COWERING CHICK

It was quiet at the East Mersea Point on a dull morning's walk on Sunday 9th, although the sight of the old sailing barge Reminder heading out of the river Colne loomed large out of the gloom.
Birds seen on the beach included ringed plover, 2 turnstone and a knot as well as a few oystercatchers flying past.

Along the nearby borrowdyke were a couple of singing reed warblers, reed bunting, pair of swans and 10 tufted ducks.

Most of the bird interest in the area is still centred around the flooded section in one of the grazing fields, although the variety has remained the same in recent days. There was a lot of commotion in mid morning when a fox was on the prowl, attracting the concerns of lapwings and redshank. The little lapwing chick probably only a week old had the sense to cower behind a dock tussock as the fox trotted past only 15 metres away. The fox then stopped by a rush-filled creek and pounced into the water after something without any reward. This may've been some little ducklings in the creek as no birds flew away. At one point 5 lapwings and about 6 redshank were standing and calling close-by to the fox, which after a while headed off to a nearby hedgerow.

Other birds seen in the fields included 5 black-tailed godwit, pair of oystercatchers, grey heron, yellow wagtail, 10 swallows, little egret, wigeon, 10 teal, 2 gadwall, shoveler, 25 shelduck, 4 greylag geese as well as a few mallard, coots and moorhens.

At various times during the day around the park the songs of nightingales, cuckoo, blackcaps, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat and chiffchaff could all be heard. In the early evening the turtle dove purred from the wires at the side of an empty car park, before flying away over the nearby field.

As all the trees and bushes quickly cover themselves in greenery, several self-seeded apple trees around the park catch the eye with all their blossom.

Dandelion plants around the park don't normally get a second glance but having read recently that it has been a good spring for dandelions, following the cold winter, there does seem to be a better display than is normal. Most of the dandelions in the picture above, have gone to seed with most flowers peaking about a fortnight ago.