REYMEAD FIRECREST

 

Richard Brown found this little gem of a firecrest in Reymead Wood in the middle of West Mersea originally on Tuesday 12th. The bird was still present four days later on Friday 15th when Richard returned and got this great picture of it. The firecrest was seen on Wednesday both in the morning and the afternoon, although it was sometimes hard to locate when it stayed silent.

Two snow buntings were still at East Mersea Point on Friday 15th, both quite confiding and their markings helping camouflage them along the strandline. The purple sandpiper was feeding close into the beach near the Point as the tide came in late morning, also two sanderling, as well as a few ringed plovers and turnstones. On the mudflats were 150 oystercatchers, 40 avocets and 1000 dunlin while offshore were six red-breasted mergansers, three common scoters, four great crested grebes and a distant Slavonian grebe to the south-west.

Thursday's inch of rain has waterlogged the park's grazing fields more and filled up the nearby borrowdyke. On Friday morning the wet fields were filled with wildfowl and waders with 1500 wigeon, 490 black-tailed godwits, 100 teal, 14 shoveler, 12 gadwall, 80 lapwing, two greylag geese, 50 redshank, 30 dunlin and 30 curlew. A Cetti's warbler sang by the borrowdyke, a rock pipit and eight reed buntings near the Point. A pale-bellied brent goose was feeding with 300 brent geese near Ivy Farm and a mistle thrush was amongst the mistletoe near the Golfhouse, while two fieldfares were also noted.

A red squirrel was seen scrambling through trees in the country park near the entrance.

At West Mersea a kingfisher flew across the water towards Cobmarsh Island on Friday. It was also reported in this area a week earlier being seen from the Mulroy houseboat as it fished close-by.

A red squirrel was seen in The Lane by Ron Harvey and earlier on Friday a red squirrel was also seen (perhaps the same one) in the Firs Chase garden

It rained throughout Thursday 14th soaking the fields by the Strood seawall even more than before. As the tide covered the nearby mudflats many waders were flying onto the muddy fields to continue their feeding. Some of the birds seen through the drizzle were 200 dunlin, 200 golden plover, ten grey plover, 20 redshank, 15 curlew, a single black-tailed godwit and at least five ringed plover along with a few lapwings. 

The bearded tit showed itself a couple of times amongst the reeds and a Cetti's warbler also called from a bush.

This handsome male sparrowhawk was photographed by the Legion Field in West Mersea on Tuesday 12th. A sparrowhawk was seen in Reymead Wood on Wednesday whilst waiting for the firecrest to show and a sparrowhawk was seen by Ian Black in his Mersea Avenue garden that day too.

A female blackcap was photographed on Wednesday by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane.

The blackcap was seen feeding at the fat balls in Michaels garden.

As well as the blackcap, also seen from Michael's garden were a stock dove and two red-legged partridges.

On Tuesday 12th offshore from Coopers Beach were eight red-throated divers, three Slavonian grebes, 100+ great crested grebes and four common scoter. On the flooded marshes beside Coopers Beach was a big flock of fifty snipe flying around with another twenty noted in the area too. Also 110 curlew, 20 ringed plover, 15 turnstone, four little egrets, eight redwing and a buzzzard.

At Maydays farm on Tuesday Martin Cock saw 12 pintail in the Pyefleet, two stonechats and 40 corn buntings flying over. Further along the seawall Andy Field noted at Reeveshall four red-breasted mergansers, a pair of stonechat, a few fieldfares, a barn owl on Langenhoe and a Chinese water deer on Reeveshall.

Along the Strood seawall on Monday 11th a kingfisher was perched along the central field ditch, a peregrine flew over Ray Island, two buzzards and a marsh harrier also noted. Rising in the air over Strood Hill were 1000 golden plover, while in the wet fields were 40 ringed plover and two rock pipits near the seawall. The usual flock of avocets were in the channel with 20 noted on Monday.

Two sanderling were feeding on mud by the West Mersea Hard, as were the usual few turnstones.