HARD ACTION

The sun decided to come out late morning on Monday 14th, just as I was finishing my walk along the Strood seawall. I didn't pass any other folk along the seawall but then it was drizzling and the wind was pretty strong.

There were lots of herring gulls, pictured above, that were hanging in the air above a fishing boat at the end of the pontoon at the Hard. One of the fisherman was throwing fish scraps every so often overboard and the big gulls were waiting to swoop down to pick them up.

A handful of little grebes could be seen amongst the boat moorings but there was no sign of any great northern diver. Several brent geese, turnstone and dunlin could be seen feeding along the edge of the mud.

Whilst admiring the gulls and the general colourful view from the end of the pontoon, I noticed thousands of plovers swarm into the air, over the farmland opposite the Hard. Over these Feldy Marshes must have risen about 8,000 lapwings and golden plovers and with their white underwings flickering in the sunlight, it looked more like a mini-blizzard in the sky.

Something like a peregrine must have spooked the whole lot into the sky but it was difficult in the mass of birds to find the culprit. Numbers of birds involved was probably equal 4000 lapwings and 4000 golden plover. There have been good numbers of plovers around in recent weeks but it's one of the spectacles of the Essex coast in winter to see these huge flocks fill the sky as they all swirl round.

Along the Strood seawall, the tide was out but few waders on show with a handful of black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits, 40 knot, 100 dunlin along with scatterings of curlew, grey plover and redshank. Most of the brent geese were feeding on the Peldon farmland today to the west of Ray Island. Small dark brown lumps dotted along the base of the channel were actually teal, that appeared to blend in well with the brown mudflats.

A green woodpecker left the Island for the smaller Ray Island and with the strong wind behind it, managed to cross over the muddy Strood Channel in just 15 deep bounds of its undulating flight. Also seen were 4 corn buntings, rock pipit, reed bunting, one lone linnet, 15 greenfinch and the regular fieldfare feasting in a ripe apple tree.

Glyn Evans carrying out the wildfowl count around the north side of the Island today, noted a male peregrine, 4 marsh harriers and a huge flock of 2500 golden plovers and 2000 lapwing on Reeveshall. On Langenhoe a ringtail hen harrier, merlin and another 4 marsh harriers were also seen.