WADING AROUND

Good numbers of waders and wildfowl were to be seen on the very wet fields at the park on Sunday 17th. The picture above shows some of the 200+ black-tailed godwits standing in one of the big pools of water. (One godwit had a coloured ring combination of lime/orange/yellow and orange/lime/orange).The godwits were the most conspicuous waders using the field along with 70+ redshank, 50+ golden plover, 50 lapwing, 30 curlew, 5 turnstone and a couple of snipe.

It was nice to see the big flock of brent geese in the fields for the first time this winter with about 600 birds present. The brent have been feeding in other fields in East Mersea where the grass or the winter wheat crops are tastier. There were several hundred wigeon and teal also present with smaller groups of mallard, shoveler and gadwall scattered about. The birds seemed quite wary at times and a passing sparrowhawk twice sent all the birds into the air.

A fox was seen snoozing in the fields in the morning and then later in the afternoon, another fox was seen trotting across the field behind the grazing marshes.

A kingfisher was seen enjoying the morning sunshine for quite a period, as it perched in its favourite bush by the Golfhouse dyke.

From the Point 10 red-breasted mergansers, 5 goldeneye, 5 great crested grebes and a common seal were seen in the river. Adrian Kettle watched a male goosander flypast the Point in the afternoon, an unusual sight here on the coast. On the mud near here 150 avocet were seen and a little egret flew upriver.

The sun shone from dawn, pictured above rising over Colne Point, through the day till dusk. Although all the snow has gone, there is still some ice on the main stretches of water such as the pond and dyke. The nice weather brought lots of visitors out to the park for the busiest day of the winter so far.

Several fieldfares were in the car park and by the pond in the morning along with one or two song thrushes and lots of blackbirds. In the alders by the pond 25 goldfinches were feeding and Martin Cock noticed a lesser redpoll feeding with them.