NEW YEAR FOR BIRDS

Happy New Year.

A mixed flock of waders roosted on a small island on the side lake beside the flooded Rewsalls marshes during Monday 3rd's high tide. In this flock were turnstones, 25 ringed plovers and some dunlin.

The water levels were slowly rising with the tide flooding through the old breached seawall at Rewsalls. It wasn't long before there was nothing of the little island for the birds to stand on like these ringed plovers, dunlin and turnstones.

Also roosting on the Rewsalls side-lake were two greenshank that are overwintering here, pictured as the two paler waders. Also seen here are several redshank, turnstones and one black-tailed godwit. Three snipe were flying about, as were 20 golden plover, three little egrets and forty linnets. On the Youth Camp field were 100 curlew feeding, 12 pied wagtails, three green woodpeckers and a buzzard being mobbed by crows. 

A black brant was feeding with 300 brent geese on a wheat field between the Youth Camp and Waldegraves on Monday, as were 30 Mediterranean gulls and ten common gulls. Offshore was a great northern diver drifting west, while on the Waldegraves beach were 40 sanderling - some on the offshore island. Three coots and 40 moorhens were seen in Waldegraves caravan park.

A female blackcap paid a couple of visits to the garden feeder in Firs Chase on Monday, also a song thrush seen too.

Steve Entwistle on Monday saw two great northern divers and 15 great crested grebes off Seaview and then later a Slavonian grebe off Coopers Beach.

The sun made a brief appearance at the end of Sunday 2nd over the West Mersea Hard just after a dark rain cloud had passed by. Along the Strood seawall were the usual waders and wildfowl, with 30+ avocets, great crested grebe, sparrowhawk and stonechat being of interest.

Along the Bower Hall seawall there was a pair of yellowhammer, two rock pipits, marsh harrier and a buzzard.

The sun showed for a short while along the Pyefleet on Sunday early afternoon providing a view of the velvet scoter present for its fifth day. It spent a bit of time on the far side drifting down towards Pewit Island, then it flew to join some red-breasted mergansers mid channel, before flying back up to Maydays to join another small group of red-breasted mergansers - some of the 14 seen in the Pyefleet. A snipe flew along the Maydays creek.

A peregrine flew over Reeveshall and landed in a field for several minutes before heading over to Langenhoe. Four marsh harriers and a buzzard were seen and there was a feeding flock of 1000 starlings.

A short-eared owl was seen by Steve Entwistle flying over Langehoe on Sunday afternoon from Maydays, also a fieldfare seen, while earlier the great white egret was seen flying over Reeveshall, also two buzzards in Shop Lane and a meadow pipit in the horse paddock.

At Cudmore Grove Shaun Bater reported a sparrowhawk, kestrel, buzzard, calling water rail at the pond and four stonechats, as well as wigeon, teal and brent geese.

On New Year's Day on Saturday 1st, a walk along the Strood Channel from Firs Chase produced 65 bird species which was one less than last year's visit on New Year's Day here. The main birds of note were a great northern diver by the boat moorings, as well as a marsh harrier, buzzard, sparrowhawk, a stonechat, Cetti's warbler singing briefly, 15 skylarks, 20 linnets and 15 goldfinches. 

A mistle thrush was feeding on mistletoe berries at the top end of the Firs Caravan park, while a red squirrel ran across the top end of The Lane. Earlier in the day two mistle thrushes were seen feeding in the Firs caravan park mistletoe clumps by Steve Entwistle.

Along the Strood channel on New Year's Day were one or two turnstones, also 63 avocets, two black-tailed godwits and four Mediterranean gulls.

Andy Field kicked off the new year with a productive walk along the north side of the Island from Shop Lane to Maydays. The velvet scoter was still in the Pyefleet at Maydays, a great white egret had been feeding in the ditch beside the Reeveshall seawall and a male hen harrier flew over Reeveshall. Also seen were four marsh harriers including one male displaying over Langenhoe, seven red-breasted mergansers, fieldfare and a yellowhammer near Shop Lane.

A great white egret was seen on the saltmarsh in front of Bower Hall on Saturday by Steve Entwistle.