PADDOCK PLOVER

A couple of lapwings were feeding in the horse paddocks by the East Mersea Golfhouse on a sunny Monday 23rd. As in previous winters, there have often been a few lapwings to be seen feeding here.

Among the 300 brent geese feeding in the park's grazing fields was a pale-bellied brent goose on Monday. Also in the fields were 1000 wigeon and twenty lapwing. On the saltmarsh lagoons were 25 shoveler while on the park pond were about 70 teal and four gadwall. At the Point was a pair of stonechat, rock pipit, on the mud were 12 golden plover and in the Colne was a great crested grebe and a common seal eating a fish. 

Martin Cock reported a red-breasted merganser was seen in the Colne while earlier on Monday a great northern diver and a common scoter were off the Esplanade.

A leucistic starling was seen in Shaun Bater's garden in Estuary Park Road on Monday.

Five common seals were basking in a line along the mud in the Pyefleet Channel opposite Maydays on Sunday 22nd.

A short-eared owl was hunting over the Langenhoe ranges and at least ten fieldfares on bushes there.

Two marsh harriers and a common buzzard were noted too.

Four red-breasted mergansers were in the Pyefleet, as were 85 shelduck, 33 avocets, 30 knot, 60 black-tailed godwits with 160 brent geese feeding in a Maydays wheat field. 

A kingfisher was on one of its regular perches at the Maydays seawall sluice on Sunday. There were lots of small birds seen over the fields with 100+ skylarks, 150+ linnets, two corn buntings, two yellowhammers, a pair of stonechat on Maydays and another on Reeveshall and 60 fieldfares.

Offshore from the West Mersea Esplanade on Sunday morning, Steve Entwistle saw Slavonian grebe, two great northern divers, common scoter, two red-breasted mergansers, an eider, two little egrets and 12 great crested grebes. A marsh harrier crossed north over the Blackwater towards Old Hall.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday Andy Field reported a bearded tit in the reeds, pale-bellied brent with 300 brent in the fields, 2 pairs of stonechat, buzzard, 3 lesser redpolls in Feldy View and a possible water vole in the dyke.

At Coopers Beach marshes Michael Thorley saw 77 curlew, ten redshank and five little egret.

Seven red-legged partridge were in the field near Chapmans Lane on Sunday while in Firs Chase a chiffchaff was calling loudly in the garden.

A kingfisher perched briefly inside the reedbed along the dyke by the Strood seawall on Saturday 21st.

A black brant and a pale-bellied brent goose were seen among a flock of 700 brent geese feeding in the wheat field along the Strood. Two pairs of stonechat and 25 skylarks were noted from the seawall.

At East Mersea a grey wagtail was seen by the boating lake on Saturday by Steve Entwistle, while at Cudmore Grove Martin Cock reported a pale-bellied brent goose, two stonechats and two red-breasted mergansers.

The male stonechat with its female partner nearby, was close to the Firs Chase caravan park by the Strood seawall on Friday 20th. The other regular pair was at the Strood Hill end of the seawall.

The bearded tit was seen in the reeds again, pale bellied brent goose with 500 brent geese, 28 shelduck, 23 little grebes, 12 avocets, 50 knot, 3 Mediterranean gulls, three rock pipits and a marsh harrier over the fields.

A predicted metre-high surge on the high spring tide on Thursday 19th luckily didn't coincide but it still covered a large section of Coast Road, here by the house-boats.

Earlier on Thursday two pale-bellied brent geese were feeding with 400 brent geese in the Strood fields. The kingfisher was seen perched in the reedbed where the bearded tit was heard calling. The two pairs of stonechat, 25 skylark were seen from the seawall, along the channel were 15 avocets, 40 knot and 200 golden plover. A lesser redpoll flew over Feldy View calling.

The very high tide on Thursday was also photographed by Steve Entwistle at the East Mersea boating lake - here the car park flooded by the tide.

Birds noted here were a kingfisher, little grebe, stonechat, 20 ringed plover and five rock pipits.

At East Mersea on Thursday Andy Field noted at Cudmore Grove 700 brent geese, 8 sanderling, 4 lesser redpolls, four common scoter, 3 stonechat and also a pair of common buzzards low over the car park.

In Shop Lane 50 fieldfare, 2 redwing and a red squirrel were seen by Martin Cock and then later a pale bellied brent seen with the brent near Coopers Beach.

A peregrine flew along the Strood channel on Wednesday 18th, stooping down on some wigeon as it passed. Three marsh harrier were also noted, the bearded tit flew along the reeds, 2 pairs of stonechat, a pale-bellied brent with 600 brent while fifty skylarks were in the fields.

Along the channel were 90 knot, 50 black-tailed godwits and 300 golden plovers.

Along the Pyefleet on Wednesday, nine red-breasted mergansers and two marsh harriers were seen by Martin Cock.