OFF THE RAILS

After a sunny morning on Tuesday 21st, it then turned cloudy for the afternoon and a walk round the park at the end of the day produced one or two things of note. After scanning the edge of the pond trying to locate a water rail, a brief squealing duet was heard between two birds that indicated where they were hiding. One bird was seen swimming through the reeds at the back of the pond looking rather concerned followed closely by a second bird. It was only when I looked closer, that the rails were watching a dog fox walking very close-by. The fox soon wandered off and left the rails to carry on skulking in the reeds.

On the water 14 tufted ducks and a female pochard were present along with 20 gadwall and a few mallard. Two snipe were feeding in the grass and a curlew was also watched in front of the hide.
In the distance a marsh harrier was seen flying up river to the Langenhoe roost.

In the morning the fields had a nice variety of waders and wildfowl on them with 500 brent geese and 400 wigeon the main flocks. Also seen were 18 snipe, 50 lapwing, 100 golden plover, 20 shoveler, 100 teal, 25 curlew, 20 dunlin and 10 turnstone.

However all the birds in the fields soon scattered in different directions when a peregrine glided along the seawall and headed past the Point and then out over the river Colne. Also at the Point was a displaying ringed plover and a singing reed bunting - both birds feeling the spring is round the corner. Ten bar-tailed godwits flew past the Point and 50 avocets were seen feeding on the far edge of the mud.

A red admiral flew across the car park during the sunny morning - the first butterfly of the park this year.

Heard that Richard Hull and Richard Brown visited Langenhoe late last Friday and watched 30 marsh harriers heading into the evening roost. Seven twite were also seen which was a very noteworthy sighting but their biggest surprise was seeing the colour-ringed spoonbill in the car-headlights as they were leaving!