PEREGRINE IN PEAR TREE

It was bright and breezy along the Strood seawall on Monday 13th, with this redshank standing on seaweed covered posts as the tide came in. Eighteen avocets and 70 shelduck were noted along the channel. One rock pipit was feeding along the side of the seawall.

A peregrine perched for over quarter of an hour on the old pear tree in the middle of the fields up towards Whittaker Way. A couple of hours later a peregrine was also seen from the Hard, as it flew over the saltmarsh near the entrance to Salcott creek. Maybe two different peregrines seen that morning. A female marsh harrier flew low over the edge of the Ray Island saltmarsh, while one common buzzard flew over the Strood fields and another circled near Strood Hill.

Amongst a group of black-headed and common gulls seen at the pools on the Strood fields on Monday were 20 Mediterranean gulls with a further two resting on water in the Strood channel.

A pair of stock doves was seen at the top end of the Firs Chase caravan site on Monday.

Helped Andy with the monthly Wetland Bird Survey on Sunday 12th, counting the waders and wildfowl along the north side of the Island. Highlights included a close view of a merlin, 18 red-breasted mergansers, 3 stonechats and four marsh harriers. At the country park the ten white-fronted geese were still present along with pale-bellied brent goose, 1000+ wigeon, 260+ black-tailed godwits, also a snipe on the saltmarsh, 30 sanderling on the Point and the water rail feeding beside the park pond.

Charlie Williams also helping with the bird count on Sunday walking the Strood section saw the black brant, pale-bellied brent goose and a greenshank.

Also of interest along the north side of the Island was another sighting of Chinese Water Deer. This is the fourth time this winter that this deer has been seen running across the big expanse of Reeveshall into the cover of the reedbed of Broad Fleet. There has also been a recent sighting at Bower Hall of this deer. Chinese Water Deer are a slightly bulkier version of a muntjac deer and with a teddy-bear type look to the head. These deer have been spreading down the north-east coast of Essex from Suffolk, after first been seen in the Walton Backwaters in 2015.

A grey seal resting on a pontoon in the Pyefleet was the other mammal of note on Sunday.

 

A pair of swans swam gracefully across the Strood reservoirs on Saturday 11th, also here was a pair of little grebe and a tufted duck. A common buzzard was in a hedge on Strood Hill while in the Strood fields were 20 Mediterranean gulls and a sparrowhawk flew low over the fields.

In Firs Chase the coal tit and the female blackcap were at the garden feeder again, while a red squirrel was at its nut feeder.

Two great northern divers were seen offshore from the Esplanade by Andy Field on Saturday 11th. 

In the country park grazing fields on Saturday, Andy saw ten white-fronted geese, 800 brent geese, 1000 wigeon, 350 black-tailed godwits, 150 curlew, 100 lapwing, 100 redshank and 8 eight greylag geese.

Members of the Colchester RSPB Members Group enjoyed a chilly walk around Cudmore Grove country park on Friday 10th. One of the bird highlights was four Slavonian grebes offshore, although only one was reasonably close in. Also offshore were 100 great crested grebes and two eider.
On the grazing fields were ten white-fronted geese, 10 greylag geese, 200 brent geese, 200+ black-tailed godwits, while 23 sanderling were at the Point. On the park pond were 18 gadwall and the exotic white-cheeked pintail feeding under the weeping willow.

At West Mersea a great northern diver was seen offshore from the Esplanade on Friday by Barbara Leport.