WELCOME TO MERSEA ISLAND - A GEM OFF THE ESSEX COAST. FAMOUSLY DESCRIBED IN 1880:- "A MORE DESOLATE REGION CAN SCARCE BE CONCEIVED, AND YET IT IS NOT WITHOUT BEAUTY". STILL UNIQUE TODAY, CUT OFF AT HIGH TIDES, SURROUNDED BY MUD AND SALTMARSHES, MERSEA IS RICH IN COASTAL WILDLIFE. HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS -
Thursday, 29 March 2012
END OF THE DAY
At the end of Thursday 29th, I spent the last hour of the day along the Reeveshall seawall. It had been another sunny day but as the sun dropped down to a hazy horizon, the temperature quickly dropped. There was plenty of water on the Reeveshall pool pictured above but only a redshank and a pair of Canada geese were seen here, although a shelduck and a pair of gadwall flew over.
On the main Reeveshall field 400 brent geese, 50 curlew, 85 golden plover, 3 grey herons and several greylag geese were noted. A marsh harrier flew over the Broad Fleet reedbed. A brown hare stood up and trotted around as the sun dropped.
The tide was just starting to uncover the mud in the Pyefleet with 150 redshank and a few dunlin, grey plover and black-tailed godwits seen. Small flocks of brent geese were dotted along the channel but little else of note in the Pyefleet other than a common seal swimming out. On Langenhoe marshes opposite, 5 marsh harriers were seen as were 4 pochard and several pairs of greylags on the seawall. A pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over the Pyefleet heading to the gull colony on Rat Island. Earlier in the day a pair had flown west along the country park beach.
By the Shop Lane seawall a yellowhammer sang as dusk fell, while a chiffchaff was still feeding in the willow bush near the wood. A red-legged partridge called from a field near the wood.
At the park a blackcap singing from bushes near the car park was the first one of the spring. At the end of the day the little owl was seen again flying into a tree near the park entrance as the park closed.
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