BRANT WITH THE BRENT

The brent geese have been feeding in recent days on the winter wheat field beside the country park with up to 700 birds seen.

Through the afternoon gloom on Saturday 20th, a black brant was spotted amongst the brent geese, although it proved tricky getting a photo of it without other geese in the way. The brant is partially hidden in the centre of this picture with the whiter flank.

Offshore ten great crested grebes were seen from the park while two Slavonian grebes were seen by Andy Field on Saturday afternoon. 

The water rail has been feeding out in the open most days over the last week. On Sunday 21st it walked up the grassy bank behind the pond and disappeared into the nearby ditch.

Beside the pond 8 wigeon were feeding on the grass, 16 gadwall and 9 little egrets were present in the afternoon while the little owl was sheltering from the rain in the nestbox at the end of the day.

In the Colne two great northern divers, 15 red-breasted mergansers, 4 great crested grebes and a common seal were present on Sunday morning. Some of the waders noted on the mud were 50 knot, 1000 dunlin, 50 golden plover and 100 avocets. On the grazing fields were 700 wigeon, 15 curlew, 30 lapwing and 30 rooks.

A common scoter and a pair of red-breasted mergansers were offshore from the park in the afternoon. In the car park area were 25 blackbirds and 3 song thrushes feeding in the drizzle with no people about.

A barn owl was hunting the grass field at the top of Shop lane by the East Mersea road as day broke on Sunday morning.

On a sunny Monday 22nd a peregrine flew along the far edge of the mudflats at low tide, two common buzzards circled in the sunshine near Ivy Farm, a sparrowhawk flew away from the pond copse and the little owl perched in the hedgerow. Twenty greylag geese landed in one of the grazing fields near the pools.

Eleven marsh harriers were seen roosting on Langenhoe by Andy Field on Monday late afternoon.

At the park pond on Tuesday 23rd the Cetti's warbler skulked in a bramble bush and calling a few times. Also 12 gadwall here, little owl perched in the hedge and a sparrowhawk flying past carrying some prey. Eight greylag geese flew on the park fields in the morning.

A muntjac deer ran across the main field of the park in the morning away from the clifftop trees and passing near the central pillbox.

In a field by Dawes Lane 200 fieldfares were reported by Martin Cock on Tuesday.

Three grey partridge were beside the East Mersea roadside near the pub on Thursday 25th and a common buzzard was seen near Bocking Hall.

A red squirrel was seen by Nolly Urquhart in a garden in the Lane for a few minutes before it crossed the road into another garden on Thursday 25th.

This carrion crow took advantage of the large puddles in the car park to have a bathe.

Several times the crow walked back to the puddle and in a flurry of feathers, had a right good splash about.

From the country park there was a pink glow to the mudflats and the skies above, at the start of Sunday 21st. The clouds soon thickened during the morning and the rain had started to set in by mid-day.