STONECHATS BY SEAWALL

Three stonechats were beside the country park seawall on Friday 12th, a pair by the corner near the Point and a female along the edge of the nearby grazing field. Not much different elsewhere around the park on a blustery and grey morning with the tide out. A kestrel was by the Point and a Cetti's warbler sang by the park pond.

Grazing the Golfhouse paddock were 100 wigeon, 8 shoveler were on the saltmarsh pools also 100 brent geese seen, while four great crested grebes were in the river and 70 golden plover flew over.

A mistle thrush was feeding in a horse paddock to the north of the country park on Friday morning.

In the Feldy View on Thursday 11th two bramblings flew over calling and fifteen blackbirds were feeding in various bushes in the area. Across the Strood channel a peregrine flew low as it headed over to Ray Island, scattering all the waders and wildfowl in its path. In the channel were 280 wigeon, 200 teal, 150 golden plover, 20 avocet, a great crested grebe and 13 greylag geese flying down channel.

Two siskin flew over the seawall calling, two Cetti's warblers were singing in the dyke from opposite corners of the big grass field, a stonechat and 25 linnets were seen in the fields.

Twenty-five black tailed godwits were feeding along the Strood channel on Wednesday 10th, also 20 avocets, 27 shelduck, 100 brent geese, 100 wigeon, 100 teal and a great crested grebe.

In the fields were 300 starlings, two buzzards, 40 linnets, a stonechat and also two song thrushes in bushes by the seawall. In Feldy View four redwing, 15 blackbirds and a song thrush were seen.

Four little egrets were seen on Tuesday 9th during a morning walk along the Strood seawall. Other birds seen were 36 avocets, 300 golden plover, ten ringed plover, 30 black-tailed godwits, buzzard, sparrowhawk, two stonechats, three rock pipits, 30 linnets and there were also 260+ cormorants seen heading to Abberton reservoir, also a lesser redpoll flying over Feldy View.

A black-throated diver was seen by Steve Entwistle on Tuesday, flying past the Esplanade and then dropping onto the sea off Seaview. This was first seen from Old Hall by Colin Mackenzie Grieve, who also saw a red-throated diver at the mouth of the Mersea Quarters and three goosanders flying south-west from Mersea. A great white egret was seen flying to Cobmarsh Island from Old Hall by Paul Rowe. There was no sign of the guillemot seen the previous day in the Mersea Quarters by Jon Clark from Old Hall.

A snow bunting was discovered feeding along the Reeveshall seawall with some meadow pipits on Monday 8th, whilst undertaking the monthly WeBS count. The snow bunting stayed out of view at the bottom of the seawall and was flushed on three occasions as I walked along, showing the big white wing-bars when it flew.

Birds seen during the Monday afternoon high tide were four snipe, 1000 dunlin, 1000 knot, 100 black-tailed godwits, 3 bar-tailed godwits, 75 turnstones roosting on a raft, 145 avocets, on the fields were 900 golden plover and 286 lapwing while nine marsh harriers were gathering late afternoon on Langenhoe for the roost.

Two water rails called from the dyke near the Oyster Fishery, five rock pipits were along the saltmarsh, three stonechats were on the park fields, as were most of the 95 curlew seen, 100 teal and 16 shoveler were by the Golfhouse pools.

At Maydays on Monday, Steve Entwistle saw two peregrines on posts on Reeveshall, and a brambling feeding with a mixed finch flock in Haycocks Lane.

Two lesser redpolls were feeding on Martin Cock's garden bird feeder in West Mersea on Monday morning.

A photograph of a leucistic greenfinch taken by David Nicholls when it visited his garden bird feeder in Queen Ann Road in mid September and into early October.