Wednesday, 14 December 2016

KNOT ALONE

After a few recent days of misty murk, it was nice to see the sun shine on Wednesday 14th. This knot was the only wader on the beach at East Mersea Point just before the mid-day high tide. Normally they're way out on the mudflats feeding or tucked into a tight wader roost on the saltmarsh.

Five common scoter flying out of the river were the only birds seen in the Colne.

A group of 20 wigeon were feeding among the saltmarsh at the Point and the pair of stonechats were still present here too.

On the grazing fields the four white-fronted geese were feeding beside the main pool along with 35 greylag geese - the two adult white-fronts pictured above.

Birds gathered in the fields late morning on Wednesday included 1000 wigeon, 60+ curlew, 160 redshank, 50 lapwing, 25 black-tailed godwits and 3 snipe.

The redshank and black-tailed godwits huddled together in the middle of the pools in the field.
At the end of the afternoon 300 teal were present here along with 10 shoveler.

A Cetti's warbler strayed away from the park pond to feed in bushes alongside the hide where it was seen flitting close-by along the hedgeline. On the pond 3 little egrets, tufted duck, 6 gadwall and two calling water rails were the main birds of note here. A fieldfare and a redwing flew over the trees while beside the alders were 25+ goldfinches and later 25 greenfinches heading to roost in the clifftop bushes.

At the west end of the Island the glossy ibis was seen again flying east over the Strood causeway just before high tide by Andy Field on Wednesday.

Amongst the gloom on Tuesday at the park, a common buzzard flew over the car park heading west.
Thirty fieldfares were seen flying near Meeting Lane on Tuesday.

Offshore from the park on Monday 15 red-throated divers, 3 Slavonian grebes, 8 common scoter, 100+ great crested grebes and a common seal were noted once the fog lifted in mid morning.

Along the Strood seawall Martin Cock watched two Lapland buntings flying off the fields and heading over to Ray Island, also two kingfishers seen too.
A short-eared owl was seen by Martin from Maydays, hunting the marshes at Langenhoehall on Saturday 10th.

A fox enjoyed a snooze in the sunshine near the back of the park pond late Wednesday morning.
The mild weather saw a pipistrelle bat hawking back and forth in front of the hide at dusk.

Twenty-five winter moths were clustered around the lit office windows and lit toilets just after dark in the evening on Tuesday 13th.

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