RINGED EGRET

Found this little egret with coloured rings as it stood in the main pool in the park's grazing fields on Tuesday 8th. It appeared that the red ring had the letter V on it but couldn't make out if there was a letter on the green ring. There is a ringing programme currently taking place in England, so it will be interesting to find out where this bird was ringed as a chick. The details have been sent off.

There was a slightly larger roost than of late, of little egrets at the park pond on Thursday 8th with 75 birds.

The first wigeon have been arriving back from their Russian breeding grounds and numbers will soon build rapidly up in the next few weeks. Two birds were on the pool in the fields on Tuesday with three here the next day and then 15 on Thursday. There are up to 200 teal in recent days here too.

Amongst the waders roosting on the fields have been 150 redshank, 112 curlew and 50 black-tailed godwits. Also seen on the pools were two ruff here again on Thursday, 8 snipe on Wednesday and a green sandpiper briefly on Tuesday.

This skylark was seen in the main grazing fields on Tuesday, photographed from the tractor, as it wondered whether to run or fly out of the way. Five yellow wagtails were seen flying over the fields and the Cetti's warbler was singing at the back of the pond. Ten siskin were seen in flight over the park on Monday 7th and a couple more the next day too.

A hobby flew around a couple of times among some swallows to the north of the park before flying off fast to the east on Monday 7th. Two sparrowhawks were flying in and out of the copse at the back of the pond while the kestrel looked on from its nearby tree. A marsh harrier flew along the seawall on Wednesday as it headed towards the Point.

The kingfisher was at the park pond on Monday and was reported on Wednesday by the McDonoughs as it flew along the dyke.

There was the rare sighting near the Youth Camp of two turtle doves seen perched in a tree on Tuesday morning by Martin Cock and Andrew Tilsley. Ten siskin flew past the Youth Camp entrance heading west. A common buzzard flew low over the East Mersea road at Weir Farm on Tuesday morning.

Offshore from Seaview on Wednesday morning was a record local count of 25 Mediteranean gulls seen on the shingle bar by Andy Field, also 34 common terns counted here too.