SQUIRREL IN THE DRIZZLE

The red squirrel was back at the feeder in the Firs Chase garden around mid-day on a drizzly Monday 21st. It spent about ten minutes feeding on the peanuts and monkey nuts in the feeder before heading back up the cedar tree and crossing high over Firs Chase. This individual seemed to keep its bushy tail pressed snugly over its back to keep the rain off its body!

The squirrel feeder had another visitor at it when this female great spotted woodpecker was seen hacking at the front trying to access the nuts inside. This is the first bit of damage done to the feeder by the woodpecker and I guess it won't be the last either!
Just this weekend some of the other birds have also been helping themselves to the nuts with a jay and great tit seen sticking their heads inside, while a robin peered through the Perspex at the nuts. Hopefully it has been the squirrel that has taken a cup's worth of nuts from the feeder over the last three days.

Other birds noted in and around the garden on Monday afternoon were a sparrowhawk circling overhead, two goldcrests with the long tailed tits, along with one or two greenfinches, chaffinches and a goldfinch. The resident song thrush was heard singing last Friday for the first time this winter while the pied blackbird has been tucking into the holly berries.

During a very wet walk along the Strood seawall on Monday morning, a bearded tit was heard "pinging" a couple of times from the reedbed, a kingfisher flew along the dyke, a pair of stonechats was close to the caravan site, 50 linnets, two rock pipits and 3 corn buntings were noted. Four snipe were seen at various points along the dyke, while 50 mallard and grey heron were by the pond.

Along the channel 100 brent geese, 200 wigeon, 100 shelduck and 100 teal were present and the usual mix of waders with 50 knot, 10 black-tailed godwits and 2 bar-tailed godwits of interest, while 500 golden plover were on the fields up by the houses.

On Sunday 20th a bearded tit and kingfisher were seen along the Strood seawall by Daryl Rhymes who also saw a goosander, great northern diver and 7 eider off West Mersea.