DAY AT THE SEASIDE

Another hot and sunny Saturday 15th enticed the crowds to come flocking to the beaches on Mersea. Even the mute swans at the country park waddled across the sand in search of the sea. Dad swan led mum and cygnet up and over the seawall, down onto the beach on the other side and then across the mudflats. However the cygnet soon realised the tide was out and decided against the long waddle across the mud and turned back to shore with mum following behind.

The wood sandpiper was still present on the pools in the park grazing fields for its third day. It seemed happy feeding regularly as it waded through and around the shallow pools. Also present were the two green sandpipers, 10 teal and 5 black-tailed godwit including the colour-ringed bird from Portugal.
Andy Field and I were very surprised to see a kingfisher flash over the pools three times before heading off. This is the first sighting of this autumn on the Island and as always just a fleeting glimpse of the bird in flight.

An evening walk on the Rewsalls marshes near to the Coopers Beach caravan site in East Mersea, provided one or two sightings of note. In a field of bramble scrub by the football pitch 150 linnets arrived and sat around on the bush tops. Also a few goldfinches and greenfinches flying around too and two green woodpeckers noted too.

In a recently cultivated field 320 golden plover were counted as they roosted in a group. The only other waders seen during this high tidewalk were 3 ringed plover and a turnstone on the Youth Camp beach. Walking back along the seawall an adult Mediterranean gull passed overhead with some other gulls. Offshore small flocks of gulls were seen and one or two common terns too.