PARK WIGEON FLOCK

There were 1000 wigeon feeding in the country park grazing fields on Friday 18th, many of them gathered around the increasingly waterlogged area. Also in this area were 60 black-tailed godwits while elsewhere were 100 brent geese, 50 teal, 50 lapwing and seven greylag geese. Twenty shoveler were on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools, fifty avocets were on the mudflats while four redwing flew over the park pond.

Near the East Mersea church on Friday, the big flock of 800 brent geese was feeding in the wheat field to the west of Church Lane. Also with the brent were the black brant and two pale-bellied brent geese while also in the field were 50+ fieldfares and a leucistic starling with 200 starlings.

On Thursday 17th one of the male stonechats perched on a bush beside the Strood seawall while at the opposite end of the seawall the regular male and female were still present.

The bearded tit was heard calling from the middle reedbed and seen briefly at the top of the reeds.

Along the Strood channel on the sunny and still Thursday were 30 avocets, 1000 golden plover, fifty knot, five Mediterranean gulls and a bar-tailed godwit of interest. A merlin perched on a post on Ray Island and a marsh harrier flew across the Ray saltmarsh. A flock of 60 ringed plover was feeding in one of the wet fields.

On Wednesday 16th the flock of 800 brent geese was seen feeding in the winter wheat fields near the East Mersea church and Coopers Beach area.

A distant record shot of the black brant pictured centre at the back feeding with its head down and facing left. Two pale-bellied brent were also present with the main brent flock. 

The field beside Coopers Beach also saw 100 fieldfares feeding, the leucistic starling with 200 starlings, as well as a high tide roost of 15 ringed plovers. A sparrowhawk and kestrel were also in the area as were three yellowhammers by some game crops.

The high tide on Wednesday flooded the Rewsalls marshes by Coopers Beach with seawater easily flowing through the main breaches in the old seawall. Waders noted here were 130 curlew, 40 redshank, twenty turnstone, three lapwing and twenty snipe, with five little egrets also noted and 12 sanderling on the beach.

Ian Black had a rare sighting of a tree sparrow in a bush beside The Lane on Wednesday.

High tide on Tuesday 15th covered the saltmarshes and nearly covered the old wooden jetty beside the Firs caravan park. The kingfisher flew along the dyke by the Strood seawall, the bearded tit was heard calling, three stonechats were present as usual at either end. A sparrowhawk flew over the channel, a buzzard perched on Ray Island, 30 avocets, 70 knot, two Mediterranean gulls and 60 ringed plovers were also of interest.

At Coopers Beach on Tuesday sixty fieldfares, 800 brent geese and 12 turnstones were noted by Michael Thorley.

At Maydays on Tuesday a green sandpiper, fieldfare and four buzzards were seen by Martin Cock also a short-eared owl was flying over Langenhoe, 

The late morning high tide on Monday 14th didn't appear as high as predicted with the Maydays saltmarsh not getting covered. Birds of note whilst carrying out the monthly wildfowl count were 23 red-breasted mergansers, 1000 knot, 40 avocets, 100 black-tailed godwits and nine great crested grebes.

Also noted were seven marsh harriers in the air at the same time over Reeveshall while small birds noted were 100 linnets, 2 stonechats, a fieldfare and a yellowhammer.

Mammal highlights included a Chinese water deer that was on the saltmarsh near Bower Hall and got spooked when I stood up on the seawall quite close-by to it. It ran quickly away and was seen crossing back over the seawall and dyke before running up the side of the paramotor field by the Strood, whilst being mobbed by a carrion crow. Also seen was a common seal basking on saltmarsh only 400m from the Strood causeway- the furthest seal I've seen up at the top end of the Pyefleet, while later a grey seal was seen swimming in the Pyefleet below Bower Hall.

On Sunday 13th the black brant and a pale-bellied brent goose was seen with 500 dark-bellied brent geese feeding in the field to the west of the East Mersea church. Also seen were 70 fieldfares, a redwing, 30 chaffinch, 3 yellowhammers and a reed bunting.

At Reeveshall on Sunday there were 25 black-tailed godwits and 70 redshank feeding on the wet pastures with 100 lapwing, five fieldfares, corn bunting, yellowhammer and ten reed buntings also seen.

Feeding at high tide on the Reeveshall saltmarsh were 100 brent geese, 25 wigeon, 20 teal with 100 redshank and a red-breasted merganser noted too.

A kingfisher was watched perched beside the Strood dyke on Saturday 12th. Also of note were the bearded tit, three stonechats, marsh harrier, buzzard, six red-legged partridges, 300 knot, 300 golden plover, 12 avocets and 10 little egrets. On the wet fields were about 100 waders of six species with 60 ringed plovers and 40 grey plover of interest along with a few curlew, redshank, dunlin and turnstone.

Beside the East Mersea road on Saturday the flock of 400+ brent geese was feeding in the wheat field to the south of Meeting Lane. Nearby Michael Thorley noted 250 corvids of jackdaws, carrion crows and some rooks feeding in the fields along with 1000+ wood pigeons and 70 black-headed gulls.