BLOWY WITH BRIAN

The park was reasonably sunny on Saturday 21st although a passing shower in the afternoon resulted in a brief rainbow over Brightlingsea. The wind strength picked up during the afternoon as Storm Brian blew through.
On the saltmarsh lagoons near the Point 500+ waders including dunlin, redshank and grey plover were roosting, 5 greylag geese, 100 wigeon were noted.

It was certainly rough offshore and spray was being whipped over the top of the seawall during the early afternoon high tide. One sanderling was feeding along the tideline.
Forty-five curlew roosted in the grazing field while 74 little egrets had been reported roosting near the pond.

Ten pied wagtails were feeding in horse paddocks to the north of the park as were a handful of meadow pipits and a green woodpecker. By the Golfhouse 27 moorhens and 80 linnets were seen.

It was still quite windy on Sunday 22nd during a walk along the Maydays seawall on the north side of the Island. The tide was coming back up the Pyefleet during the late morning walk, which helped bring some of the waders a bit closer. The main waders noted were 200 golden plover, 2000+ dunlin, 100 grey plover, 300 redshank, 200 curlew and 4 knot.

A kingfisher was seen by Maydays farm, a covey of 12 grey partridge emerged from a bushy section of borrowdyke, pair of stonechat, rock pipit, four common buzzards over Reeveshall, 2 kestrels over Maydays, peregrine over the Geedons and a marsh harrier quartering Pyefleet saltings where 2 common seals were loafing.

A Mediterranean gull was with other gulls over fields at Chapmans Lane on Sunday, while in the Firs Chase garden a swallow passed overhead and 2 goldcrests and 12 greenfinches were present.



Three greenshank were of note along the Strood channel during a walk along the seawall on Monday 23rd. Also noted in the Strood channel were 100 wigeon, 20 shelduck, 400 golden plover, 25 black-tailed godwits, 100 brent geese and 20 little grebes.

Also seen was a kingfisher along the dyke, stonechat, rock pipit by the seawall, green sandpiper along a ditch, 100 linnets, 20 skylarks and 50 lapwing in a field. One buzzard left the Island while a sparrowhawk crossed over the channel onto the Island, two kestrels also seen over the fields.

Late morning a flock of 300+ wood pigeons passed high over West Mersea as they headed west.