GREAT WHITE STALKS MARSH

A distant great white egret spent an hour feeding on the saltmarsh on Ray Island on Friday 23rd. It was first seen gliding over the Strood fields and then landing in the Strood Channel, before moving over to the saltmarsh to feed. Even at a distance the big size, the longer neck and big yellow bill showed the bird was not the more usually seen little egret - of which eight were also in the area.

A buzzard flew west over the channel while a sparrowhawk flew low east over the seawall and across the Strood fields. A greenshank called from the channel, a Cetti's warbler sang briefly while another one called 200 metres along the dyke. Three lots of siskins were heard but not seen as they flew west over Firs Chase and Feldy View, one lesser redpoll was seen as it headed west.

At East Mersea a water rail was heard calling from the dyke near the Oyster Fishery by Martin Cock on Friday.

A flock of 15 goldfinches was feeding in the birch trees in Feldy View on Thursday 22nd as were at least a couple of lesser redpolls. A short while later a flock of fifteen lesser redpolls flew west along the Strood, as did a swallow - two more swallows being seen by Shaun Bater near Feldy View.

There's a nice display of autumnal colours in the Feldy View cemetery field at the moment. Many of the silver birch trees have had small flocks of finches feeding in them, while bushes with berries have been popular with the blackbirds.

Along the Strood channel on Thursday, a peregrine flew across to Ray Island, two marsh harriers headed low over Ray Island on their south-westward passage and a buzzard perched on a bush. Waders of interest included two greenshank, 85 knot, an avocet and six ringed plover, also 19 little grebes in the channel. A pair of stonechat was still present, a Cetti's warbler sang briefly and forty linnets were in the fields.

The snow bunting was still present at East Mersea Point and photographed on Thursday by Andy Field.

A colour-ringed black-tailed godwit was photographed by Andy on Thursday as it fed in the park's grazing fields. The bird was ringed as an adult in the Wash in 2006, so it is at least fourteen years old now.

Other birds seen at Cudmore Grove on Thursday by Andy included five swallows, house martin, sparrowhawk over the Point and a pair of stonechats and 20+ linnets.

On a rather wet Wednesday 21st a short-eared owl was seen flying over Langenhoe marsh by Martin Cock at Maydays, also three swallows seen. A swallow was also seen at Waldegraves heading out to sea by Shaun Bater, while a little egret was on the Waldegraves pond.

Feldy View seemed popular with the birds on the wet Wednesday morning with about 120 birds of 15 species a higher tally than normal for here. The main birds were 25 blackbirds, fifty goldfinches, ten chaffinches, two green woodpeckers, great spotted woodpecker and a kestrel while a stonechat was by the seawall and fifteen avocets in the Strood channel.

A goldcrest and chiffchaff were with a long-tailed tit flock in the Firs Chase garden.

On Tuesday 20th three house martins circled a few times over Cross Lane, three goldcrests, chiffchaff and a sparrowhawk were also noted along here. At Waldegraves holdiday park a kestrel, grey heron and eighty mallard were seen, also 200 cormorants standing on a shingle ridge offshore. In the sunshine a small white, red admiral and a speckled wood butterflies were seen.

A common buzzard was seen near Manwood Grove in Shop Lane on Tuesday while in West Mersea a chiffchaff was in the Firs Chase garden.

 

Angela Buckley took this photograph of the confiding snow bunting at East Mersea Point on Monday 19th.

Andy Field and I carried out the monthly wetland bird count along the north side of the Island on Monday - without finding any real surprises or much of note! Thirty fieldfare flew over Maydays as did a buzzard and two marsh harriers -one which was disturbed from its prey by the dyke. Three other marsh harriers were seen during the walk, as were a total of 7 stonechats and at least 8 rock pipits on the saltmarsh and a Cetti's warbler singing near the Oyster Fishery.

Most bird interest was at Cudmore Grove where nearly 400 brent geese and 250+ wigeon were feeding in the fields with 180 curlew roosting there too. Twenty eight sanderling were on the shoreline and 24 shoveler, 20+ knot and a bar-tailed godwit of interest on the Golfhouse pools. Four common seals were in the Pyefleet Channel. 

Earlier on Monday a walk around Feldy View produced three siskin, two redwing, three great spotted woodpeckers, goldcrest, chiffchaff, sparrowhawk, while by the seawall were a marsh harrier, common buzzard, five avocets and six ringed plover.

A walk along the Strood seawall on Sunday 18th coinciding with the high tide only provided views of three buzzards, 20+ Mediterranean gulls following a tractor in the fields, 200 brent geese, three rock pipits, three stonechats and sixteen lesser redpolls flying west. In Firs Chase 3 goldcrest and a chiffchaff were seen,

The snow bunting was seen again on Sunday at East Mersea Point by Steve Entwistle

The high tide at East Mersea on Saturday 17th was flooding through the seawall breach at Rewsalls and flooding the marsh inside. Birds seen here were 120 redshank, 40 curlew, 10 ringed plover, 6 snipe, 30 little egrets, three rock pipits grey heron, 12 Mediterranean gulls and three common buzzards over. Three other common buzzards were also seen over the fields to the north of Rewsalls farm. At the Youth Camp five goldcrest, two mistle thrushes and three chiffchaffs were seen, also a chiffchaff singing at East Mersea church.

Offshore from Waldegraves on Saturday a Slavonian grebe was with six great crested grebes, also ten sanderling on the shingle island. A common scoter, female eider and 100 brent geese were near Cobmarsh Island, a lesser redpoll and five swallows were west over Seaview and four chiffchaffs were at St Peters calling in the bushes.

A tree sparrow flew over the Firs Chase garden calling loudly as it flew north-west on Saturday morning.

Martin Cock noted on Saturday a fieldfare, two stonechat, kingfisher, goldcrest and a grey wagtail in the Feldy and Strood areas, while later at Maydays the kingfisher and stonechat also note there.

Angela Buckley reported four stonechats, marsh harrier, flock of linnets and four redwing along the Strood on Saturday.

After searching East Mersea Point for thirty minutes on Saturday morning, Jonathan Bustard finally located the obliging snow bunting and after spending another thirty minutes with it, took this great photo of it while sitting beside it!

Moth-trapping has continued on several October nights in the Firs Chase garden - weather permitting, with this attractive merveille du jour on the 17th, the autumn highlight.

The recently established Clancy's rustic has been regularly seen this autumn on five nights in September including three in 18th, while also five nights in October with three on the 20th.

Southerly winds on the 20th brought this presumed immigrant the dark sword-grass to the trap.

Also on the 20th this Silver Y also trapped, another presumed immigrant, as was a white-point that night.

Up the three red-green carpets have been trapped during mid October evenings.

The large wainscot has been seen on four nights in mid October.