STROOD BRANTS

There were masses of dark-bellied brent geese all along the Strood Channel on Sunday 11th. At least 3000 birds were noted, most in the channel but another big flock rising up from the Peldon side and dropping down into the Ray Channel. Some of the geese have also been feeding in the arable field beside Strood Hill and then flying back onto the channel.

When the geese were all scattered along the channel, it was a good opportunity to scan the geese. It wasn't long before a black brant was found, this one pictured above, much blacker with a bigger white neck collar and whiter flank.

A little further along the channel a second black brant was located on the opposite side, the bird pictured facing left in the centre. The blacker back and lower neck again stood out from the other geese. This brant has less of a white flank than the other brant.

Both these same black brant individuals were also seen along the Strood on Friday 9th.

 

A pale-bellied brent goose was present on Friday, Saturday and Sunday along the Strood channel in the company of the dark-bellied brent.

It has been a long time since I've seen so many brent geese in the area of Strood Channel and the Ray Channel. Some of the flock feeding on the Mersea side, while others feeding on the Peldon side. On a very dull Sunday walk, the sound of all the calling geese brought some life to the area.

Something spooked all the birds off the Peldon fields and flying away from here to Old Hall were 50 greylag geese and 20 Canada geese.

Small numbers of pintail have been an unusual sight along the Strood channel and also in the air over Ray Channel. Eight birds were noted on Friday, then five in the Strood on Saturday - three of them pictured here sleeping, and then fifteen seen on Sunday.

Also on Sunday 11th along the Strood were marsh harrier, common buzzard, 300 knot, 20 black-tailed godwit, 5 bar-tailed godwit, 300 golden plover and red-breasted merganser.

Similar birds noted on Saturday 10th with common buzzard, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, 150 shelduck and 400 knot. 

Birds seen during the Strood walk on Friday 9th were 2 common buzzard, 2 kestrel, 10 black-tailed godwits, 300 knot and 300 golden plover.

Little egrets have seemingly made themselves scarce since the snow. Most of them appear to have left the area when the snow began covering the ground and the watercourses froze. This little egret was feeding along the Strood borrowdyke on Sunday 11th.

The only small birds noted were  2 singing reed buntings, rock pipit, 4 linnets and 5 skylarks.

A common snipe was photographed by Stephen Marshall feeding in his Firs Chase garden during the spell of snow last week. Probably the same bird seen in our nearby garden about the same time by my wife Nolly.

A red squirrel was seen in Stephen's Firs Chase garden on Sunday 11th and a male red squirrel was seen at our feeder in Firs Chase on Friday 9th.