WET, WILD AND WINDY

This was the best place to be on Friday 13th, pictured above is the view from inside the hide at the park while sheltering from another torrential downpour. This was about the only place where some wildlife watching was possible while it rained cats and dogs outside.

Andy Field and I both had the day off so we sat in the hide and counted all the various wildfowl on the pond to pass the time. For the ducks, all this water seemed to be the ideal weather, although the really heavy bursts of rain brought most of the ducks out of the reeds and into the open water.

Only four species of duck were present initially with 50 mallard, 12 gadwall, 2 teal and 4 tufted ducks noted. Ten coots and a little grebe were the other birds present while a pair of wigeon dropped in briefly but no sign of any shoveler. Two snipe flew over and a few moorhens were seen in the field beside the pond.

A flock of a dozen long-tailed tits flew north from a hedge near the pond, ten stock doves flew around the back of the copse and 3 goldfinches flew away from some alder trees.


Two visits to the Reeveshall seawall were done dodging the rain on both Friday and again on Saturday. On Friday some of the 9 marsh harriers appeared to be waiting on Langenhoe Point for the late afternoon roost even although there was still about 3 hours to go. Two other marsh harriers were seen perched on a bush and a fencepost on Reeveshall.

The tide was out and plenty of the usual waders on show along the Pyefleet Channel but nothing of any note. In the Channel were a couple of great crested grebes while a flock of 12 cormorants flew past.

On the short walk along the seawall a flock of 25 linnets fed in the saltmarsh, 10 skylarks and 20 meadow pipits were also seen. The water level in the pool has risen a lot recently but only pied wagtail and 3 mallard were present.
It was a windy walk along the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday 14th early afternoon with one eye always on the clouds, trying to gauge if they'd rain on the "Pyefleet-parade". Except for one 5-minute stop while it rained, at least an hour's brisk walk was spent on the seawall being buffeted by the wind.

There seemed good numbers of waders with 1000 dunlin the most numerous while redshank and grey plovers were also scattered in good numbers and 100 knot were also present. One sanderling amongst the dunlin was unusual for the Pyefleet while a bar-tailed godwit flying past also noted. In the Channel 2 red-breasted mergansers were seen bobbing up and down in the choppy waters.

Striding back in the wind I noticed some crows mobbing a harrier and when I lifted the binoculars I noticed the white rump of a ringtail hen harrier. The bird flew swiftly along the Reeveshall reedbed and within a minute it had reached the neighbouring fields of Maydays farm, being harried by some other crows. Hen harrier sightings have become much scarcer in recent winters so seeing a bird like this on a wet and windy day, made the walk worthwhile.