SPLASHES ON SALTMARSHES

One or two items of interest during a walk along the Strood seawall on Saturday 19th. Unfortunately the tide was well in and so very few waders were noted. However some of the saltmarshes were splashed with patches of the white-flowered common scurvy grass, pictured above. Despite the delayed start to normal spring weather, this scurvy grass has come out as normal and April is the best month to admire the flowers. On a grey day like today, the scurvy grass added a little bit of colour to the marshes.

Sitting low in two different bramble bushes were two singing sedge warblers - the first ones back onto the Island this spring.The cool breeze kept them well hidden but their loud songs easily betrayed their presence. Sedge warbler numbers on the Island have decreased in recent years, so it's always great news to welcome back familiar friends back to the same bushes they occupied last year.

The only other migrants noted were 2 yellow wagtails flying over the fields and a chiffchaff singing in bushes along from the Dabchicks. At the east end of the seawall a corn bunting was singing, a male reed bunting perched in a bush and there was a small group of six skylarks. Six linnets were also noted along the wall, while a corn bunting was seen flying back onto the Island from Ray Island.

Along the Channel 10 very ginger looking black-tailed godwits were the only waders of note other than the usual sprinkling of oystercatchers, redshank, curlew, turnstone and grey plover. Ten brent geese were still in the area and a great crested grebe was the only bird of note in the Channel at high tide.

Meeting up with Richard Hull at the Hard at West Mersea, we watched up to five marsh harriers in the air in the distance to the west, over Old Hall Marshes. They seemed to be very active around midday with one or two harriers constantly in the air over the reserve.
Geoff Wass, the local boatman told us he saw the first common tern on Thursday amongst the boats.
Andy Field had the great sight of a pair of siskins to his niger bird seed feeder, his first record of siskins to his garden in High Street North on Saturday.

There was the nice sound of the nightingale in my back garden at the park on Friday morning. It stayed well hidden in a thorn bush but hopefully it will become less shy over the next few days, so that we can catch a glimpse of it.