SOAKING FOR SWANS

The pair of swans on the park pond had to endure a torrential downpour during a thunderstorm in the afternoon on Tuesday 12th. The male swan pictured above had to brave the heavy drops of rain pelting down on it for about fifteen minutes.

A short while earlier the female swan was seen turning the eggs on the nest before she sat down to keep them warm.
Also noted at the pond were a pair of pochard, little egret, grey heron and four tufted duck, while one blackcap was singing near the hide.

There was a good selection of birds on the grazing fields following a night of persistent rain from Monday night into Tuesday morning. This flooded more areas of the fields, which brought in more birds for the high tide roost.
Amongst the very colourful group of 420 black-tailed godwits was this very pale bar-tailed godwit - a rare visitor to the fields and only the second one here this winter. They normally stay outside the East Mersea seawall when feeding and roosting.

At least 100 redshank were scattered around the grazing fields with this individual feeding along the grassy path inside the seawall. Other waders on the fields were 20 curlew, one snipe, 5 pairs of lapwing and a grey plover.
A water vole was seen diving into the water and swimming along the park dyke at the western end.

A pair of Canada geese was walking about the fields looking very wary. Also a couple of greylag geese, 16 brent geese still feeding in the field, 2 wigeon, 60+ teal, 8 shoveler and 6 shelduck.

A ringed plover was standing on the top part of the beach at the East Mersea Point.

A sparrowhawk flew east over the Point and across the Colne to Brightlingsea, and a little later a yellow wagtail made the same crossing too.

A pair of Mediterranean gulls was heard calling as they passed over the park and four swallows were flying about.

On Wednesday 13th the first common whitethroat was seen at the park, in the hedge near the kestrel tree. A Mediterranean gull was heard calling as it passed over the park, a female pochard was seen at the pond while a snipe was chased over the fields by a lapwing.

In the evening five pipistrelle bats were hawking around the car park at dusk.

The first lesser whitethroat of the spring was seen by the Golfhouse on Wednesday by Martin Cock. A little later in the morning a second lesser whitethroat was heard singing at the Youth Camp by Andy Field and a male wheatear was in the Rewsalls fields, also a green sandpiper here.