CHOPPY CHANNEL

The strong northerly wind had whipped up the water along the Pyefleet Channel on the north side of the Island on Monday 9th. The waves were buffeting the sides of the saltmarsh beside Reeveshall at high tide and sending some of the spray onto the nearby seawall top.
Some of the 1000 brent geese in the area were feeding on the saltmarsh at high tide as were 100 shelduck.

The brent geese and shelduck had a bit of shelter from the waves when they landed in the sheltered bay at Reeveshall.

The brent geese and shelduck flew off, most brent landing in a nearby grass field to feed.
Fifteen red-breasted mergansers were feeding in the choppy waters of the Pyefleet.
A peregrine spent a bit of time along the north side of the Island providing three different sightings during the hour, including it mobbing a marsh harrier quartering Broad Fleet on Reeveshall. A green sandpiper flew along the dyke, 100 lapwings and 15 stock doves were in the fields, while 15 linnets, two rock pipits, six reed buntings and ten skylarks were near the seawall.

Joined Richard Sharp the senior ranger at Cudmore Grove and two others for a bird walk at the country park on a chilly but bright Sunday 8th. On the grazing fields 1000 wigeon, 100 lapwing, 200 brent geese, 25 black-tailed godwit, 8 stock doves were present as well as a cream coloured starling with 100 other starlings. On the nearby mudflats 1000 golden plover dropped down soon after high tide while 8 avocets were beside the Colne.
On the park pond eight gadwall, four shoveler, two little egrets were of interest while a small flock of 12 goldfinches fed in nearby alders.

The black brant was reported from the West Mersea Hard on Sunday 8th by Darren Underwood and Tony Wells.
News of two ravens seen flying towards East Mersea on Sunday 8th was passed on by Glyn Evans who had them pass over his head earlier near Wivenhoe.

The black brant was seen by the West Mersea Hard on Saturday 7th by Andy Field and others. At the end of Saturday the ringtail hen harrier and 16 marsh harriers were seen at the Langenhoe roost by Andy. The hen harrier had also been seen the previous afternoon going into the Langenhoe roost at 4pm by Darrell Stile watching from Brightlingsea.

The coal tit continues to frequent the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden most days. A firecrest was seen again in the Firs Chase garden on Wednesday 4th, feeding in the cedar tree.

On Friday 6th a kingfisher was glimpsed briefly as it flew along the Strood dyke, while a marsh harrier spent some time hunting over the various ditches and pond beside the Strood fields. In the Strood channel, 70 knot, 2 avocets and a bar-tailed godwit were noted.
The black brant and pale-bellied brent were seen by the Monkey Beach by Ray York on Friday.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday 5th, a marsh harrier and two common buzzards were noted, also a green sandpiper along the dyke, 300 brent geese, 150 wigeon, 26 little grebes and a great crested grebe too.
Two black brants and a pale-bellied brent goose were seen near the Monkey Beach on Thursday by Andy Field who also reported a possible black-throated diver in the Mersea Quarters although viewed against the sun.
A merlin flew over Martin Cock's garden on Thursday.

During a walk along the footpath across the fields between Meeting Lane and Shop Lane on a sunny but chilly Wednesday 4th, a flock of 25 fieldfares, single redwing, Mediterranean gull, 6 red-legged partridge, great spotted woodpecker and five meadow pipits were of interest. A red admiral butterfly had a little flutter-by in the sunshine beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane.

Three kestrels were seen during the walk on Wednesday, with this one standing in the middle of a field for several minutes. Two common buzzards were also seen, perched on trees.

This red squirrel ran across Meeting Lane carrying a nut, pausing briefly in the hedge as I passed in the car on Wednesday morning. Later in the morning two different red squirrels were seen chasing each other round the pine trees in Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane. The first red squirrel sighting of the day was one of the regular individuals to the Firs Chase garden in West Mersea.