BRONKING BRENT

Friday 26th- the sun trying to shine, good clear conditions and ducks and geese out in force again on the Cudmore Grove grazing fields. Around 500 brent joined forces with 400 wigeon to crop the grass. Beaks to the ground, they all seemed determined to strip the fields of every last blade of grass. Something spooked all the birds and there was the fantastic sight and sound of both flocks rising up together but going their seperate ways. The deafening sound of the brronking calls of the brent geese mixing with the whistling wigeon - this is what makes a visit to the Essex marshes so memorable.

Scanning the river Colne showed up a handful of great crested grebes, one or two of them already displaying their "great -crests". However the brief scan proved fruitful with the sight of a black-throated diver popping up every so often from the depths of the murky Colne. Despite it being several hundred metres away, the white flash on its rear flank showed up well enough to tell it apart from the more usual red-throated diver.

The incoming tide forced small groups of waders closer in and only a group of about a dozen knot were of real note. Closer to home a rock pipit rose up from the saltings to fly further along and the ubiquitous little egret flashed its snow white wings as it headed away.