BREEZY FOR THE BLACK-TAILED

Twenty black-tailed godwits were feeding on the last of the mud along the Strood channel before the tide covered it on Tuesday 19th. Other birds noted during a breezy walk along the seawall were 100 golden plover, four ringed plovers, 100 dunlin also 100 turnstone on boats by the Hard. A stonechat, three rock pipits were seen, also two Cetti's warblers were singing from the dyke - one in the main reedbed and another nearer the caravan park. Near Feldy View a female blackcap was feeding in berry bushes with 20+ blackbirds.

A worn small copper butterfly was seen in Steve Entwistle's West Mersea garden on Tuesday.

High tide at Coopers Beach covered most of the nearby Rewsalls marshes on Monday 18th. A peregrine flew over the marshes and headed east along the shoreline. On the marshes were 34 little egrets, 80 curlew, 50 golden plover, 80 redshank, ten teal, two little grebes, two rock pipits and a Med gull. Offshore a red-throated diver and two great crested grebes were seen while at the East Mersea church a chiffchaff was calling.

Earlier on Monday two kingfishers were seen together at the seawall sluice at Maydays by Martin Cock, also seen there were two buzzards, two marsh harriers, two sparrowhawks and also a Chinese Water Deer in Haycocks Lane. Steve Entwistle at Maydays saw a sparrowhawk, great spotted woodpecker and a few chaffinches in Haycocks Lane, while a mistle thrush was in the Cudmore Grove car park.

There was a glimpse of the sun setting over the West Mersea Hard on Sunday 17th. A merlin was seen flying over the Hard and then over the houses in Firs Chase, with a group of starlings rising up in a tight flock as the merlin passed by.

Other birds of prey were also seen at the end of Sunday by Andy Field watching the harriers heading into roost on Langenhoe -from the Shop Lane seawall. Sixteen marsh harriers was a good count, also a peregrine, merlin and two buzzards along with three green sandpipers and 1000 starlings were seen.

Earlier on Sunday afternoon during a walk along the north side of the island, a flock of six cattle egrets was seen dropping down amongst some cows on the Langenhoe ranges with one egret seen hitching a ride on the back of one of the cows. After a few minutes the flock took off and flew west until they were lost to view. There was a subsequent sighting of them the following day on Langenhoe farm among cattle.

A short-eared owl was flying high over Langenhoe, two green sandpipers were on the Reeveshall pool and another flying over Maydays calling, and a greenshank and two rock pipits were along the Strood. 

A family flock of six brent geese with four juveniles were on the country park dyke on Sunday with another seventy geese on the nearby foreshore. Twenty black-tailed godwits, 50 wigeon, four shoveler and a pair of stonechats were by the Golfhouse pools while a reed warbler, bar-tailed godwit and two knot were by Ivy Dock.

A great spotted woodpecker was feeding in Waldegraves caravan park on Saturday, while a merlin was watched chasing a skylark in dramatic fashion with the lark narrowly escaping by diving between two caravans. In nearby Cross Lane a little owl called and a buzzard perched in a tree.

A short-eared owl flew high over the Rewsalls marshes on Saturday as it drifted south. Also there at high tide were 300 golden plover, 15 black-tailed godwits, 20 little egrets, ten teal with a Cetti's warbler singing by the Youth Camp beach. Offshore were 30 brent geese, two great crested grebes, fifty oystercatchers and three Mediterranean gulls.

Ian Black reported a large thrush movement over Mersea Avenue during Saturday evening.

Four buzzards were seen on Friday during a walk along the Strood seawall, also two marsh harriers and two kestrels seen too. Along the channel were 70 wigeon, 65 teal, 120 black-tailed godwits, two vocal greenshank, 20 grey plover and forty linnets, while at Feldy View a grey wagtail flew over and two blackcaps were in some bushes.

Steve Entwistle watched a great white egret on Friday morning flying from the Dabchicks area towards Abberton, and also saw two siskins in Feldy View and another two flying over.

Andy Field noted four buzzards and a sparrowhawk heading east over his High Street North house on Friday morning.

At Cudmore Grove on Friday, the two bearded tits were still showing well for Martin Cock at the park pond on occasions- present for their second day here. Later at the park Steve Entwistle reported a guillemot drifting up the Colne, eight greylag geese, a red-throated diver flying south, two rock pipits, three pintail, tufted duck, 300 golden plover and 100 dunlin.

A red squirrel has been visiting the Firs Chase garden most days recently, often seen carrying walnuts to bury in the lawn.