SCAMPERING SANDERLING

Seventeen sanderling were seen scampering along the beach at the East Mersea Point on Wednesday 27th.

The sanderling had the beach almost to themselves during the high tide period late morning.

Also feeding along the beach at the Point was this turnstone. There was no sign of the two snow buntings seen a couple of days earlier on the Monday by Angela Buckley. Other birds noted were a red-throated diver in the river Colne, eight red-breasted mergansers upriver and one great crested grebe flying past. A grey seal was feeding on a fish close to the Point.

For a while on Wednesday there was little to see in the mouth of the Colne because of a thick haar that rolled in over the sea. 

On the nearby park grazing fields, most of the 400 black-tailed godwits were roosting together, also 100 redshank,14 snipe, 100 lapwing and 300 dunlin were present among the 1000+ wigeon. By the pond were a fieldfare, two redwings, a goldcrest, while ten gadwall and six tufted duck were on the pond. A buzzard flew over Ivy Farm being mobbed by crows, a mistle thrush was by the Golfhouse amongst the mistletoe while a red squirrel was seen in a hedge near the Dormy houses on East Rd.

At West Mersea a great northern diver was seen off Kingsland Road beach by Jonathan Bustard while in Mersea Avenue a Mediterranean gull was coming down to bread with the black-headed gulls in Ian Black's back garden.

A buck muntjac deer was spotted on Wednesday as I drove past the Manwood Grove near the top end of Shop Lane. After a bit of browsing it disappeared into the wood.

Offshore from Coopers Beach on Tuesday 26th, three distant velvet scoter were seen in the outer part of the Colne estuary. It needed a call to Chris Balchin over at Colne Point, asking him to confirm the identification as he would get a closer look at the birds. A fourth duck was also present but its identification wasn't confirmed. 

Also of note offshore were the passing red-throated divers with 46 noted, some on the water, others flying past eastwards. There were five Slavonian grebes and 380 great crested grebes counted offshore from Coopers too and also four gadwall flying about. Twelve sanderling flew along the beach with a few turnstones and a sparrowhawk flew past too. On the flooded Coopers marsh were a snipe, 15 curlew, 2 little egrets, golden plover and a couple of shelduck.

Michael Thorley found a grey wagtail feeding by an icy puddle near the Coopers Beach clubhouse later on Tuesday. A red-throated diver was seen off the West Mersea beach by Jonathan Bustard and a male sparrowhawk was seen in Shaun Bater's Estuary Park Road garden

It had been a cold overnight Sunday into Monday morning with this patch of frozen water still sitting on the Strood channel by late morning on Monday 25th. Birds of note included three buzzards, marsh harrier, 25 avocets, while in the fields were 300 brent geese, 100 golden plover, two Mediterranean gulls and two stonechats.

A couple of redshank were feeding on the saltmarsh near the Firs Caravan park.

One of the redshank seemed quite confiding although it stopped feeding while I walked close-by.

At the East Mersea Youth Camp on Monday, Martin Cock reported a great northern diver and red-throated diver offshore and a green sandpiper over the marshes. Michael Thorley saw 70 corn buntings near Cross Lane.

Angela Buckley visited Cudmore Grove on Monday seeing two snow buntings, some turnstones and sanderling on the beach but no purple sandpiper, also two buzzards, stonechat and a greenfinch with a pale face.

On Sunday 24th Steve Entwistle had a successful day - finally catching up with the purple sandpiper on the mud near East Mersea Point on his eight attempt this month at trying to see it! Along the Strood Jonathan Bustard saw a male hen harrier, marsh harrier and the bearded tit. 

At Maydays farm on Sunday a male merlin flew low over the marsh, a peregrine caused some panic along the Pyefleet, while four marsh harriers, six buzzards and a sparrowhawk were also seen. A Cetti's warbler called from the dyke, two male stonechats were seen in different locations, while two yellowhammers, 100 linnets and two fieldfares were also noted. At the back of Reeveshall were 800+ brent geese in a field.

Along the channel were six red-breasted mergansers, 100 avocets, 500 knot, two bar-tailed godwits and 20 black-tailed godwits.

In East Mersea near Meeting Lane on Sunday a peregrine chased a starling over Michael Thorley's garden, while in West Mersea a female blackcap was on feeders in Ian Black's garden.

There was a colourful sunset at the end of Saturday 23rd at the West Mersea Hard, after the sun had shone for most of the day. Offshore from the Esplanade were a great northern diver, red-breasted merganser and at least a dozen Mediterranean gulls in the gull roost on the water.

A flock of eighty corn buntings and twenty linnets were flying around and feeding on the stubble field to the west of Waldegraves.

Offshore from the Youth Camp on Saturday were a Slavonian grebe, three red-throated divers, 25 great crested grebes and also eleven bar-tailed godwits on the mudflats. Two little egrets, 36 mallard and a rock pipit were by the boating lake and old marshes. Feeding in the game cover crop and fields west of the East Mersea church were ten reed buntings, two yellowhammers, 15 chaffinches, 20 pied wagtails and three song thrushes. A couple of goldcrests were seen near the church by Martin Cock.

Along the Strood seawall on Saturday, Steve Entwistle finally watched the elusive bearded tit at the top of the reeds along the dyke after lots of missed attempts, also five reed buntings seen too. Ian Black saw a female hen harrier  over the south end of Ray Island flying towards Copt Hall, also a great spotted woodpecker drumming in Mersea Avenue.

A barn owl was seen at Maydays mid afternoon on Saturday by Steve Entwistle, who watched it hunting over the fields and perching up on a post for a short while. In the brief shower of heavy snow at Maydays a pair of pintail, two marsh harriers and a male stonechat were noted. At least ten red-legged partridge were seen near the Maydays farmyard, also seven red-legged partridge beside Chapmans Lane and a sparrowhawk noted too.

A kestrel was photographed near Feldy View by Andy Field on Friday 22nd. 

A peregrine was seen flying over the Feldy seawall on the mainland as it headed over to Copt Hall. Two buzzards and a couple of sparrowhawks were noted along the Strood seawall. A kingfisher perched on the seawall sluice and the bearded tit was seen in the reeds by Andy Field. Also of interest were a stonechat, rock pipit, six linnets as well as seven avocets, 80+ shelduck, 100 teal and a little egret.

A red kite was seen by Kate Entwistle flying over her Empress Drive house on Friday. The firecrest was seen feeding in the holly bushes in Reymead Wood on Friday afternoon, also three song thrushes heard singing and a sparrowhawk passed over.

A barn owl flew low over Shop Lane on Friday, almost crashing into the car windscreen of Michael Thorley as he drove along late afternoon. The Cetti's warbler was heard calling from the Maydays dyke by Martin Cock on Friday.

On Thursday 21st, two peregrines were seen together briefly close to the Strood causeway before heading off in opposite directions. A marsh harrier flew over Ray Island while along the channel were 11 avocets, 106 shelduck, 48 curlew and 300 golden plover, also two stonechats beside the seawall. The large flock of 1000 brent geese was feeding on the Peldon side.

The firecrest was seen on Thursday by Michael Thorley, it showed well feeding in the hollies in the middle of Reymead Wood.

A grey squirrel was pictured on trail-camera in the Seaview Avenue garden of Duncan Philpott on Saturday 23rd. Measures had been started the day before to try and catch this individual.