HARRIER FLYPAST

A male hen harrier provided Steve Grimwade with a nice flypast so he could get this photograph, as it flew west along the Pyefleet Channel on Wednesday 9th. Other birds seen during the Swallow Birding walk at East Mersea included two siskin by the park pond, 3 Canada geese, 27 red-breasted mergansers in the Colne and Pyefleet and five marsh harriers Langenhoe/Reeveshall.

A walk along the Maydays seawall on Wednesday produced a merlin over Reeveshall, 15 pintail, six red-breasted mergansers, 300 golden plover, seven marsh harriers, three buzzards, ten greylag geese with hybrid goose and 500 starlings. 

A grey seal with an orange-stained coat was lying on the floating pontoon in the Pyefleet on Wednesday and a drove of five brown hares was watched together in one of the fields.

The shag was seen by the West Mersea Hard on Wednesday morning by Martin Cock.

At Maydays on Tuesday 8th Steve Entwistle reported 500 dunlin, 80 shelduck, seven corn buntings, four meadow pipits, 15 skylarks, four mute swans, three pintail, two marsh harriers, two buzzards, two kestrels, five little egrets, three red-breasted mergansers, three great crested grebes, three reed buntings also two pairs of greylag geese on Reeveshall. An adder was seen on the top of the Maydays seawall.

Shaun Bater walked from Cudmore Grove to the Golfhouse on Tuesday morning and noted a kestrel, four pochard on pond, eight gadwall, large flock of black-tailed godwits, four pochard on dyke, 34 shoveler, two Canada geese, snipe, 50 redshank and 20 curlew.

At the end of the day Shaun watched from the Shop Lane seawall the male hen harrier and 15-20 marsh harriers heading into the Langenhoe roost, also eight red- breasted mergansers in the Pyefleet.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Tuesday included two avocets, ten black-tailed godwits, Mediterranean gull, marsh harrier, three buzzards, four great crested grebes and 25 shelduck.

The regular overwintering female blackcap was seen again at the feeder in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday. The male and female blackcaps were seen in the garden the previous day Monday 7th.

The shag was seen opposite the Dabchicks sailing club on Monday morning, while along the Strood were 12 black-tailed godwits, eight avocets, three snipe, Mediterranean gull, marsh harrier, two buzzards, rock pipit and 22 corn buntings perching on some telegraph wires.

The large starling murmuration of about 10,000 birds roosting under solar panels on the roofs of flats at the top of  Oakwood Avenue was watched by Angela Buckley and Caroline White on Monday evening.

Two mistle thrushes were seen on the football pitch at Coopers Beach on Sunday 6th - one bird photographed here by Michael Thorley.

Steve Entwistle noted on Sunday five robins, 11 blackbirds, song thrush, two goldfinches, two long-tailed tits by the Coopers football pitch also three buzzards overhead.

Earlier on Sunday Steve saw four great northern divers off the Esplanade and a distant peregrine by the nestbox on Bradwell power station, on the opposite side of the Blackwater estuary.

Along the Strood early Sunday afternoon were 800 brent geese on the Peldon side, 30 shelduck, seven avocets, 100 golden plover, two ringed plovers, two black-tailed godwits, while on the fields were seven snipe and twenty corn buntings.

Angela Buckley reported watching several thousand starlings gathering to roost at the top of Oakwood Avenue on Monday late afternoon, with a sparrowhawk and kestrel both flying through the middle of the flock without catching anything.

Michael Thorley took this picture of brent geese in flight near Coopers Beach on Saturday 5th.

 

Another of Michael's pictures showing some brent geese flying off the sea.

A thousand brent geese photographed by Michael as they rested on the sea off Coopers Beach on Saturday. The only other birds noted during a very cold day were seven redshank and a linnet.

Steve Entwistle could only add a great crested grebe and fifty mixed gulls from Coopers Beach. Off West Mersea on Saturday morning Steve saw a great northern diver and also a distant pair of peregrines on the Bradwell power station by their nestbox on the roof.

Birds noted at Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Saturday were a green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker drumming, two greenfinches and a pair of chaffinch.

On Saturday morning at Maydays the kingfisher was seen twice in an hour by the seawall sluice, a great white egret was on Reeveshall, also 15 pintail, six little egrets, Mediterranean gull, five marsh harriers, three buzzards, 500 starlings, ten greylag geese, three great crested grebes, red-breasted merganser and 300 golden plover.

The little owl, Cetti's warbler and four corn buntings were seen at Maydays farm on Saturday by Steve Entwistle. Later 5000 starlings were seen over the East Road junction with Stable Close late afternoon.

The black brant was photographed by Andy Field on Friday 4th near the East Mersea boating lake. Also on the Rewsalls marshes / offshore were three great northern divers, three red-throated divers, two Slavonian grebes, 30 great crested grebes, 109 curlew, 50 dunlin, 100 turnstones, 50 redshank, eight sanderling, five Mediterranean gulls, seven redwings, 30 meadow pipits and a Cetti's warbler.

Steve Entwistle also visited Coopers Beach on Friday afternoon and noted the black brant, two great northern divers, Slavonian grebe and fifty great crested grebes.

Earlier at West Mersea Steve saw the shag and pale-bellied brent goose from the Hard, two mistle thrushes by the Firs Caravan park and a great northern diver from the Esplanade on Friday.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday 15 corn buntings and buzzard were seen over the fields, a Cettis warbler singing at the bottom of the Strood Hill, 15 avocets, six ringed plover, ten black-tailed godwits, 15 shelduck, 500 brent geese and a Mediterranean gull. The shag and pale-bellied brent geese were by the Hard.

At the East Mersea Oyster Fishery on Friday a chiffchaff singing briefly is the first spring migrant back on the island, also three Cetti's warblers singing between there and the country park, where the male pintail and pochard were seen by Martin Cock.

On Thursday 3rd the pale-bellied brent goose was with twenty dark-bellied brent geese by the West Mersea Hard, five Canada geese flew up Ray Channel from Feldy and the female blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden.

A great spotted woodpecker was heard drumming in Victory Road on Thursday by Ian Black.

At Cudmore Grove on Thursday afternoon Steve Entwistle noted two pairs of pochard, male pintail, 46 greylag geese, 100 black-tailed godwits, snipe, sparrowhawk, rock pipit and 14 golden plover.

In the skies over the north end of Oakwood Avenue a big murmuration of about 10,000 starlings swirled round and round late Thursday afternoon, before they dropped down to roost behind some solar panels on the roofs of some flats. 

There was the sound of spring at Cudmore Grove hearing the calls of lapwings as they displayed over the grazing fields on Wednesday 2nd. Good numbers of waders and wildfowl were using the wet fields in the light rain during the morning high tide. Also present were 800 wigeon, 200 teal, 125 black-tailed godwits, male pintail, four snipe, ten lapwing, fifty greylag geese and 25 shoveler.

Two female marsh harriers were seen hunting over the grazing fields - one spending a long time quartering the fields and ditches and then a second bird seen an hour later flying south-east over to Colne Point. A displaying sparrowhawk was flying up into the air and then dropping back down several times as it flew along the back of the grazing fields.

A chiffchaff was heard calling and looked lively as it fed beside the Golfhouse path on Wednesday. Two pochard were at the park pond, also a goldcrest, a water rail showed briefly and another calling while two mistle thrushes were north of the country park.

A pair of ringed plover was on the East Mersea Point along with 14 sanderling and a few turnstones.

The pair of ringed plover was possibly keeping an eye on the Point as a potential nesting site. In the river Colne were six great crested grebes and a red-breasted merganser flew up river.

A female marsh harrier was flying over East Mersea fields near Weir Farm on Wednesday and a little egret was standing in a muddy horse paddock in Chapmans Lane.

Two grey squirrels were photographed by the Vinces in their garden opposite the West Mersea allotments on Wednesday 2nd. It is hoped these ones can be caught.

At Coopers Beach on Tuesday 1st six red-throated divers were seen offshore - three on the sea and another three flying, also eight great crested grebes offshore.

High tide covered all of the Rewsalls marshes flushing forty snipe into the air, also black brant with 400 brent geese, 20 teal, buzzard, mistle thrush and a singing Cetti's warbler by the football pitch.

From the West Mersea Esplanade on Tuesday a great northern diver and 20 great crested grebes were seen.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday Andy Field reported a red-throated diver, a few great crested grebes, six pochard, 120 black-tailed godwits including a juvenile that was ringed at Snettisham in Norfolk in September 2019, 30 greylag geese, 63 turnstones, one sanderling, kestrel in its nestbox, and a Cetti's warbler.

Steve Entwistle reported seeing from the Hard car park on Tuesday the shag, marsh harrier, buzzard, heron, red-breasted merganser, little grebes and nine greylags over Old Hall marshes. The great northern diver was seen off Fairhaven Avenue, two sanderling at Coopers Beach, while at Weir Farm Steve saw 100 fieldfare and 10 redwing on Tuesday afternoon.