SUN, SEA AND SANDERLING

A flock of 70 sanderling fed along the beach at high tide near Waldegraves caravan park on Monday 17th. It was the perfect weather for a winter's walk along the shore between Cross Lane and Rewsalls marshes with little wind and lots of blue sky.

Most of the sanderling were on the Waldegraves beach with another small group roosting during the high tide on the shingle island just offshore.

The calm waters offshore from Rewsalls revealed 557+ great crested grebes, four Slavonian grebes, two red-throated divers, while a great northern diver was seen offshore from the bottom of Cross Lane.

A visit by Stuart Read, Jeff Higgott and Darren Underwood to Coopers Beach earlier on Monday produced 680+ great crested grebes, seven Slavonian grebes, two red-throated divers and a great northern diver. Later they saw two great northern divers from Kingsland Road and a shag at the Hard. The two great northern divers were also seen from the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle in the morning.

The black brant was with a flock of 100 brent geese on the East Mersea boating lake on Monday, later being seen feeding in the middle of the Waldegraves caravan park.

A juvenile dark-bellied brent goose swam away from the rest of the family along the old dyke at Rewsalls marshes.

A female kingfisher was seen perched beside the Rewsalls marshes on Monday as the high tide came in through the old seawall to flood the marshes.

Birds seen on the side-lake were a greenshank which flew off high to the north-west, 70 turnstone, 50 dunlin, 8 ringed plovers, 12 little grebes, while on the main marshes were 80 curlew, 2 snipe, 30 redshank and 100 brent geese.

Two rock pipits perched in front of the Youth Camp on Monday, while in the field to the west was a mixed flock of 70 fieldfare and 30 redwing, also fifty linnets, sparrowhawk and buzzard noted here.

From Cross Lane a buzzard perched up  and 30 redwing had been feeding in a rape field.

Michael Thorley visited Shop Lane on Monday afternoon to watch the harrier roost and counted 14 marsh harriers and a male hen harrier at 16.40, also 1200 brent geese on Reeveshall and 800 starlings beyond Langenhoe. Earlier six pied wagtails and a white wagtail were seen at Coopers Beach.

David Allen visited West Mersea on Monday and reported a black-throated diver off the Esplanade, also 18 sanderling, Mediterranean gull, 16 dunlin, 7 redshank, 3 ringed plover, 6 turnstone, 60 brent geese and 12 little grebes from the Hard.

There was a nice sunset from the West Mersea Hard on Sunday 16th - the sound of the 700 brent geese flying off Feldy marshes adding to the atmosphere. There were 15 little grebes, a male red-breasted merganser and 65 avocets in the Strood channel along with a stonechat and two buzzards beside the Strood fields.

At Maydays farm on Sunday there were ten corn buntings, 20 fieldfare, two redwing and a Cetti's warbler while along the Reeveshall seawall were 700 brent geese, 30 greylag geese, 8 red-breasted mergansers, three marsh harriers and three buzzards. A goldcrest was feeding with long tailed tits in Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane.

At the end of Sunday afternoon, Andy Field watched the Langenhoe harrier roost from the Shop Lane seawall and noted 17 marsh harriers, the male hen harrier at 16.40, short-eared owl, barn owl, peregrine, sparrowhawk and buzzard. There were 500 brent geese on Reeveshall and a goldcrest in Fishponds Wood.

Martin Cock on Sunday reported seeing from Coopers Beach two Slavonian grebes, 300+ great crested grebes and a red-throated diver.

A song thrush was singing from a tree in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday morning.

A goldcrest was photographed by Steve Entwistle on Saturday 15th beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane, also great spotted woodpecker and two red squirrels showed well twice. A woodcock was reported seen during the local pheasant shoot near Shop Lane.

In Cross Lane on Saturday a female blackcap, ten redwing were seen, while at Waldegraves caravan park were 55 mallard, 2 coot, 30 moorhens, kestrel with prey, 8 pied wagtails, 100 brent geese and 12 sanderling on the beach.

Shaun Bater saw a sparrowhawk with a starling in his Estuary Park Road garden also a greenfinch on Saturday.

Oliver Cottis reported seeing from the Esplanade on Saturday great northern diver, 50 brent geese, 9 shelduck, shoveler, 2 great crested grebes, 25 oystercatchers, four ringed plover, grey plover, 30 turnstone, 25 sanderling, 55 dunlin, 3 redshank, five common gulls, 3 Mediterranean gulls and 8 cormorants. A marsh harrier was seen by the Strood.

Liz Huxley walked east from the Strood towards Maydays on Saturday in the fog and noted 10 rock pipits, 20 fieldfare, two corn buntings, 50 reed buntings, 30 linnets, 800 brent geese, 9 red-breasted mergansers, 50 lapwing, 30 golden plover, 2 avocets, three buzzards and a marsh harrier.

A male pintail was feeding by itself on the side-lake next to the East Mersea boating lake on Friday 14th.

The over-wintering greenshank was roosting on the side-lake next to a couple of shelduck on Friday during the high tide.

Ninety turnstone were roosting on a small island in the side-lake at Rewsalls marsh, also seen here on Friday were 50 dunlin, 130 curlew, 4 snipe, 12 little grebes, 2 teal with 30 sanderling on the beach.

Offshore from Rewsalls were 364 great crested grebes, 3 Slavonian grebes and a great northern diver. 

Around some of the nearby fields and hedgerows at Rewsalls were 12 fieldfares, 2 mistle thrushes, four redwing, two yellowhammer, 30 reed buntings, Cetti's warbler, 30 goldfinches, seven pied wagtails, two buzzards and 34 skylarks.

At the end of Friday a visit to the Shop Lane seawall produced views of the male hen harrier seen flying west over Langenhoe at 16.00 then coming back to drop into the reedbed to roost at 16.35. Also 15+ marsh harriers, two buzzards, short-eared owl, while in the channel were five red-breasted mergansers and 200 lapwing. On Reeveshall 700 brent geese were grazing, a water rail called to the west from the rushes at the pool, with a second bird calling east towards the Oyster Fishery. A sparrowhawk was seen in Shop Lane.

At Maydays on Friday morning Martin Cock saw four buzzards, four marsh harriers, peregrine, sparrowhawk, nine red-breasted mergansers, eight pintail, four redwing, six fieldfare, singing corn bunting and a probable jack snipe seen in flight near the Maydays sluice.

There was no sign of the velvet scoter in the Pyefleet channel.

Matt Turner on Friday walked from the Strood east along the Pyefleet seawall noting 22 fieldfare, 8 redwing, 3 corn buntings, 9 red-breasted mergansers, buzzard, 6 avocets, red-legged partridge and also a short-eared owl flying south-east off marshes by the Strood late afternoon.