CHANGE OF SCENE

For a change of scene, gave the seawalls a miss today and had a walk on Monday 28th along a footpath in the middle of East Mersea, near Meeting Lane. There is an interesting mixture of arable and grazing fields, copses and hedgerows here, providing an undisturbed variety of habitats for farmland birds. Over the years there have been one or two interesting sightings in this area but it sadly gets often overlooked as somewhere for a walk.

I was interested in seeing if there was any large flock of fieldfares and redwings. There were quite a lot of fieldfares seen but in scattered groups either perched on distant tree-tops, or passing overhead, totalling about 100 birds. No redwings but a couple of song thrushes and several blackbirds.

There have been lots of wood pigeons feeding on the rape fields with one flock of at least 1000 in one field. In another field there was a surprisingly large mixed feeding flock of meadow pipits and pied wagtails that took to the air with about 70 birds seen, most being meadow pipits.


There was a good view of the female sparrowhawk appearing out of a copse, flying with its typical powerful wing-beats as it headed over neighbouring fields and hedgerows. A few finches were seen in small numbers along the route with greenfinch, goldfinch and chaffinch all noted. A great spotted woodpecker drummed on one tree at one end of the walk and a second bird was noted at the other end.
(Earlier in the day two male great spotted woodpeckers obviously had spring on their mind in West Mersea as one drummed in Firs Chase, answering the drumming coming from another male near Victory Road).

Scanning the Reeveshall marshes to the north, two female marsh harriers were following each other as they appeared to head over to Langenhoe. The bright white of a little egret was seen flying along the seawall. Grazing one of the Reeveshall grass fields were 600 brent geese, that were happily feeding quietly until something spooked them and they all rose up calling out loudly together.

The highlight of the walk was coming face to face with a fox. Having spotted one trotting towards me on the opposite side of the hedge, it then crossed the ditch only ten metres in front of me and was ready to appear on my side. It stopped dead in its tracks as it paused for a couple of seconds to stare at me and then decided to detour round, trotting along the ditch alongside me. My faithful Monty sadly missed the excitement unfold right under his eyes but at least I was spared his loud and very excitable yapping!

Along one of the rape field-margins were a couple of brown rats feeding out in the open, much to the bemusement of some moorhens.

Richard Brown reported seeing the black redstart again today at the Wellhouse Green development at West Mersea. Despite several people looking it could not be found yesterday, but it's obviously back today, along with all the diggers, trucks and workers!