This black-tailed godwit with its colourful display of rings seen feeding on mud beside the Dabchicks sailing club on Friday 18th, was ringed in October 2015 in Suffolk on the river Alde at Iken. This is its fourth appearance on Mersea since it was ringed and has made five trips each year back to Iceland to breed.
A redshank seen feeding near the ringed black-tailed godwit on Friday. There was a big flock of 310 black-tailed godwits gathered on the mud beside the Dabchicks, some feeding as the tide came in while others rested.
An adult Sandwich tern and a chick flew up part of the Strood channel and landed on the mud near the Firs Caravan park. The adult went off for a few minutes and returned to feed the chick a small fish. Five common terns were seen flying along the channel too.
The first ducks of the autumn were noted along the Strood with five wigeon, a pair of shelduck and a teal, while a pair of mute swans was in the borrowdyke. Waders seen along the channel were five greenshank, four dunlin and two knot. A grey wagtail flew along the bottom of the seawall along the muddy edge, landing briefly to feed. Twelve skylarks and a swallow were over the fields while a covey of five red-legged partridge flew over the Strood Hill road above the lakes. A large hairy fox moth caterpillar was seen crossing the seawall path.
The first four wigeon of the autumn were seen resting on the saltmarsh near the East Mersea Point on Thursday 17th, as were 26 teal both here and on the park pond. Roosting on the pools here were 200+ redshank while on nearby mud were 93 ringed plover and five dunlin. The female eider was feeding in the river close to the Point.
A peregrine flew over the saltmarsh pools and then the Point before heading east across the Colne. A few minutes later a hobby was seen taking the same sort of route across the river and a sparrowhawk flew near the Golfhouse.
On the park pond 17 little egrets were roosting in the trees while two shoveler and the 14 teal were seen here. Andy Field watched two common buzzards fly low over the pond which made the roosting little egrets jump!
Ashley Gooding reported seven Sandwich terns in the Colne on Thursday, also at the park 27 little egrets, 15 avocets, 388 redshank, 7 shelduck and a swallow.
On Wednesday 16th a red kite was watched from the Strood seawall flying north-east over the Peldon fields, then crossing the Strood road near Bonners Barn as it headed towards Langenhoehall. Other birds noted were a common tern, six meadow pipits and fifteen little egrets on the saltmarsh.
A kingfisher was the highlight of a walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday 15th, the bird seen flying along the shoreline near the caravan site before heading up behind it. A yellow wagtail, swallow and sparrowhawk were noted from the seawall while a willow warbler was in Feldy View.
A young badger was recorded visiting Ian Black's Mersea Avenue garden by his trail camera during Monday night.
A stonechat was still by Coopers Beach on Monday 14th, feeding beside the children's play area, in the same area where the family bred earlier in the spring. On the Coopers marshes were 70 redshank, 27 little egrets, heron, 20 mallard, tufted duck, 11 linnets, 7 Mediterranean gulls and five golden plover flying over. Two common blue butterflies were on the wing at Coopers Beach.
Interested in seeing a shoal of 30+ fish swimming inside the seawall beside the new breach at Coopers Beach on Monday, possibly mullet or bass.
Four wheatears were feeding on the Maydays seawall on Sunday 13th. A kingfisher was perched on the seawall sluice while in the nearby creek was a greenshank. Along the Pyefleet were 18+ knot, 6 dunlin, 50 grey plover and a great crested grebe. A flock of 500+ wood pigeons was feeding at the back of the Reeveshall fields.
Three common seals were in the Pyefleet channel on Sunday 13th, one seemed to be eyeing up a place on top of the pontoon with the other two seals.
At Shop Lane on Sunday, Steve Entwistle reported 20 sand martins, two house martins, five chiffchaffs, two common darters, five small heaths, three red admirals, holly blue, large white and small white
On Saturday 12th birds noted along the Strood channel were 270+ black-tailed godwits, 70 golden plover, five knot, five ringed plover and four dunlin. Two chiffchaffs were calling from trees near Feldy View.
A red squirrel made an appearance in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday 13th.
The red squirrel seemed to realise that he had an audience watching from the nearby house and stopped to stare before it scampered into a neighbour's garden.
Shaun Bater reported seeing a red squirrel in his garden run along the back fence in Estuary Park Road the day before.
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