BWW

9 members met at Burnham Wick Farm on a warm, sunny morning.

We were greeted by Martin who said that there was not a lot of bird life on the farm at the moment but told us what we were likely to see.   He also said that they had seen a pair of muntjac with a little spotty fawn on the farm not long ago, and, much to their surprise, there was a young red deer stag hanging around for a couple of days last week. They have no idea where it might have come from. It “pruned” their apple trees, eating all the apples and young tender shoots that it could reach and then it disappeared again!  He said that the Barn Owls had not so far bred successfully this year.

Walking down to the Reservoir we didn’t see much bird life but on the Reservoir there were a number of Pochards, a Mute Swan, Cormorant, Greylag, Little Grebe and a few Swallows flew overhead. There were also a few Dragonflies darting around which we were unable to identify. There were very few Butterflies and the ones we did see are listed below: also the Wild Flowers identified by the experts among us.

Walking down to the seawall Whitethroats, Pied Wagtails and Goldfinches were seen.

A very enjoyable walk with lovely surroundings and good company on a perfect summer day.

Birds:  Swallow, Little Grebe, Pochard, Greylag Goose, Collared Dove, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Mute Swan, Goldfinch, Whitethroat, Black-headed Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Crow, Green Woodpecker, Moorhen, Pied Wagtail

Butterflies: Small White, Large White, Gatekeeper, Blue, Red Admiral

Wild Flowers: Bramble, Bristly Ox-tongue, Creeping Buttercup, Dandelion, Field Bindweed, Mallow, Marsh Thistle, Ribwort Plantain, Small-flowered Cranesbill

Other: Squirrel, Dragonflies, White-tailed bumble bee, Grasshopper

NEXT MEETING:  Abberton Reservoir – 8 September 2021 – Meet in Visitors Centre at 10 a.m.

 

Joy Deacon

Jill Taylor

                                                                                                                                        

 

 

 

 

Seven members met at Cudmore Grove Country Park, East Mersea.  The weather was overcast with a strong wind which made it a bit chilly but at least it was dry. The cafe was closed as it was not a weekend so no coffee! no doubt this will change when school holidays start.

We walked onto the beach to see the Sand Martins of which there were several still visiting their holes in the cliff.  Suddenly there was a shout from Val who was with a lady and her dog. Ongoing over we discovered the dog had found a bird nearer the strandline, it was probably winded and was resting before flying off. Diane picked it up and carried it back to higher ground, it did not appear injured so hopefully it recovered and went on its way.

After that excitement we walked in the opposite direction back into the wind adding more species to our list.  Finally, four of us checked out the area of the hide which is undergoing replacement, we saw butterflies and interesting plants here.

We all went our separate ways after lunch having had a lovely morning.

Birds seen:  blackcap, black-headed gull, carrion crow, cetti’s warbler, chiffchaff coot, curlew, herring gull, linnet, little egret, little grebe, magpie, mallard, moorhen, oystercatcher, redshank, sand martin, skylark, swift, whitethroat, wood pigeon.

Insects: 5-spot ladybird, brimstone butterfly, dragonfly, garden snail, gatekeeper butterfly, grasshopper, hoverfly, large white butterfly, mosquito, skipper butterfly, small white butterfly.

Wildflowers: birdsfoot, birdsfoot trefoil, black horehound, black medick, bramble, bristly ox-tongue, buttercup, comfrey, daisy, dandelion, dog rose, mallow, marsh thistle, mayweed, nipplewort, ragwort, red clover, ribwort plantain, rowan, sand spurrey, smooth sow, dandelion, dog rose, fat hen, smooth sow thistle, spear thistle, St. Johns’s wort, field bindweed, stinging nettle, foxglove, weld, golden samphire, white bryony, great reedmace, white campion, groundsel, white clover, herb Robert, wild carrot, honeysuckle, woody nightshade, knapweed, yarrow, lady’s bedstraw.

NEXT MEETING:

Burnham Wick Farm – Wednesday, 11 August 2021 – Meet at 10 a.m.

 

LYNDA EWERS

 

 MEMBERS ACTIVITIES DURING THE MONTH

 Wrabness 12.7.21 – Diane Caulkett

After the heavy overnight rain, the first part of my walk crossing fields of onions and wheat, was wet and slippery. The long grass didn’t help but it was a warm day and my trouser legs soon dried.  I was making my way to Stone Point, Wrabness mostly following the Essex Way.  It was glorious savouring the views of the River Stour and Suffolk beyond.  The stillness of the day was perfect and as I walked skylarks serenaded me.

Descending gradually, and by way of a bridge, I crossed under the railway line and soon reached the river’s edge.  The tide was rising but there was plenty of exposed mud and a narrow band of saltings. The usual array of gulls was at the water’s edge and then the evocative call of a curlew drew my attention away from them.  Through the binoculars I found the curlew just standing motionless and then it called again, took flight and went a short way down river where it poked around in the mud. There too were 6 little egrets busy with their search for food.  Two very noisy oystercatchers chased each other angrily for a while and then peacefully fed together.  That was about all the interest on the waterfront but I had now reached the Wrabness Nature Reserve and the scene changed rapidly.  I now walked through shrubs and trees and pathways amass with wildflowers and birdsong was everywhere – I knew some but wished I had brought my book with recordings to identify others.  I did mistake the route here and made an unnecessary detour but it didn’t matter.  I had intended to walk through Oakfield Wood, perhaps I did as, according to the map, the Essex Way does pass through it, but it wasn’t signed.  Back beside the river I walked onto the beach. Low cliffs on my right were alive with sand martins flying back and forth scanning the area for insects and returning with them to their numerous holes.  Wrabness cliffs are also of interest geologically and I believe an SSI.  Suddenly I was reminded of a moment some 50 years ago when I caught the train to Wrabness, walked down to the waterfront and Brian rowed out from Flight which was moored offshore, presumably it was a Saturday and I had to work in the morning and he had sailed round from Benfleet leaving Friday night – the good old days when you could anchor in these rivers.

The sun was trying to shine but I could see the forecast rain clouds building so turned round to return to Bradfield.  Pausing briefly to eat a banana and soak in the scene I could see the tide rising quite rapidly which didn’t affect me but the birds that were present had now gone.  A short way on I heard a sound I hadn’t heard before, distinctive and immediately recognisable, it was just like the purring of a cat – a turtle dove.  I waited for a long time and there it was again, magic.  Unfortunately it was well concealed in the trees.  I found a bench for lunch and realised that the whole time I had sat there some sheep in a nearby pasture were bleating furiously and the gulls flying overhead were screaming dementedly.  I looked up and the gulls were mobbing a raptor which they saw off and peace was restored.  Then the purring started again, three occasions, the turtle dove again, or perhaps another but once again unsighted.   With the sun shining a few butterflies made their appearance but apart from that nothing else had changed except with the increased humidity it was hot going – but what a super day I had.

Birds: blackbird, dunnock, skylark, great tit, goldfinch, sparrow, black-headed gull, little egret, curlew, oystercatcher, wood pigeon, turtle dove, mallard, swallow, sand martin, pheasant, partridge, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, chiffchaff, magpie, crow, corn bunting, whitethroat, crow

Flowers: red campion, white campion, mallow, oxeye daisy, white, clover self heal, hedge mustard, black medick, perforate st john’s-wort, common ragwort, groundsel, smooth hawk’s-beard, agrimony, common poppy, common fumitory, herb-robert, dove’s-foot crane’s-bill, red dead-nettle, black horehound, woody nightshade, field scabious, spear thistle, bramble, cow parsley, hedge bindweed, scented mayweed, scentless mayweed, field bindweed.

Other: Woodlouse, bloodsucker, house fly, ant,

Butterflies: skipper (Essex/small?), small white, meadow brown, small heath

The EWT have a short video about Wrabness which can be accessed via:

www.essexwt.org.uk/wrabness-appeal

Diane Caulkett

 

 

7 members and 2 visitors met in the Woodrolfe Road car park at Tollesbury.  The weather was fine, no cloud and quite hot.  Walking on the right-hand path there was a pleasant breeze and we saw a good number of species as below:  Fortunately we had all brought food and drink with us as all the cafes were closed.

Birds seen:

Mallard, Swallow, House Martin, House Sparrow, Buzzard, Chaffinch, Pied Wagtail, Tufted Duck, Black-headed Gull, Marsh Harrier (Male), Oystercatcher, Skylark, Shelduck, Starling, Lapwing, Whitethroat, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Jackdaw.

Plants:

Mallow, Dog Rose, White Clover.

Mammals:

Brown Hare

Butterflies:

Small Heath

The next meeting will be at Cudmore Grove, East Mersea on 14 July meeting in the Car Park at 10 a.m.    Car sharing is allowed at the moment (subject to sensible precautions) which will also help with parking costs.  There should be pay and display available rather than pre-pay on line, but have your own sanitizer with you for when you use the machines.  Also bring your own food and drink.

There is plenty of seating available at Cudmore Grove so anyone with walking difficulties can just sit and take in the beautiful views.

Lynda Ewers

 

MEMBERS’ ACTIVITIES DURING THE MONTH

Jill reports:

On Sunday (13 June) I decided to treat myself to a morning’s bird-watching somewhere where I hadn’t been for a while, so I got up early and headed for Clements Green Creek at Woodham Ferrers. It was a beautiful morning with a little breeze, but it threatened to be hot later in the day. There were joggers and cyclists and dog-walkers out but there is plenty of space and the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful. There were wild roses everywhere, and clumps of buttercups, all being visited by small heath butterflies.

I saw or heard 28 different species of bird which I have listed below. I was delighted to see that one of the pairs of swans had two cygnets, but there were two main highlights of my morning. One was successfully identifying the song of a lesser whitethroat, which I had thought was a woodland bird. Referring to the RSPB website when I got home not only confirmed that I had correctly recognised the song, but informed me that its preferred habitat is reed beds. Perfect! The second was spending 10 minutes watching a pair of reed warblers, usually rather shy birds, picking the dead flowers from last year’s reeds and taking them down to presumably build a new nest. Magic moments!

blackbird; black-headed gull; Canada goose; carrion crow; Cetti’s warbler; chiff chaff; collared dove; common gull; corn bunting; cuckoo; house sparrow; lesser black-backed gull; lesser whitethroat; little egret; little grebe; moorhen; mute swan; oystercatcher; pochard; reed bunting; reed warbler; robin; sedge warbler; shelduck; skylark; tufted duck; wood pigeon; wren.

Jill Taylor

Sue and Tony report:

We have seen quite a lot of butterflies – Small Coppers at Creaksea and along the Chelmer: Speckled Woods in several places and beginning to see Small Heaths and Holly Blues all over the place.

On the Chelmer there was a range of Dragonflies and Damselflies plus many Demoiselles.

We went to Cudmore Grove on Wednesday (16 June) and were pleased to see the Sand Martins were back feeding their young. We saw a Ringed Plover leading 3 young and nesting Avocets. It was also a good place to see Whitethroats.

Sue and Tony Bridgman

 

This was the first time in 14 months that we were able to meet as a group and we decided to go to Fingringhoe Wick.

Fingringhoe Wick was Essex Wildlife Trust’s first nature reserve which opened in 1961. Some years later it was where the Trust opened their first Visitor Centre. Sixty years on visitors are still coming to see this magical place. Set in a spectacular position overlooking the Colne Estuary the reserve offers a sense of real peace and quiet and a chance to escape from it all.

Spring sees the return of many migrant birds, including Nightingales.  Fingringhoe Wick is one of the places in England where you are most certain to see/hear Nightingales each spring.  Approx 1% (30-40 pairs) of the total UK population breed on the reserve before heading back to Africa for the winter.  These amazing songsters can be heard/seen across the reserve during April and May.

So it was with some excitement that members met at the Visitors Centre.  Jill was the first to arrive and while waiting was fortunate to hear Turtle Doves, staff in the Visitors Centre confirming that there are 4 Turtle Doves on the reserve so far this year. The Turtle Dove is one of the UK’s fastest declining bird species.

After a very wet start to the day it remained fine and at times the sun broke through and it was very warm.

After enjoying a cup of coffee in the Visitors Centre we made our way to the hide overlooking the Colne estuary.  It was low tide but there were very few waders, although we did see Oystercatchers, Shelducks, Little Egrets and Tufted Duck.

The highlight of the day was the sighting and hearing the magical song of the Nightingales.  Also to see/hear the Cuckoo, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler etc. and a Kestrel hovering overhead.

Apart from birds there were sightings of an Adder, a Weasel, a Muntjac and a large variety of wildflowers, including Spring Beauty (photo below) which was new to all of us.

Altogether a really super day. It felt so good to be out together again as a group and we felt that we could not have chosen a better place.

Birds: Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Cetti’s Warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Nightingale, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pochard, Reed Warbler, Robin, Shelduck, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Turtle Dove, Whitethroat, Wren.

Flowers: Broom, Bugle, Common Chickweed, Cow Parsley, Daisy, Dandelion, Dog Rose, early Forget-me-not, Elder, Germander Speedwell, Gorse, Green Alkanet, Hawthorn, Marsh Thistle, Prickly Sow Thistle, Red Dead Nettle, Small-flowered Cranesbill, Spring Beauty, Storksbill, White Dead Nettle.

Other: Adder, Rabbit, Weasel, Muntjac

 

Next Meeting: Wednesday, 9 June, 2021 – Tollesbury – Meet in Woodrolfe Road Car Park – 10 a.m.

 

LYNDA EWERS

 

This month, as we were allowed to meet in up to groups of six, five of our members went to South Woodham Ferrers and  Diane reports follows:

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch revealed that there was a drop in 16 out of 20 of the most spotted species.  They expressed concern about greenfinches and chaffinches, which have been seen in their lowest ever numbers this year; this trend was shown in our outing today when we saw neither of these species.  The only finches we saw were goldfinches that chirped enthusiastically at our meeting spot close to Clementsgreen Creek to the southeast of the town.

Had this been a walking group outing we would have taken one hour to complete the circuit but for us it was two and a half hours, highlighting how much interest we found there.  This is partly due to the variety of habitats that include reed beds, pasture, fields, bushes, and trees, the creek, and also the River Crouch.  It was a super day to be out, warm when the sun shone and cool when the clouds briefly covered it.  The tide was low when the five of us arrived but quickly started to rise.

As so often happens sightings were slow at first and although we didn’t see huge numbers we did notch up a lot of different species.  The reed beds and dykes had not only the usual coots and moorhens but also corn buntings, reed warblers, and swans.  One pair of swans swam peacefully up one of the dykes when at great pace the cob turned, raised its wings, lowered its head and made off at full speed towards two swans that were minding their own business some 200 metres away; sensibly they avoided confrontation and took flight passing low over our heads.

Teal frequented Clementsgreen Creek feeding at the water’s edge.  There were about 30 of them but because they had ‘social distanced’ themselves didn’t give an impression of being a large group whereas, the black-tailed godwits, feeding on the mud in the River Crouch, did.  These godwits are one of Europe’s more handsome waders and in summer their plumage goes coppery-red from their head to their breast which, in the sunshine glow brilliantly.  Nearby, foraging amongst the seaweed six turnstones were busy feeding.  They took flight and landed closer to us on a platform in the river giving us a better look at them.

Away from the water skylarks rose from the fields singing as they went and a kestrel hovered.  Greylag geese, Canada geese, shelduck, little egrets and a grey heron fed on the grassy areas.  A swallow flew overhead, my first this year but others said they had seen some previously – perhaps Spring is really here.

We did have a discussion about collective nouns for birds showing our ignorance when it came to little egrets and black-tailed godwits.  Well, these two birds have several collective nouns including for the little egret a ‘congregation’ and ‘wedge’ and for the black-tailed godwits an ‘omniscience’, ‘pantheon’ and ‘prayer’.

The only butterfly/moth we saw remains unidentified – it was small (about the size of a holly blue), totally white, no black spots, no black on the wing tips.  It landed open winged on hoary cress – anyone any ideas?

Birds: Goldfinch, Robin, Starling, Sparrow, Chiffchaff, Blue & Great tits, Skylark, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Corn Bunting, Reed Warbler, Kestrel, Crow, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Swan, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Coot, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Mallard, Pochard, Shelduck Teal, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Black-headed and Herring Gulls,

Flowers: Groundsel, Daisy, Dandelion, Germander Speedwell, Red Deadnettle, Hoary Cress, Blackthorn.

Diane Caulkett

 

MEMBERS ACTIVITIES

On 25 March Sue and Tony had a lovely walk at Marsh Farm Country Park and report as follows:  We parked by the river where there are always plenty of swans (but no black one this time!) Initially there was not much on the water – the odd moorhen, little grebe and some mallards on the dykes. We then saw a mass of birds on the fields to our left which turned out to be Brent geese, Canadas and Greylags plus a flock of Shelduck and some Oyster catchers. After lunch on a rather cold bench where we spotted some red shank and a curlew, we turned to go along by Clements Green Creek where we were greeted by a large display of Teal and Black Tailed Godwits (100s) in their magnificent rusty summer plumage. We also saw a few wigeon, pochard and tufted duck.  It was worth the showers we experienced on the way back!

 On 1 April five members visited Bradwell-on-Sea and Diane reports as follows: It seems to be the sequence of our bird outings lately in that the first bird heard is the Skylark; no doubt habitat plays its part and today it was the farmland at Bradwell-on-Sea.

5 of us met at the car park near to St Peter’s Chapel and we set off into the chill, brisk northeasterly wind.  Apart from numerous Skylarks we were also pleased to spot several Corn Buntings; one singing close by and others perched, fully silhouetted, on taller field growth or treetops.  As we walked along the track other birds sang joyously in the hedge growth, drawing our attention to them: Chaffinch, Sparrow, Wren, Robin, and, nearing the Chapel, a Great Tit certainly won the prize for volume and enthusiasm.

The feeders at the Bird Observatory were well-stocked and had the usual array of finches and tits coming and going but also a Great-spotted Woodpecker.

We walked along the seawall to a point looking north, where we had hoped a rising tide would bring the waders closer inshore, but the tide was sluggish and we were only able to identify Redshank, Shelduck, Brent Geese and a Curlew.  In the adjacent dyke a pair of Mallard and Pochard swam in and out of the reeds and nearby, although March had now passed, two ‘mad’ hares tussled in a field.

After several hours, and beaten by the cold wind, we made our way back to the car park and still the Great Tit sang enthusiastically.

Birds: Skylark, Corn Bunting, Chaffinch, Robin, Wren, Sparrow, Great & Blue Tits, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Magpie, Pheasant, Crow, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Black-headed & Herring Gulls, Redshank, Curlew, Shelduck, Mallard, Pochard, Brent Geese

Flowers: Ground Ivy, Groundsel, Daisy, Dandelion, Alexandra, Cow Parsley, Chickweed, Speedwell, Cherry,

Other: Ladybird, Bumble Bee, 2 Hares

 

Diane reports above about the decline in Chaffinches and Greenfinches but I am pleased to say that in the last month or so I have had a pair of Chaffinches visiting my garden regularly and also occasionally see a Greenfinch. The Group are really hoping that we will all be able to meet together in the near future and be able to travel further afield, although I think the lockdowns have really made us all appreciate what is on our doorstep and how fortunate we are to live in such a lovely part of the country.

Joy Deacon

It is now a year since we met together as a group. Our last group meeting was In March 2020, just before lockdown when we visited Wallasea Island. It was a lovely sunny warm day and it was very interesting to see the progress that had been made since our last visit. It was a very high tide that day which flooded the road out of the island and some of us didn’t make it out on time. However, we spent a very enjoyable hour or two in the café that was fortunately open. Hopefully it won’t be too long now that we can meet together again as a group.
However, although we can’t meet as a group yet, once again members have been reporting their wildlife sightings.

Report below from Diane Caukett.

Jill Taylor and I went for a walk on Saturday 6th March around Wick Farm and back along the seawall. It was a grey day but with a tinge of brightness in the southern sky. The wind was a bit chilly and gently blowing from the east, hence our decision to walk in a clockwise direction so that it pushed us back to Burnham.

It was joyous to hear skylarks as we set off and throughout our 5-mile walk we heard six in total and saw one descending rapidly to the cover of crops below. We met Martin, the farmer, who told us there were corn buntings around but they eluded us. After the first skylark it was quite a wait for our next identification which was a great tit singing from the trees within a small covert. We were beginning to think that the birds had disappeared altogether until we reached the seawall and a linnet, from the top of a tree, serenaded us with its delightful song. This seemed to change our luck.

With exposed mud and the water’s edge being well within binocular distance, we counted 16 redshanks, 12 teal, 4 shelducks, and 2 oystercatchers. Then, happily diving in the shallows, Jill spotted a great-crested grebe. The Brent geese were absent but then we caught sight of a skein of 6 crossing the river. We would have missed them had our attention not been drawn to a graceful, little skiff with tan sails sailing up river. Nearer to Burnham we found more Brent geese feeding at the water’s edge, and shelduck too; we must have spooked the latter because as we drew closer they became nervy and took flight. Little flecks of white turned out to be a group of avocets stock still facing into the breeze. The dyke also had activity in it – mallard, moorhens, and a little grebe. Almost back to Burnham we were pleased to see a pair of reed buntings and then a short way on, sitting motionless in a nearby tree, another, a male. A chaffinch sang and then a noisy flock flew from bush to bush; a lone robin managed to be heard above their chatter.

Birds seen: Great Tit, Robin, 6 Skylarks, 1 Linnet, 18 Brent Geese, 4, Shelducks, 2 Oystercatchers, 1 Gt Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 8 Chaffinches, 3 Reed Buntings, 3 Mallard, 16 Redshank, 12 Teal, 2 Moorhens, Black-headed Gulls, Wood Pigeons. Weren’t we lucky to see all that?

A few days later on a very sunny Tuesday Jill and I met at Maylandsea. With restrictions eased and now allowing us to sit on a bench and have a coffee, we did just that. Jill had brought her telescope and we had a great couple of hours viewing literally hundreds of redshanks, brent geese and golden plover. There were also several curlews, oystercatchers, shelduck, lots of teal, wigeon and canada geese and certainly more that I’ve forgotten. We were not only pleased with our viewings but spoke to so many people who passed us by, including a person with whom I used to play squash about 30-years ago and haven’t seen since, and also Anita, a member of one of the Maldon U3A’s, who used to come out with our bird group. Another fabulous day.

SIGNS OF SPRING: Jill Taylor writes (20 February):

In the last few days, since the snow melted, I have had two dunnocks holding a singing competition at opposite sides of my garden, each listening to the other and then singing in reply. Two cock blackbirds have been fighting ferociously, chasing each other around the garden and flying at each other, claws out, grappling and rolling about. Meanwhile the hen blackbird, seemingly oblivious, is pottering about under the hedge collecting nest material. I also saw a female blackcap a couple of days ago. 22 February: Yesterday I saw my first butterfly of the year in my garden – a beautiful brimstone! And I counted wildflowers on my daily walk. Seen beside Marsh Road were: dandelion; red dead nettle; daisy; groundsel; white dead nettle; shepherd’s purse; speedwell; petty spurge; chickweed; cow parsley and some garden escapes: violet, snowdrop and daffodil. Has anyone else seen a butterfly yet?

Diane Caulkett replies – 22 February:

That sounds like the list of weeds flowering in my garden! No butterflies as yet only ladybirds, earwig and a bumblebee. Lots of birdsong over the weekend and plenty of tits hopefully choosing their home in my garden. Blackbirds that live harmoniously (two males and a hen), a small flock of sparrows that regularly visit the dense bushes in the front garden, a pair of collared doves taking up residence in a tree, not so many wood pigeons so far but plenty of magpies and crows, and the usual starlings and a pair of robins. The mole is quite active but fortunately sticks to the edge of the lawn and doesn’t cause too much harm.

Sue Bridgman replies – 24 February:

More signs of Spring in our garden: large bumblebee with pale yellowish rump, a honeybee, quite a few ladybirds and a comma butterfly. Blackbirds are becoming aggressive. Do they know it’s only February?

Anne Hollis replies– 24 February:

I have a small garden, so have only had 6 blackbirds squabbling over fat balls, a daily pied wagtail, a few sparrows, a few collared doves, 3 wood pigeons, and a chaffinch. I have also seen a bumblebee and a ladybird.

Sue Longson writes:

I saw a Lapwing and Redshank on the shingle in Mayland, but the water’s edge was too far away to make out the large amount of birds there with only small binoculars.
St Lawrence had a lot of Brent Geese and towards Osea Island there were some spectacular murmurations of white birds? Would Starlings look white from a distance? Any ideas?
In our garden there were a pair of Long-tailed Tits eating the fat balls. A Heron flew overhead and a wren crept around the flower pots. Our daughter said she saw a Red Kite in Green Lane.

I have had a Sparrowhawk in the garden on a couple of occasions and also have seen 2 Buzzards which are often flying overhead. Sparrows and Starlings are back in great numbers and are collecting nest material. Also a pair of Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Goldfinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Goldfinches, Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves and a Magpie which is often on the feeders.

Joy Deacon