SWIFT SWARM

There was a sunny end to Friday 10th which made for a pleasant stroll along the Strood Channel towards West Mersea. Being low tide, there was plenty of mud on show.

It was great watching masses of swifts flying back and forwards over the fields, above the houses as well as over the Strood Hill. A rough estimate of birds would appear there may've been 500 birds flying around. While some swifts were close in and easy to see, there were plenty of others in the distance above West Mersea. It seemed strangely quiet watching them swoop close-by without making their characteristic screeching calls. Many birds would be the local breeders with other birds from off the Island.

Along the Channel redshank numbers have built up to about 200 birds with 3 greenshank noted too. Very few other wader species other than 30 curlew, 6 oystercatcher and 30 lapwing. Other than lots of gulls 6 shelduck, 5 little egrets and 2 little terns were seen.

Clumps of sea lavender, pictured above, added some colour to the saltmarshes lining the Channel. When the bees and butterflies buzz around the lavender flowers the marshes really come to life.

The songs of various small birds accompanied the walk with 2 corn buntings, 4 reed warblers, 2 reed buntings, common whitethroat and skylark while meadow pipit and linnet were also noted.

As I reached the Dabchicks end of the Strood Channel, the last of the sun was just on show to the west, and four swallows circled above the houses.