BARN OWLS

It was another sunny but chilly day at the country park on Wednesday 10th. As in recent days there was a good selection of waders and wildfowl enjoying the flooded fields, pictured above. In one corner 300 wigeon whistled as they grazed with a few brent geese for company too.

A confiding group of 25 black-tailed godwits probed the waterlogged pasture, as did a few redshank and some curlew. A dozen snipe took rapidly to the air when I had to enter the fields. They would've stayed concealed amongst the grass tussocks if they had stayed still.
During a quick glance to the east side of the fields, the large distinctive shape of a female marsh harrier was flying along the seawall.

Having to take a colleague passed the park pond, unfortunately disturbed masses of ducks which took to the air. Usually the ducks don't get disturbed at this pond and they are allowed to feed or rest in peace. However it was very impressive seeing huge numbers flying off with about 250 ducks of several species. Normally from the hide, many ducks stay hidden in the reeds but on this occasion everything revealed itself, in several large bursts of dispersal.

Most of the ducks were mallard with over 100 seen with 100 teal, 40 shoveler, 10 gadwall and a few tufted duck. The mute swans, coots, moorhens and little grebes stayed put.
On Tuesday a water rail was heard squealing from the edge of the pond.

There has been more barn owl activity over the park in recent daylight hours both early morning and late afternoon. On Monday morning a barn owl flew across the park entrance as the park opened at 8am. Later in the afternoon at about 3pm, a barn owl flew back over the same area, followed by a second owl. There was the nice but brief sight of both barn owls hunting in parallel over two different grass fields on either side of a hedgeline near the pond. I can't remember seeing two barn owls together over the park before. The following afternoon on Tuesday, a barn owl was seen hunting over the main part of the park, in the last half-hour of daylight.

Martin Cock saw two snow buntings on the beach at East Mersea Point on Tuesday.

Just at sun-rise on Monday morning two big flocks of cormorants crossed south-east over the Island, with about 150 birds heading out to sea from their night roost at Abberton reservoir.

There was a report of a woodcock being seen over the park about a fortnight ago, sometime in late November - the only report I've heard, of one on the Island so far this winter.