ROADSIDE COVEY

A covey of six red-legged partridge was watched from the car as they fed beside Bromans Lane, East Mersea on Monday 13th.

At the country park there were ten gadwall and eight tufted duck on the pond. A fieldfare was in the car park while a flock of 20 fieldfares was in the field opposite the village hall.

A bright but breezy walk along the Strood Channel seawall on Monday provided views of lots of waders and wildfowl such as this group of brent geese. Also seen in the channel as the tide came in were 200 teal, 100 wigeon, 80 shelduck, 400 dunlin, 20 black-tailed godwit, 10 bar-tailed godwit and 10 little grebes.

A common buzzard was seen by the Strood causeway being chased by crows, while standing beside one of the Strood field-ditches was a line of six little egrets and three grey herons all in a row facing west.

Small birds noted from the seawall were the pair of stonechats by the caravan site, 2 rock pipits, 30 linnets, 25+ reed buntings and 20 skylarks.

One of the handful of greenfinches that were feeding on the sunflower seeds in the Firs Chase garden.