Tuesday, 31 January 2017

BOAT-TRIP BIRDS

Several interesting birds in nearby creeks and fleets were seen and photographed by Graham Ekins during a boat trip from West Mersea on the Lady Grace on Saturday 28th. Graham kindly passed these photos onto me to share.
This winter plumaged guillemot was seen off Thorn Fleet.

There was also a guillemot seen in the Colne two days earlier.

 A close-up view of a shag showing its green eye.

The sub-adult shag was perched on one of its regular buoys in the Mersea Fleet.

 Good views of a juvenile great northern diver in Mersea Fleet.


Great northern diver seen here with a hermit crab in its bill.

As well as this great northern diver, other birds of note were 35 red-breasted mergansers, Slavonian grebe and a pale-bellied brent goose with 15 dark-bellied brent geese by the Dabchicks.

The following day on Sunday 29th, Swallow Birding had a very successful boat trip from West Mersea into the local creeks and up the Blackwater to Osea Island. Of note were 5 great northern divers, red-necked grebe, black-necked grebe, 4 Slavonian grebe, 21 scaup, 16 long-tailed ducks, 60 red-breasted mergansers, 10 common scoter, 20 goldeneye, guillemot, pale-bellied brent goose and a peregrine.

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