MORNING SUNBEAMS

There were a couple of bright and beaming sunrises on both Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th, seen from the park out to sea. There was a sunny start to both mornings although the cloud soon came in later on.

 Some of the wigeon have got quite used to people walking alongside the nearby seawall such as this drake on the borrowdyke that was happy to be snapped from quite close-by. At least 500 birds were in the fields with a large group on the nearby sea too.

Not as many little egrets around the park compared with a couple of months ago. This one was feeding in one of the pools in the grazing fields.

Sitting out the high tide was this flock of roosting black-tailed godwits with one or two lapwings as well. Also in the fields at high tide were 100 redshank, 5 snipe, 10 golden plover, 1 grey plover, 1 bar-tailed godwit, 10 turnstone, 10 dunlin, 20 curlew and 100 teal.

A male sparrowhawk flew across the field to the north on Sunday morning. Earlier in the day a female marsh harrier crossed low over the Point as it headed south to Colne Point.
On the park 25 goldfinches circled over the car park late afternoon and a goldcrest was with the roving tit flock.

At high tide 25 turnstones, one pictured above, were feeding on the beach at East Mersea Point on Sunday along with 8 sanderling. Two red-breasted mergansers flew back into the river.
A merlin was watched flying high and fast along the coast over Brightlingsea on Saturday morning.

Andy Field carried out the monthly harrier roost count from East Mersea on Sunday afternoon and counted over Langenhoe ranges, 4 hen harriers ( including two males), 20 marsh harriers and a peregrine. A green sandpiper was also heard.

Daryl Rhymes noted long-tailed duck, 4 great northern divers flying out of Salcott Channel and a marsh harrier on Sunday morning from West Mersea.
There were reports of the long-tailed duck being seen off West Mersea last week on the 12th and the 13th.

Martin Cock on Saturday from Maydays farm, saw the goosander in the Pyefleet again, common buzzard, four marsh harriers and a peregrine.