MORE WILDFOWL

There were good numbers of waders and wildfowl seen along the Strood Channel on Saturday 19th. The brent geese numbers have been building up and there are now 500 feeding on the winter wheat fields, in the back ground of the photo above. Other than a short flight into another wheat field, the geese stayed a long way off as they grazed the far side of the fields.

Scattered along the length of the mud in the Channel were lots of resting wildfowl with up to 500 wigeon and teal and 120 shelduck. It seems like there may have been a recent influx of shelduck since my last visit a fortnight ago, maybe as more birds return from the moulting grounds off the German coast.

Two goldeneye ducks seen amongst the boat moorings were the first for the winter here while the dabchick count of 24 is a good number.

There was the usual good variety of waders to admire with 13 species logged along the Channel. The ones to catch the eye were one greenshank, five bar-tailed godwits, only five black-tailed godwits but a group of about fifty knot.

It seemed surprising to see some frost still on the ground by late morning even under the grey skies. The area of bushes along from the Dabchicks was the only place where any groups of small birds were seen. Amongst the 20 blackbirds feeding around the old apple trees were a couple of song thrushes and one fieldfare that perched on top of the bushes making its loud "chacking" calls.

Twenty linnets, ten goldfinches, ten greenfinches were also noted in the area as was a reed bunting, while along the seawall three rock pipits were noted. Martin Cock noted 3 stonechats during his walk along the seawall as well as a spotted redshank.

Graham Ekins saw 2 long-tailed ducks, 4 common scoter, great northern diver, 2 slavonian grebes and 37 great crested grebes on his visit to the Esplanade and Hard areas. Andy Field was able to add 2 velvet scoter flying into the Blackwater and also 8 red-breasted mergansers to the day's list.

On Friday Hugh Owen saw three possibly four, short-eared owls in the Langenhoehall Marshes, just north of Mersea Island.