FROSTY START

Another frosty start to Wednesday 19th soon gave way to a bright sunny day. By mid morning most of the frost had gone from the ground but ice remained on the ditches and ponds. Most of the dyke at the country park, pictured above, had a thin layer of ice except at the eastern end where a group of wigeon, coot and little grebe had kept it ice-free.

The frosty coating to the grazing field meant that no wildfowl were present while the grass was still frozen. By mid morning the first flock of brent geese arrived onto the fields from the nearby mudflats. Dotted along the mudflats were several flocks of geese, nibbling away at the patches of green algae that coat some of the mud. Once the first flock took off for the grazing fields, all the others soon made their way too and within fifteen minutes over 500 geese had gathered on the fields.

The sun shone onto a stock dove that was feeding in the grazing fields close-in with it's irridescent bright-green neck-patch briefly sparkling in the sunlight, before it flew away. The grass field on the slope behind the grazing fields must have thawed out earlier as there was a group of 70 curlew all probing the grass for food.

Despite the park pond being mostly frozen, there was quite a gathering of ducks either standing on the ice or paddling about in the little patch of open water. The pair of mute swans dominated the open water while forty mallard and fifty teal were the main ducks with a few gadwall and a pair of shoveler.

Around the park there were small pockets of bird activity with 10 blackbirds, 10 chaffinches under the trees while near the seawall were 12 goldfinches on thistles. One fieldfare flew over the car park early in the morning.

Along the Pyefleet Channel, Martin Cock noted a sizeable flock of 2600 knot, also 300 wigeon and 300 teal. A jack snipe was flushed from the Reeveshall saltings and 12 twite were still present while on Langenhoe there were 6 marsh harriers. At Maydays a merlin, green sandpiper and 41 corn buntings were seen, while on the army ranges 100 goldfinches could be seen.

Various bits and bobs were seen on the Island over the recent weekend. Early on the Saturday morning, there was the very rare Mersea sighting of two pomarine skuas, seen by Graham Ekins flying around and harassing gulls at the mouth of the river Blackwater. Also 5 red-throated divers, 2 great northern divers, 5 Slavonian grebes, 14 red-breasted mergansers, eider and peregrine seen from Victoria Esplanade. From the Dabchicks, there were 5 shags, hen harrier and 4 marsh harriers, while at the Strood 4 twite were seen.

Andy Field on Saturday saw the group of 14 twite on the Pyefleet saltmarsh near Shop Lane, also 135 knot, 2 red-breasted mergansers and a pair of stonechat. Close to the floating pontoon at West Mersea was a great northern diver (one of the same seen earlier by Graham), pair of goldeneye and 17 little grebe.

Graham Ekins revisited West Mersea on Sunday morning but noted less birds of note than the previous day. One great northern diver, 2 red-throated diver, 11 red-breasted merganser, 2 marsh harrier, peregrine and 2 Slavonian grebe. At the Strood there were no twite seen although 7 little egrets flying off Ray Island, 87 cormorant, 200 knot and 300 golden plover were more than yesterday.

Daryl Rhymes visited the Pyefleet near Shop Lane and noted 12 twite, 4 marsh harriers and a pair of stonechat over Reeveshall. On Langenhoe there was a merlin, hen harrier, 3 marsh harriers, 40 linnet and a pair of stonechat seen.

Steve Hunting had a better count of twite on Sunday with 20 seen in two flocks with 12 and 8 birds in each.