SURGE TIDE

This was the day of the high tide Friday 9th - a surge tide to potentially rival the devastating one of 1953. Looking at the picture above of the park beach at high tide, it all seems very benign and harmless. The calm conditions of the sea provided by this cliff from the strong northerly winds, also made the area surprisingly warm. Up to 20 turnstones clambered over the fallen heaps of sand and gravel at the bottom of the cliff.

The high tide luckily wasn't as severe as predicted but the force of the northerly wind during the early morning, had the effect of keeping the tide high. There was little mud uncovered during the early hours of the day and I noticed along Coast Road in West Mersea that even four hours before the mid-day high tide, the tide was still well in. This would've confused all the waders who were expecting plenty of mudflats on show. Brent geese and little egrets fed close to the water's edge.


The saltmarsh alongside the seawall is under the water and as soon as the first shingle became exposed, several sanderling, turnstone, grey plover, redshank and dunlin quickly arrived to feed. The regular pair of stonechats were perching on bushes whose bases were flooded and the birds may've been hoping to feed on insects escaping the water.



There was definitely no access from the seawall to the Point pictured above, as the path would've been under 2 -3 feet of water. Up to 50 wigeon, 25 teal, 50 brent geese, 20 mallard were enjoying swimming over the flooded saltmarsh, feeding on floating seeds and plants stirred up by the tide.
Most of the Point was under water although there was a mixed wader roost of 100 birds, mainly dunlin, although knot, redshank, turnstone and oystercatcher waited for the tide to fall.

The only gatherings of waders on nearby fields were 100 curlew, 300 golden plover with 50 turnstone on a winter wheat field, while 100 brent geese grazed a grass field.

Always nice to see in the winter is the snow bunting and this one below, was first seen by Ian Black three days earlier feeding very obligingly on the seawall. When it flew a short distance, the prominent white in the wings, was very striking. It paused long enough for this fuzzy photo to be taken with the digital compact.



Snow buntings are sometimes seen in small flocks in the winter feeding on the beach here at the park. This one probably felt quite at home in the strong cold northerly wind, where it is more used to the snowy mountain-tops.

At the park pond 5 little egrets sheltered low down from the wind, 6 gadwall, 30 teal, 10 shoveler and 20 mallard were seen while the blue blurr of a kingfisher was seen flying rapidly away.


There were a few corners of the park that were quite warm out of the wind and this very tatty red admiral butterfly was doing a bit of sunbathing - not that it had much of its wings to warm up! It's a wonder it could stay airborne with chunks of the wings missing.
Several common darters also enjoyed the shelter behind some bushes.




The moth trap was operated at the park during Wednesday night with another typically low autumnal catch. Of the 20 moths of 5 species noted, this scarce umber was one that caught the eye. It is reasonably frequent in the county although it was not seen at this trap here last autumn.



This December moth was another omission from last year's observations, due to the unsuitable weather for trapping. This moth despite its name has turned up a few weeks early and joined some of the November moths in the trap.
Other moths seen were green brindled crescent and a dozen feathered thorns.


There have been some wonderful autumn colours recently around the place and this hornbeam bush was still trying to cling onto its yellow leaves despite the strong wind.

A few birds of note were seen on Tuesday 6th with Martin Cock at Maydays seeing a merlin trying to catch a skylark, 3 to 4 marsh harriers, 3 stonechat, 120 wigeon, 12 little egrets, green sandpiper and a late house martin.

Also on Tuesday Richard Brown near Coopers Beach noted 500 golden plover, 9 little egrets and only 3 stonechats.
Hugh Owen saw two short-eared owls just north of the Pyefleet Channel on Langenhoehall Marsh on Sunday 4th.