BATTLING WITH ELEMENTS

The weather took a turn for the worse during Sunday 9th and venturing outside meant battling with the elements. The blue skies in the photo above from East Mersea Point were short-lived and the clouds soon rolled in with showers for the afternoon.

The high tide had brought the group of 30 sanderling onto the beach to feed along the water's edge with 70 turnstone. There was a good view of the female eider flying out of the river - the regular bird that has been around a few days in the mouth of the Colne. Six red-breasted mergansers were also seen in the river, otherwise there was little else on the water.

A quick walk along the seawall to Ivy Farm proved to be worthwhile. I was able to get two brightly coloured species in the same field of view for a split second but enough to make an impression. A kingfisher appeared on the scene along the dyke and perched briefly on a bush. It then turned inland to follow a ditch where a brightly coloured male yellowhammer was perched on the hedge. The sunshine highlighted the colour combination of blue, red and the yellow which brightened up a dull brown bush.

There was a reasonable sized flock of 70 greenfinches feeding on the seeds of the club-rush in the dyke. Feeding in the same area were at least six yellowhammers that occasionally flew onto the bushes. Two rock pipits were also seen along the saltmarsh and the male stonechat perched up on a bush near the dyke.

The wind had picked up noticeably by late morning and was whipping the waves onto the beach by the park. The light deteriorated too and the grey clouds were soon bringing more rain.

It was just as well that there wasn't a high spring tide predicted as these strong waves with the fresh south-westerly wind would've done a lot of damage to the saltmarsh and especially the cliff. The sea conditions were too rough to see any birds and there was virtually nothing flying about.

Some of the waders sought refuge in the grazing fields where the 200 wigeon and 70 teal were feeding. Seventy black-tailed godwits were present again as were 10 turnstone, 50 lapwing and 50 golden plover. In the nearby grass fields, 70 curlew could be seen looking for food during the high tide. There was one avocet feeding in the "avocet-pools" where they had bred earlier this year near the Point.

On the park pond 14 gadwall, 4 shoveler, 40 mallard, pair of mute swans and a tufted duck were noted. During the dull and wet afternoon, a group of 30 fieldfares passed over the park.

On Monday morning had a walk to the Point with Andrew Thompson although the viewing conditions deteriorated with us having to battle through some showers blown onto us by cold northerly winds. The female eider was seen on the choppy waters and a pair of red-breasted mergansers were seen in flight. Very few waders to see at the Point although 25 sanderling amongst the group of turnstone were the highlight. A handful of knot flew past the Point and the pair of stonechats were seen close to the seawall.

The numbers of waders and wildfowl on the grazing fields were only appreciated when something spooked the 500+ birds into the air. The various species separated out into various flocks - black-tailed godwits, wigeon, teal, lapwing, golden plover and starlings all went in different directions.

Scanning out to sea from the cliff-top a distant male common scoter was seen and a very distant diver in flight. One distant great crested grebe was the only other bird on the water.

Two flocks of fieldfares were seen with one group of 40 over the car park around noon and then 80 perched briefly on bushes near the hide in mid-afternoon.

Nick Green and Glyn Evans battled their way along the north side of the Island from east to west in very poor weather as they carried out the monthly wildfowl count. They were rewarded with sightings of a male velvet scoter in the Colne, a male goosander in the Pyefleet, also snow bunting, peregrine, male marsh harrier, 13 red-breasted merganser, 900 lapwing, 700 golden plover and 10 rock pipits.


Graham Ekins visited West Mersea twice over the weekend and reported 2 shags, Slavonian grebe, 11 great crested grebes, kittiwake, 3 common scoter and 8 red-breasted mergansers on the Saturday.
On the Sunday he saw 5 twite and a marsh harrier by the Strood and then great northern diver, red-throated diver, eider, kittiwake, 9 red-breasted mergansers, 2 Slavonian grebes and 3 common scoters all offshore. There were also three huge flocks of golden plover totalling 4000 birds over Old Hall Marshes, along with five marsh harriers and a hen harrier.

Andy Field and Richard Hull finally managed to get the all clear after more than a month and a half of waiting, to visit the army ranges on Langenhoe to check the birdlife on Sunday. Highlights included hen harrier, 6 marsh harriers, sparrowhawk, common scoter, goldeneye, 300 wigeon, 300 teal, 8 red-breasted mergansers, 3 green sandpipers, 250 black-tailed godwits, kingfisher, 4 stonechat, 70 goldfinch, 30 chaffinch, 30 greenfinch, 36 fieldfare and 10 redwing.