CRANE CHASE

Glyn Evans and Alec Selley were very surprised and thrilled to see two common cranes, a rare sight for Mersea, flying off Langenhoe marshes, as they walked along the north side of the Island whilst carrying out the monthly Webs Count on Monday 15th. Glyn took this photo as a record shot of the two birds flying half a mile away through the heat haze at 12.30pm. The birds flew south-west down the Pyefleet, across the Strood heading down towards West Mersea.

I got the call from Glyn whilst I was munching through my sandwich in Firs Chase. I abandoned my lunch mid-bite, grabbed the binoculars and jogged down to the Hard only a minute away. I quickly scanned the skies and after a minute or so, successfully located the pair of cranes with their huge wing-spans flying low across Salcott Channel. The birds appeared to be dropping down a good mile to the west on the Old Hall RSPB reserve.

By luck Martin Cock was 500m further along Coast Road with his binoculars close at hand. The cranes re-appeared back in the air after five minutes or so over Old Hall and directions were quickly relayed to Martin via mobile, where eventually he was able to see the birds flying along the Tollesbury skyline. The birds may've  continued over to Bradwell. These two birds could have been the pair seen two days earlier on the Suffolk coast at Boyton, although I'm not aware of any sightings for Sunday.

These two swallows were photographed on the Oyster Fishery building, some of the forty swallows seen on the walk.Other birds seen during Glyn and Alec's walk from the Strood to Cudmore were common whitethroat, corn bunting, yellowhammer and reed buntings at Maydays, common buzzard and 6 marsh harriers on Langenhoe. 5 red-breasted mergansers, 4 knot in the Pyefleet, 15 golden plover, avocet by Reeveshall, then 5 wheatears and a whimbrel at Cudmore Grove.

This female adder was photographed on the Maydays seawall by Glyn during his walk alongside the Pyefleet.