AFTER THE RAIN

Plenty of rain dropped out of the sky during Tuesday 9th with nearly an inch (23cms) recorded here on Mersea. For this normally dry corner of Britain, this amounts to quite a soaking. As the last of the rain clouds headed off west late in the afternoon, a bright rainbow arched over the park with a faint outer rainbow visible too.

The main tit flock was seen in the car park early in the day with nearly 40 birds working their way through the bushes and trees. Long-tailed, great and blue tits were the main members with a few chaffinches and 2 goldcrest also joining in the big forage. Two song thrushes flew around fast and high, in a manner that suggested they were newly arrived migrants.

There was only a short period at the end of the day for a walk before it got too dark. There were some strange clouds reflected in the park borrow-dyke as darkness descended. It was nice and calm and the tide was well out with great clusters of waders lining the outer edge of the mudflats.

In the river there was a small group of six great crested grebes in the middle of the river Colne. It seemed as if no-one had walked the seawall in the afternoon as 20 wigeon had been able to feed undisturbed until I walked the path. The only small bird of note seen was the male stonechat was seen perched up on a bush near the seawall. Heading east over the park to nearby mudflats were 120 lapwings.

As the light faded the clear yelping calls of a little owl was heard just to the north of the park and then the Bromans Lane tawny owl joined in the dusk chorus. Judging by the calls this male bird appeared to head north-east away from the Bromans Lane towards the Ivy Lane area.