SPARROWHAWK PAYS VISIT

This sparrowhawk paid a visit recently to Martin Cock's garden in The Coverts, allowing him to take these two photographs of the bird.

The juvenile female sparrowhawk posed behind a yellow flower in Martin's garden.

On a dull Friday 11th, the purple sandpiper was feeding on the mud near the East Mersea Point just as the receding tide began uncovering the mud. Also nearby were 25+ sanderling, 25+ ringed plover and 30 turnstones while on the mud by the East Mersea Hard were 1000 knot and 40 avocets. A red-breasted merganser flew back up river past the Point and a great crested grebe was seen too. A pair of stonechat, two rock pipits and three reed buntings were seen at the Point too.

Grazing in the Golfhouse horse paddock were 100 wigeon and 120 teal while also feeding in the field were 5 lapwing, 10 chaffinch and ten meadow pipits.

In the nearby grazing fields were 200 lapwing, 900+ wigeon, two greylag geese, 60 black-tailed godwits and 16 stock doves. A mistle thrush was feeding in bushes with lots of mistletoe clumps near the Golfhouse.

Andy Field also noted four common scoter offshore from the park on Friday and a distant peregrine sitting on a post on the Geedon Saltings.

From the Monkey beach at St Peters on Friday, Jonathan Norgate reported a great northern diver close-in and four red-breasted mergansers. 

Along the Strood borrowdyke on Thursday 10th were two green sandpipers and two pairs of stonechats while fifteen avocets and 150 knot were in the channel. A marsh harrier was hunting the marshes on Feldy.

A kingfisher was seen at Maydays on Thursday by Martin Cock, also ten red-breasted mergansers and two marsh harriers.

The purple sandpiper was seen close into the shore at the East Mersea Point on Thursday by James Astley.

Recent rains have flooded the usual corner of the park's grazing fields as seen here on Wednesday 9th. Lots of ducks were enjoying the wet conditions with 100 wigeon, 50 teal, ten gadwall, 3 shoveler and 12 mallard all busy feeding. At least three snipe were spotted amongst the rushes while a buzzard perched in the nearby hedge. Fourteen black-tailed godwits were feeding in the other grazing field as were the rest of the 1000+ wigeon.

Offshore a black-throated diver was feeding in the river Colne along with 13 great crested grebes. A red- breasted merganser flew upriver and two common seals were also in the river.

A couple of lapwings were feeding in the Golfhouse horse paddock on Wednesday.  Two fieldfares and a redwing flew west over the bus turning circle.

A red-necked grebe was found by Andy Field on Wednesday feeding offshore from the Esplanade, also three eiders, great northern diver, eight red-breasted mergansers, 20 great crested grebes and a Mediterranean gull.

In East Mersea Michael Thorley saw two buzzards and a sparrowhawk in his garden near Meeting Lane on Wednesday.

On a foggy Tuesday 8th along the Strood seawall, a bearded tit was heard in the main reed bed, three stonechats, three rock pipits, two green sandpipers along the dyke also a marsh harrier perched on a bush beside the corner reedbed. 

Along the channel were 500 brent geese, 200 wigeon, 150 knot, 2 shoveler and 15 knot.

A peregrine was seen flying over the Hard by Ian Black on Tuesday afternoon, while Martin Cock saw 3 eider and 12 red-breasted mergansers offshore from Lower Kingsland Road.

A sharp frost coated lots of bushes and trees on a chilly and foggy start to Monday 7th along the Strood seawall. Birds noted through the gloom were two snipe, 12 avocets, sparrowhawk, 300 knot, 100 brent geese, 14 linnets, two rock pipits and six reed buntings.

The regular covey of seven red-legged partridge was seen in the Chapmans Lane field near Blue Row by Michael Thorley on Monday.

A kingfisher perched on the outside of the seawall sluice at Maydays farm on Sunday 6th - earlier it had been seen perched on the inside part beside the dyke. In some of the fields were 200 brent geese along with a pale-bellied brent, a pair of stonechat, 40 fieldfares, yellowhammer, singing corn bunting, 100+ linnets, nine reed buntings, three common buzzards and three marsh harriers.

In the Pyefleet Channel were 14 pintail, 4000+ knot, 50 avocets, 114 shelduck, 11 red-breasted mergansers, six great crested grebes, three common seals, while a flock of 48 greylag geese flew over.

Michael Thorley walked the Shop Lane section of seawall on Sunday afternoon and noted 3 common scoter, 150 avocets, 2000 knot and also seven marsh harrier on Langenhoe.

Offshore from West Mersea on Sunday were 3 eider, great northern diver and a red-breasted merganser seen by Martin Cock. Later four great northern divers were seen by Andy Field, a common scoter seen by Jonathan Bustard and 11 great crested grebes by Steve Entwistle

It was a nice sunny Saturday 5th for a walk along the Strood seawall with the tide coming in late morning. A female scaup was seen mid channel along with 150 wigeon, also 40 shelduck, 250 golden plover, 30 avocets and nine Mediterranean gulls. A marsh harrier, two buzzards, sparrowhawk were noted as was a pair of stonechat and 39 ringed plovers in one of the fields.

Two common buzzards were seen by Ian Black on Saturday as they flew south high over the High Street.

At East Mersea Point on Friday 4th, 52 sanderling and 23 turnstones were seen by Michael Thorley.

The first song thrush sighting in the Firs Chase garden for about three months was logged on Monday 7th. One also returned to Martin Cock's garden the day before too.

A hedgehog was seen late evening in the Firs Chase back garden on Monday 7th.

A red squirrel was feeding on nuts in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 11th - one of the regular visitors here.

The red squirrel was showing an impressive set of ear tufts when looked at from the front.

Sadly one of the regular red squirrel visitors to the garden was found dead in Firs Chase on Wednesday.