CLOSE PALE-BELLIED BRENT

The pale-bellied brent goose, pictured right, was feeding on the mud close-in to the car park at the West Mersea Hard on Wednesday 10th, as were thirty dark-bellied brent geese.

Along the Strood seawall five Mediterranean gulls, 200 golden plover, 20 ringed plovers and the female stonechat were all in the fields. A small flock of eight avocets on the saltmarsh were the only waders noted along the Strood channel during the high tide.

A wet sparrowhawk was seen feeding on a starling in Ian Black's Mersea Avenue garden on Wednesday.

Spring was in the air on Tuesday 9th at Cudmore Grove country park with this red admiral feeding on the sallow catkins as were lots of bees. Two adders were also spotted basking in the mid morning sunshine and a red squirrel in trees beside the horseride path on the north side of the park.

Above the grazing fields four buzzards circled high calling to each other, which scattered some of the 500 wigeon, 800 brent geese off the fields. Also noted were a pale-bellied brent goose, six snipe, ten shoveler, 70 teal, 50 redshank and one black-tailed godwit. Two Cetti's warblers were singing in the sunshine, while on the pond were seven pochard and nearby six redwing. A buzzard was seen flying  near the pond, while a marsh harrier was seen over the fields by Martin Cock. In the river Colne was a pair of red-breasted merganser.

The little owl near the front of the Youth Camp was photographed on Tuesday morning by Michael Thorley.

A little egret was feeding amongst the saltmarsh beside the Strood Channel on Monday and still managed to keep its yellow feet clear of mud!

Thirteen white-fronted geese flew south-west across the Strood fields and on past the Firs Caravan park. A merlin was watched trying to catch a small bird over Ray Island with the merlin trying several times to stoop and swoop after the lark or pipit. Both birds dropped fast down behind the trees and disappeared from view. Two buzzards perched on a bush at the back of the Strood fields.

A flock of 61+ corn buntings was perched on wires over the back of the fields, the female stonechat was by the dyke and twenty meadow pipits were feeding in a grass field. Also noted from the Strood seawall were 12 avocets, 120 golden plover and a Mediterranean gull.

At East Mersea the purple sandpiper was seen again on the mud near the East Mersea Point by Martin Cock on Monday.

A greenshank flew out of the Maydays creek calling as it flew north, on Sunday 7th. 

Two marsh harriers and five buzzards were seen over Maydays and on Langenhoe. A pair of red-breasted mergansers was in the Pyefleet along with 120 shelduck. In the bushes by the seawall were five corn buntings, 15 yellowhammers and ten reed buntings.

Later on Sunday at Maydays, Steve Entwistle saw peregrine, merlin, kingfisher, six corn buntings, two black-tailed godwits, two buzzards, five marsh harriers, 30 grey plover and a lesser black-backed gull.

On Sunday morning at the Esplanade a Mediterranean gull, five sanderling and 20 dunlin were seen by Steve also a green woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker on same tree in Empress Avenue.

Michael Thorley reported 200 brent geese and 75 golden plover along the Strood on Sunday morning.

At East Mersea on Sunday, Andy Field at Cudmore Grove saw six redwing, buzzard, six pochard, pale-bellied brent goose with 1000+ brent geese, 17 snipe, two Mediterranean gulls and also a red squirrel beside the horseride path.

The little owl was seen at the Youth Camp on Sunday morning by Shaun Bater.

Two Egyptian geese flashed their white wing patches as they landed in the wet fields by the Strood and were photographed by Jonathan Bustard on Saturday early evening, also there a short-eared owl, two buzzards, kestrel and a snipe flushed.

At Cudmore Grove on Saturday Steve Entwistle reported five redwing, buzzard, two pairs of tufted duck, pair of pochard on pond and a female on the dyke, pair of Canada geese on fields also 28 greylag geese while offshore was a pair of common scoter.

Twelve yellowhammers were feeding in game crops to the west of the East Mersea church on Saturday, as were ten reed buntings, 25 chaffinches and a calling chiffchaff being the presumed overwintering one seen a few weeks back. A peregrine circled over the East Mersea church before drifting over the Mersea Barns. while two buzzards were seen over the Rewsalls Marshes.

On the Rewsalls Marshes were eight teal, 16 mallard, three little egrets, rock pipit and a curlew.

The little owl was perched on a poplar tree in front of the East Mersea Youth camp on Saturday. At Waldegraves ten sanderling were on the beach and 80 linnets feeding in a stubble field.

From the Esplanade the great northern diver was feeding offshore and five Mediterranean gulls were seen too.

Steve Entwistle reported the great northern diver offshore from Seaview Avenue on Saturday morning and also a distant peregrine perched on Bradwell power station.

On Friday 5th three buzzards were seen flying north-west over Strood Channel, also a male and female marsh harriers and twelve avocets along the channel.

A buzzard was chased by crows over Firs Chase on Friday, also a blackcap visiting the garden feeder.

At Maydays on Friday a greenshank was seen by Martin Cock, two ravens heading south-west towards the Strood, four buzzards, marsh harrier and a corn bunting,

The moth trap was switched on in the Firs Chase back garden on Tuesday 9th for the fourth time this year.

An oak beauty was a nice sight in the trap, also three common quakers and a small quaker.