MISTLETOE THRUSHES

A pair of mistle thrush has been feeding recently on the mistletoe berries high up in the poplar trees at the top end of the Firs Caravan park. The bird pictured was one of two seen on Friday 7th, watched from the nearby footpath.

Four fieldfares, redwing, two stock doves and a green woodpecker were also seen in this area.

The mistle thrush was also seen on Thursday 6th high up in the poplar trees of the Firs Caravan park.

The mistle thrush can be hard to spot as you crane your neck up, although they're a bit easier to see when they're diving into a mistletoe clump to eat the white berries.

There are plenty of clumps of mistletoe on the tall poplar trees at the Firs Caravan park.

Birds seen on Friday during a walk along the Strood seawall included a male red-breasted merganser, 15 little grebes, 50 avocets, 700 brent geese, two buzzards high over the channel, stonechat, five rock pipits, 20 skylarks and two corn buntings.

Offshore from the Esplanade on Friday Steve Entwistle saw a black-throated diver, red-throated diver and two great northern divers.

Martin Cock on Friday reported seeing at the Reeveshall and Maydays areas a male hen harrier, a great white egret along Broad Fleet, three marsh harriers, buzzard and 12 red-breasted mergansers.

A blackcap was seen by Trevor Hearn in his West Mersea garden on Friday morning.

On Thursday 6th Martin saw at Maydays twenty fieldfares, three redwing and 13 corn buntings.

Along the Strood on Thursday were 700 brent geese, 150 teal, 66 avocets, 200 golden plover, Mediterranean gull, bar-tailed godwit, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, two buzzards, 15 linnets, 7 rock pipits and two corn buntings.

On a sunny Wednesday 5th at Cudmore Grove Country Park, birds noted at the pond included a male sparrowhawk, tufted duck, six gadwall, four little egrets and two calling water rails. A song thrush was singing by the central track across the park.

Up to 200 wigeon were feeding on the saltmarsh and pools by the Golfhouse on Wednesday along with 20 shoveler, while 400 brent geese were grazing pasture near Ivy Dock. At the Point were 30+ sanderling, two stonechats, 12 linnets, four red-breasted mergansers and two rock pipits. Four fieldfares flew east from the Golfhouse and a mistle thrush was by the track down to the Golfhouse.

At Blue Row there were 100+ chaffinches feeding in the old sunflower stubble field also a buzzard present too.

For the second day running on Wednesday 5th, there was a very high tide with water across the Coast Road. Pictured is local oysterman Mike Dawson and his wife taking a short-cut with his boat along the flooded road.

Offshore from the Esplanade and Coast Road on Wednesday, Andy Field saw five great northern divers, two red-throated divers, Slavonian grebe, 12 red-breasted mergansers, Mediterranean gull, four sanderling and two bar-tailed godwits. A guillemot was also reported by some visiting birdwatchers from the Esplanade.

On Tuesday 4th at Coopers Beach there was a Slavonian grebe, 30 great crested grebes and two red-throated divers offshore. A wisp flock of 48 snipe flew off the Coopers marshes, a rock pipit and meadow pipit were also seen, while a mistle thrush was by East Mersea church.

From the Esplanade on Tuesday four red-throated divers, 65 great crested grebes and a Mediterranean gull were seen. Steve Entwistle saw three great northern divers from Kingsland Road on Tuesday morning, later 30+ greylag geese flew from Bradwell to Old Hall.

The velvet scoter was seen in the Pyefleet channel on Tuesday morning by Richard Brown when he visited the Langenhoe ranges.

Red squirrels are still daily visitors to the Firs Chase garden with this male seen pictured on Wednesday 5th.

Two male red squirrels were seen on the cedar tree in the Firs Chase garden on Thursday 6th, briefly chasing each other up the trunk. While this one rested on the main limb, the other one was on the feeder just underneath the limb.

A very dark and brazen fox strolled up the garden driveway in Firs Chase in the middle of the day on Thursday. It had a quick drink at the bird-bath, checked out the area by the cars and then trotted back down the drive again. It passed the front door-step without it noticing I was watching it from only five metres away!