SPRING ROUND THE CORNER

The sun shone for the third day in a row on Monday 3rd with these snowdrops and winter aconites making the most of this mild winter weather at the East Mersea churchyard.

 There was a small patch of lesser celandines in flower beside the Rewsalls marshes at East Mersea - the first ones of the year I've seen. Many of the flowers looked rather bedraggled having taken a hammering from some of the heavy rains last week.

The Rewsalls marshes were very waterlogged which provided good dabbling conditions for 300 brent geese.

Also on the wet pastures during the high tide were 100 curlew, 10 redshank and a bar-tailed godwit.
Noted in the area were 200 wood pigeon, kestrel, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, 5 skylark, rock pipit, meadow pipit, 20 goldfinch and 5 reed bunting.

The mild winter has brought forward the spring emergence of elm flowers on these twigs that were noticed close to Coopers Beach.