WADER WATCH

Plenty of waders to be seen from the East Mersea Point during this mid-winter period such as this grey plover pictured beside some turnstones. At least 80 turnstones were feeding along the beach at high tide. The most numerous wader on the mud just before the high tide were 1500+ dunlin along with many of the other familiar waders here.

Ten sanderling one pictured above, were with the turnstones just before the high tide at the Point.

In the river on Sunday a female red-breasted merganser, 40+ shelduck, just two great crested grebes and two common seals. In the skies over Langenhoe Point a distant peregrine spent a couple of minutes in hot pursuit of a bird which kept managing to escape the stoops and lunges as they both flew east over the river.

A kingfisher perched in one of its regular bushes at the end of the Golfhouse dyke on Sunday morning, while in the nearby flooded horse paddock were several wigeon, teal, black-tailed godwits and a couple of redshank.

Wildfowl and waders such as these black-tailed godwits were on high alert during Sunday as a young male peregrine paid the area a visit, scattering all the birds as it made a few unsuccessful passes over the fields.

Two Canada geese were new visitors to the fields this year on Sunday morning although keeping separate from the greylags and brent geese.

A knot was a rare visitor to the fields for the high tide roost on Sunday, pictured here at the back of the wader group in the centre. A couple of dunlin either side of the knot with four black-tailed godwits standing together. Another big flock of 500+ black-tailed godwits were feeding or roosting in the fields on both Sunday and the day before.

Two goldcrests were feeding in bushes by the car park on Sunday morning while on Saturday a siskin flew away from the pond calling as it headed north. Six tufted ducks on the pond on Saturday.

Elsewhere on the Island over the weekend, Steve Entwistle reported at Maydays on Sunday 10th a ringtail hen harrier and 3 short-eared owls were seen over Langenhoehall and also a peregrine, 50+ fieldfares and 5 redwing over Maydays. Also seen on Maydays by Martin Cock on Sunday were two stonechats and a good perched view of a barn owl with a vole in its beak.

The common buzzard was perched over the East Mersea road by Weir Farm at daybreak on Saturday.

From West Mersea a male goldeneye was seen from the Esplanade on Saturday by Steve while near the Dabchicks the black brant was seen by Richard Allen.

Two brown hares were laying low in the wheat field by Bromans Lane on Monday 11th.

Whilst stopping to take this photo, a woodcock clattered unexpectedly out of the nearby ditch and flew rapidly away down Bromans Lane.

A barn owl was glimpsed in the car headlights flying away from the car park in the early Monday evening. Earlier at dusk a sparrowhawk flashed over the park entrance.

On Monday morning a chiffchaff was heard only calling but not seen near horse paddocks north of the park by Martin.