SHY SEAL

A couple of common seals were watched swimming into the Maydays Creek just before the high tide on Sunday 2nd. This one needed several attempts to haul itself out of the water and up onto the saltmarsh.

A few pictures were quickly snapped before the shy seal dived back into the water. This location has obviously been used before by the seals even though it's 200 metres along the Maydays side creek from the main Pyefleet Channel.

During the hour's walk along the Maydays seawall 4 red-breasted mergansers were of note in the Pyefleet, with large flocks of grey plover heading up channel as the tide got higher. On Langenhoe 5 marsh harriers were seen with one marsh harrier flying over Reeveshall. Two little egrets were seen on the saltmarsh.

Three yellowhammers, kestrel, reed bunting and rock pipit were some of the birds seen near the dyke and farm. There was little of note on the big Reeveshall fields.

A quick visit to the Shop Lane seawall on Saturday 1st just after mid-day provided views of 6 red-breasted merganser, a distant red-throated diver and 10 great crested grebes in the Colne. Also 200 avocets and 5 marsh harriers flying around Langenhoe.
At the far end of the Pyefleet Channel Martin Cock watched a buzzard of some sort hovering a lot between the Strood and Maydays.

The bushes of the cherry plum are covered in white blossom although recent rain and winds have knocked lots of the flowers off.