for.

The redstart spent some of the time in old hawthorn trees beside the path and other times it dropped down onto the path to feed. 

The redstart appears to be an immature male with the start of a black face, browny-grey wings and back and the orange underparts.

A willow warbler was heard calling from birch trees in Feldy View.

Waders seen along the Strood channel on Thursday included eight lapwing, 72 grey plover, 150 black-tailed godwits, greenshank and 200 redshank.

A small flock of 32 golden plover was resting on the mud in the Strood channel.

Also five Mediterranean gulls, mute swan, common tern on a buoy, 4 shelduck, three grey herons perched on a tree on Ray Island, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, buzzard and three kestrels. A whinchat and wheatear were in the Strood fields, yellow wagtail and ten linnets also.

On Thursday afternoon at Ivy Dock Martin Cock saw a group of terns resting on the mud including 35 common terns, three little terns and a juvenile Arctic tern.

An unusual visitor to the Firs Chase garden was this whitethroat seen feeding on blackberries on Thursday, also three willow warblers and a goldcrest seen in a big mixed tit flock here too. A hummingbird hawkmoth was seen in the garden too.

Two red squirrels paid a visit to the Firs Chase garden and were checking out various plant pots and flower beds, looking for buried nuts on Thursday.

A cinnamon bug was found by Sarah Thorley in her conservatory near Meeting Lane in East Mersea on Thursday, possibly the first sighting on the Island. 

On Wednesday 23rd two spotted flycatchers were feeding in the scrubby corner down the side of the Firs Caravan park - aptly named in recent years as "flycatcher corner!"

Of greater interest here was a fleeting glimpse of a redstart perched on the side of a hawthorn tree, quivering its orange tail in distinctive fashion. It hopped into the tree and didn't show again that day. Three willow warblers were feeding in Feldy View.

A wheatear was along the side of the Strood seawall on Wednesday, also the whinchat seen alongside the dyke. Two yellow wagtails flew over, 20 linnets were in the fields, two marsh harriers and a sparrowhawk were also noted.

Along the Strood channel on Wednesday all the birds were seen scattering when a peregrine appeared and chased a grey plover up and down the channel several times, before both of them disappeared up to the Strood road. Also along the channel were a single bar-tailed godwit, 300 black-tailed godwits near the Dabchicks sailing club, golden plover, 50 grey plover, 3 ringed plover, 75 curlew and two little grebes.

In East Mersea on Wednesday, Martin Cock found a spotted flycatcher near Meeting Lane, here photographed by Michael Thorley.

A lesser whitethroat photographed by Michael near Meeting Lane on Wednesday.

A juvenile goldfinch in Meeting Lane, photo by Michael.

A long-tailed tit photographed by Michael near Meeting Lane.