64 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
an old nest in one of our sheds. 21st. Three Swallows and several Willow-
Warblers on the farm. 22nd. Willow-Warblers now numerous and Swallows
arriving slowly. 23rd. Heard Cuckoo at 7.50 p.m. close to the house. 29th. A
Missel-Thrush fledgling being fed by the parent birds in elm tree.
May 1st. I visited two small copses at Battlesbridge and saw and heard
a Wryneck. It flew along the railway embankment and then I heard it calling
beside the copse where there are several dead tree stumps and some ant-hills.
A Nightingale in full song in the same thicket. At midnight Whimbrel passed
over the farm flying east and calling. 2nd. I re-visited the copse in the hope
of seeing the Wryneck again but although I stayed for nearly two hours I did
not hear or see anything of it. 3rd. Whitethroats arriving fast also Yellow
Wagtails. Whimbrel again passing over at night. 4th. The first Turtle-Dove
seen this morning. At 7 p.m. two were close together dashing north. The
Swallow population is slowly filling up. 5th. A pair of Turtle-Doves flying
fast directly north. It seems that they are paired before arriving here. A
Swift also flying due north. House-Martins filling up in the station area. 6th.
A pair of Oyster-catchers flew down the river. 7th. A Swift seen in Burn-
ham. 9th. Whimbrel still here. A pair of Spotted Flycatchers in the orchard.
A Blackcap in the old garden. 12th. A pair of Spotted Flycatchers searching
for a nesting site near the cowsheds. A Goldfinch's nest in an apple tree and
two Wrens' nests, one in baled hay in the barn. 13th. A flight of twenty
Whimbrel flying round the marsh all day. Swifts and House-Martins increas-
ing. 16th. A Sedge-Warbler in a rough patch on the farm. 21st. In a local
wood Nightingales, Chiffchaffs and Willow-Warblers were in full song.
Whimbrel still in the marsh, a very late date for them still to be here. 26th.
A Blackcap in full song in the dairy hedge. 27th. In Stowe Creek a Tern was
fishing and I also saw three Herons, Sheld-Duck and many Curlew. 28th.
One Whimbrel flew east, calling, at 7 p.m.
June 4th. I took a boat trip and landed at Colne Point. Tern and
Ringed Plover nesting near the shore shingle. Crows in abundance probably
destroy 90% of the nests. 13th. Oyster-catchers calling as they passed over-
head at 10 p.m. 16th. Blackcaps feeding very strong fledglings in the orchard.
17th. Numerous Great Tits strong on the wing. 19th. Lesser Whitethroats
well on the wing and being fed by the parents. Young Swallows are already
on the wing and are doing well. 23rd. Oyster-catchers passed up the river
and later returned. Several large broods of Wrens on the wing. 24th. Two
Spotted Flycatchers' nests on the farm. Three days later they were both
robbed and destroyed by Magpies or Jays. 30th. Another Spotted Flycatcher's
nest destroyed by House-Sparrows.
July 3rd. There are 17 House-Martins' nests in Burnham High Street
and about the same number scattered around this village—a slight increase.
4th. Magpies are very active destroying the nests of useful birds from before
daybreak to dusk. 17th. Lapwing collecting into large groups consisting of
more than fifty birds. 20th. According to the weather people this is the
wettest July for 81 years. 22nd. Swallows now flying in groups of 50—100
and feeding young on the wing. 23rd. Whimbrel returned to our marsh today.
Oyster-catchers pass over frequently, calling as they go. 29th. The worst
July gale within living memory tore across Britain. The ground is covered
with a carpet of leaves and small branches torn from the trees. I saw large
oaks in Somerset and Devon uprooted in every direction.
August 2nd. Young Cuckoo being fed by Hedge-Sparrows. Numerous
Willow-Warblers and other warblers passing through southwards fast. The
exodus is in full swing. 4th. Swallows moving out fast. 7th. Fledgling
Swallow's have met with disaster in several nests. They were found dead in
the nests and I cannot account for it for the parents would not leave them