LINNET SONGSTER

A colourful male linnet perched on the sea-blite bushes at the East Mersea Point singing his cheery twittering song on Wednesday 9th. Three male reed buntings were also heard around the Point, while a whitethroat was also busy singing from the bushes too.

A ringed plover was discovered nesting on the beach at the Point with three eggs, so its presumed a different clutch from an earlier nest as that one had four eggs in it.

Three Sandwich terns flew past the Point calling as they headed into the river Colne with one bird carrying a small fish. Two Mediterranean gulls were feeding offshore with other gulls and a common tern. 

On the nearby saltmarsh near the Golfhouse the single avocet chick was still being looked after by its anxious parents. Among the seven other avocets on the pools, four appeared to be sitting on nests, as was a black-headed gull. Three redshank, oystercatcher and a brent goose were also seen here

Two pairs of pochard were feeding in the country park dyke on Wednesday with three other birds seen on the park pond.

Two pairs of tufted duck were also present on the park dyke as was a brood of young mallard ducklings, little grebe and coot. A sedge warbler was singing beside the park dyke as was a reed warbler, with another reed warbler heard by the park pond. Three Cetti's warblers were singing at various corners of the main grazing field.

Six greylag geese were feeding in the park's grazing field on Wednesday.

The small flock of greylag geese seem to come and go from the fields, sometimes there to be seen, other times not. The same with the pair of Canada geese which were absent on Wednesday.

A little owl was heard calling from Bromans Farm mid morning on Wednesday.

At Maydays farm on Wednesday morning Martin Cock reported four marsh harriers, 20 grey plover, three cuckoo and a Chinese water deer on Reeveshall.

Steve Entwistle saw the red-legged partridge near Feldy View on Wednesday morning and then later in the day saw a curlew, two great crested grebes and a common gull at the country park.

David Jones kindly showed me his pond in East Mersea at the north-east end of Shop Lane on Wednesday afternoon. Having remembered it being created from the field nearly 30 years ago, it has developed nicely into a great undisturbed freshwater habitat. A reed warbler was singing from the reeds, a whitethroat from a nearby bramble bush, a Cetti's warbler singing from the nearby plantation and a coot feeding its chicks on the water.

This grass-snake was found in a garden off Oakwood Avenue by Christine Ellis, with her being reassured that it's a harmless snake that was probably looking for a compost heap or a garden pond.

On a hot Tuesday 8th at the Coopers Beach marshes, a sedge warbler was singing loudly and has not been heard singing here this spring, also three whitethroats singing nearby. On the wet marshes were four little egrets, four shelduck, four mallard, an oystercatcher and 30 herring gulls.

A mistle thrush was seen carrying a beak-ful of worms in the Coopers caravan park.

A burnet rose bush on the beach near Fen Farm wafted a nice aroma downwind. 

A pair of ringed plovers was accidentally flushed off the beach as I walked along. The birds were not seen to return to the area of beach, so no proof yet of any nest.

Twenty sand martins were hawking over the saltmarsh, a female reed bunting, reed warbler, five linnets were in the area and two great crested grebes offshore. A brown argus butterfly and a couple of small heaths were flying over grasslands next to the country park.

At Maydays farm Steve Entwistle on Tuesday evening reported 21 grey plover, a curlew, five Mediterranean gulls, four marsh harriers -two on Langenhoe and two on Reeveshall, also one kestrel Maydays and another Langenhoe, 16 stock doves, two common terns, cuckoo, six reed warblers and four reed buntings.

Earlier in Cross Lane Steve saw three juvenile long-tailed tits, blackcap carrying food and a chiffchaff.

 

The swift family inside the nestbox on Andy Field's house in High Street North, had laid a second egg on the morning of Monday 7th.

Martin Cock walking the East Mersea seawall between the Golfhouse and the Oyster Fishery saw two black-tailed godwits, brent goose, nine avocets with one chick, yellow wagtail, sedge warbler, common tern, marsh harrier and also a brown argus butterfly.

At Feldy View on Monday morning Steve Entwistle saw a painted lady, four holly blues, three small heaths, cuckoo, heron and a whitethroat.