Nearly four inches of snow covered the Island on Sunday 20th as seen in this part of Coast Road in West Mersea. Lots of the local children were enjoying a bit of sledging on the grassy slope of St Peters.
Most of the snow fell during low tide so most of the mudflats were all white as well as these old oyster pits in front of the old sailing barge Dawn.
In the Mersea Quarters 12 little grebes were amongst the moorings while the usual waders such as dunlin, redshank, curlew, oystercatcher, ringed plover, turnstone were seen as well as one sanderling and 20 bar-tailed godwits. Small groups of brent geese were noted, a kestrel flew along Coast Road and 25+ cormorants flew over the Quarters.
Met up with Andy Field on the Strood seawall mid afternoon on Saturday 19th on another cold day. In the weedy field 150+ linnets flew around, as did 20+ skylarks, 12+ reed buntings along with a few meadow pipits too. Five song thrushes and a couple of fieldfares were seen while a flushed snipe landed back down near the dyke but couldn't be relocated.
The tide was pushing up the Strood Channel with the familiar waders moving back up towards the Strood causeway. At least two marsh harriers were seen flying along the Peldon seawall. Later a ringtail hen harrier was seen flying purposefully past Ray Island as it headed towards the Langenhoe evening roost, as did another couple of marsh harriers too. Flying off the Peldon fields for the night were 800+ brent geese.
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