WADERS AND WILDFOWL

Heavy rain fell during the first half of Sunday 4th and although the rain stopped in the afternoon, it remained dull. Alan Reynolds took all these photographs of various waders and wildfowl when he visited the park on a nice and sunny day earlier in the week.

Several little egrets one pictured above, have been gathering in the fields or nearby trees at high tide with at least eight birds in recent days.

The brent geese weren't on the grazing fields early in the afternoon on Sunday although there was a big flock seen flying along the Pyefleet as if they'd been feeding on Reeveshall.

Most of the dark-bellied brent geese flock are adults like this one, following the poor breeding season. Recent counts suggest only about ten young out of 600 geese. The pale-bellied brent has been present all week.

Alan managed to photograph this white-fronted goose in the fields, from a distance he worked out was 320 metres away from him on the seawall. Three birds were seen on Friday but none of them have been seen since.

The wigeon pictured above and below, are enjoying the increasingly wet fields with at least 500 birds in the fields.

This pair of wigeon have been snapped napping on the edge of the borrowdyke.
Teal numbers are also matching wigeon with about 500 birds scattered amongst the pools, although numbers seem to fluctuate.

The black-tailed godwits on Sunday were probing the very wet grassland as well as the pools for food. Many of them happy to feed and roost in the fields even at low tide. Around 500 birds were noted on Sunday.

Amongst the 50+ common snipe around the pools, was one jack snipe seen feeding on a muddy margin.

Most of the mud was covered by early afternoon which brought waders like this turnstone above,  closer to the beach at the Point.

Amongst the 25 turnstones on the beach was the nice sight of 30 sanderlings running along the water's edge.
Fifty bar-tailed godwits was one of the other waders of interest near the Point. All of the waders gathered in the muddy bay near the Point all fleed when a male marsh harrier crossed low over the Point on its way to Colne Point.

The handful of skylarks like this one pictured, were all being checked on Sunday in case the shorelark returned, but no sign. The snow bunting was not seen either and may've still been at Colne Point. Two rock pipits, one meadow pipit and a pair of pied wagtails were feeding along the strandline at the Point.

A merlin crossed over the car park in the middle of the afternoon, heading towards the grazing fields. A few minutes later pigeons and plovers were seen flying away from the fields and the merlin was seen flying back over the car park heading westwards to the caravan site.

At West Mersea a brambling flew over Firs Chase calling first thing on Sunday morning and two moorhens crossing the same road was an unusual sight.