DISTANT HARRIERS

The easterly wind across the park on Saturday 31st, meant it was a day to keep moving about. The wigeon on the grazing fields were the main local attraction, pictured above, with at least 500 birds present. One group of 200 wigeon on the borrowdyke, seemed surprisingly tolerant of someone walking on the nearby seawall. In the middle of the main flooded section of field, 8 shoveler and 6 gadwall were feeding while a number of teal were partly concealed at the back of the fields.

There weren't many waders in the fields during the morning with 25 lapwing, 10 curlew and 20 black-tailed godwit including the colour-ringed bird for the second day. Twenty goldfinches and at least 3 skylarks were also noted. No birds of note seen from the Point although there had been a snow bunting the previous day.

On the park pond there was the usual selection of ducks with 8 tufted duck, 25 shoveler, 4 gadwall and 50 mallard. Also present were the resident mute swan pair, coots and about 25 moorhens feeding in the nearby field.

A quick walk to the far corner of the park at Ivy Dock proved worthwhile as a distant scan of Langenhoe Point revealed a ringtail hen harrier flying around with a male and a female marsh harrier. The ringtail flew around the reedbed lagoon for several minutes and had a short tussle with the male marsh harrier, before it disappeared from view. Hen harriers sightings this winter from the Island have been virtually non-existent, although there have been one or two sightings on the nearby mainland.

Martin Cock saw from the Maydays Farm seawall at least 6 marsh harriers over Langenhoe and also a barn owl at Maydays. A birdwatcher visiting the country park reported seeing a woodcock flying away from the cliff-top woodland. David Nicholls and his wife enjoyed the rare sight of a spoonbill flying east over RayIsland, as it headed towards the Strood and the Pyefleet. Andy Field saw the Mediterranean gull and an eider off West Mersea.

Ian Black reported that the shag found dead a few weeks ago at West Mersea, had been ringed on the Isle of May off the east coast of Scotland. He passed on a report from Clive Pickering who had seen 5 shags in the Mersea Quarters as well as the great northern diver. Clive also witnessed the large feeding flock of 300+ cormorants feeding on the sprats at the mouth of the Blackwater.


It wasn't surprising to see frost covering some parts of the park first thing in the morning. It was definitely a day to keep wrapped up and keep moving.