GREAT WHITE

A great white egret was found on Monday 15th in the fields beside the Strood channel by Charlie Williams. Later in the afternoon the bird was seen to fly back onto the grass field where it then slowly walked across. It seemed interested in a small pond but kept getting chased away by a grey heron, each time it landed in the nearby field to wait before having another attempt at visiting the pond.

Also from the seawall two common buzzards were perched on bushes, a marsh harrier flew up channel, a little egret was on Ray Island and 21 corn buntings flew off the grass field.

At East Mersea on Monday the purple sandpiper was photographed by Andy Field which showed well on the rising tide in its usual area just back from the Point. In the nearby grazing fields was the pale-bellied brent goose and a chiffchaff noted in the park too.

In Shop Lane a firecrest was feeding in bushes near Fishponds Wood, a chiffchaff was seen at Gyants Marsh while four buzzards, sparrowhawk and a marsh harrier were noted during the walk to Meeting Lane. Also seen were fourteen redwings, a pair of mistle thrushes, yellowhammer, great spotted woodpecker and a green woodpecker.

Ian Black heard a blackcap in subsong in his Mersea Avenue garden on Monday.

A black brant was seen in the river Colne near Ivy Dock in East Mersea on Sunday 14th, having flown off the park's grazing field with a pale-bellied brent goose and 800 dark-bellied brent geese.

On Reeveshall a pair of marsh harriers was flying over Broad Fleet and a buzzard seen nearby too. On the pool were a little egret, 15 shelduck, 25 wigeon and 20 teal.

Thirty rook nests were counted in the trees in Manwood Grove in Shop Lane.

Steve Entwistle managed to take this close-up photo of a Cetti's warbler sitting in the open near the pond at Cudmore Grove on Sunday - the picture off the back of his camera. Earlier Michael Thorley saw six pochard on the park pond and a goldcrest near the borrowdyke.

This great spotted woodpecker was photographed by Michael Thorley in his garden near Meeting Lane.

The pair of great spotted woodpeckers showed well for Michael and Sarah on a windy Saturday.

Several pheasants visited Michael's garden too.

Among the flock of 250 dark-bellied brent geese on Saturday near Coopers Beach was a black brant -  seen in the centre with head up. Also in the field during the high tide were 45 curlew, 10 turnstone, 10 dunlin, 10 ringed plover and three Mediterranean gulls. 

A black cloud over Bradwell on the opposite side of the Blackwater looked ominous and luckily missed Mersea early afternoon on Saturday. On the beach were 12 sanderling and a few turnstones while the little owl was on a tree at the Youth Camp.

On a windy Friday 12th along the Strood seawall a buzzard flushed a snipe off a field as it passed over, while in the fields were 100 golden plover, 100 brent geese, 10 ringed plover and 50 dunlin during high tide. The female stonechat was by the borrowdyke and 12 avocets were on the Ray saltings.

At Cudmore Grove the first singing chiffchaff was noted by Martin Cock on Friday, also two Cetti's warblers singing, while 200 black-tailed godwits looked impressive in their summer plumage.

On Thursday 14 white-fronted geese flew south-west over Firs Road cemetery  heading towards the Hard. A peregrine was seen flying south-west over the Strood fields, disturbing bird flocks as it passed. The pale-bellied brent goose was by the caravan site and eight avocets were in the channel. In the fields were 250 golden pover, 26 ringed plover, two grey herons and 30 corn buntings.

A buzzard was seen flying over St Peter's Road by Ian Black on Thursday.