STROOD CHANNEL

There was sunshine for most of the afternoon on Saturday 4th with the setting sun casting a pink glow onto the water by the West Mersea Hard, pictured above. The early evening high tide was flat calm and the various gulls including herring, lesser black-backed and black-headed, seemed particularly noisy.

Not many waders to see during the short evening stroll with a few brent geese, oystercatchers, redshank and turnstones being the main ones noted.

Earlier in the afternoon a blackcap and a chiffchaff were heard singing from Firs Chase, which would appear to be the regular birds returning back to breed. The distinctive spring calls of the green woodpecker and the drumming of the great spotted woodpecker were also heard.

The Strood seawall was visited a couple of times during Friday but not much to report in the rather gloomy conditions. A corn bunting sang from some overhead wires, fieldfare by the caravan site, 2 reed buntings, 5 meadow pipits also seen, while 35 linnets roosted at the end of the day in a thorn copse.

Also seen along the channel were a pair of red-breasted mergansers, great crested grebe, 2 little egret, grey heron and small groups of brent geese along the water's edge. Not much oportunity to have a look at the waders except to note the usual black-tailed godwits, grey plover, redshank, curlew, oystercatcher. A group of 11 golden plover flew onto the fields to roost for the night.