FLOODED FIELDS

Recent rains have started to flood the grazing fields at the country park. There was a number of wildfowl and waders feeding in the fields even at low tide on Thursday 19th. Around 700 wigeon were enjoying the waterlogged conditions.

As well as lots of wigeon, 150 teal were in the area, some on the park pond and the saltmarsh pools too. Also 12 gadwall in the fields, 15 redshank, 20 curlew, 10 black-tailed godwits, 400 starling and 19 stock doves. A sparrowhawk made a couple of passes over the fields, which flushed some of the birds off. The same sparrowhawk then flapped and glided its way east across the Colne to Brightlingsea.

There is now enough surface water on the fields that all the low-ways and creeks have filled up with water and now flowing off the fields into the borrowdyke. The first time it has done this for two years.

Also seen at the country park on Thursday were rock pipit, 15 goldfinches, 7 skylarks and a red squirrel in the trees near the park pond. In the river Colne a red-breasted merganser, 10 great crested grebes, 250+ avocets and a common seal were present.

On Tuesday 17th a pair of pintail was seen landing on Cobmarsh Island and offshore from the beach at St Peters were 7 red-breasted mergansers, 4 great crested grebes and a bar-tailed godwit. A great northern diver was seen close in to the Esplanade by Andy Field.

Along the Strood channel on Monday 16th, a merlin was seen flying very low across the Ray Island saltmarsh. A kingfisher perched briefly by the Strood sluice outflow before crossing the channel over to Ray Island. A green woodpecker also made the crossing over to the Ray and perched high up on a tree, while a second green woodpecker remained by the Strood fields. Waders of interest as the tide came in were 18 avocets, 100 knot and a bar-tailed godwit.

A blackcap has been visiting David Nicholls garden in Queen Ann road regularly for the last two or three weeks.