JACK IN THE MARSH

There was a flock of about 500 brent geese in the park's grazing fields on a chilly morning on Sunday 25th. In amongst the dark-bellied brent, was the regular pale-bellied brent goose.

The jack snipe was seen again in flight over the saltmarsh pools near the Point. It dropped back down in its usual spot on the right hand pool, left hand corner. Fifteen common snipe were also hiding in the saltmarsh too.

Also at the Point were 6 reed buntings, 5 skylarks and a rock pipit with at least one stonechat on the seawall but possibly a second bird further along. Maybe the regular bird flew along the seawall very quickly!

Offshore 6 red-breasted mergansers and a great crested grebe in the river and a common seal.

In horse paddocks to the north of the park 7 fieldfares, 6 mistle thrushes and 2 song thrushes were seen, with a male sparrowhawk seen along one of the paths.

On the pond 16 gadwall were the main duck of note, the swan family of four still present while at the end of the day the little owl sat up on the hedgerow for Andy and Steve to see. Three goldcrests were feeding in the park in the morning near the pond and a mistle thrush sang from a tall tree.

At West Mersea Andy Field saw common scoter, 2 pintail and 2 shags in the river and Cobmarsh area earlier on Sunday.

The wigeon enjoyed grazing the fields on a sunny Saturday 24th with about 400 birds seen. Nearly 2000 birds were seen in the fields by Andy on the following day.
Several wader species roosted on the fields on the high tide on Saturday with 200 dunlin running around, also a few black-tailed godwits, curlew, redshank, grey plover, turnstone, lapwing and one snipe.

In the park 3 redwing, 5 song thrushes, 10 chaffinches and 20 blackbirds were seen in the car park area on Saturday morning.

This grey heron is often feeding in the pond alongside Bromans Lane near the park entrance as the traffic passes close-by. The wary bird soon took off when the car stopped beside it.

First thing on Saturday morning a large flock of a thousand wood pigeons circled above rape fields near Weir Farm in East Mersea.

Andy Field walked the Reeveshall seawall towards Maydays on Friday 23rd and noted common buzzard, displaying sparrowhawks, stonechat, 15 corn buntings, 4 marsh harriers on Langenhoe, barn owl on Langehoehall and goldcrest in Shop Lane. Common buzzard also noted at Weir Farm.
The most unusual sighting was of a skylark which dropped down to hide under his legs whilst on the Maydays saltmarsh, as if the bird was escaping from a pursuing merlin, although no raptor was seen.

On Tuesday 20th two Slavonian grebes were seen off the country park at high tide while at Coopers Beach three were seen along with 250 great crested grebes by Martin Cock. Also little owl at the Youth Camp.

The first moth to be logged at the country park this year was this winter moth, which spent all of Sunday resting on the outside white wall of the Information room.