WADERS ALONG THE STROOD

The incoming tide along the Strood channel on Thursday 27th brought some waders to feed closer to the seawall, such as this redshank, one of 100 seen. A greenshank was also seen flying up channel.

At least thirty curlew were feeding along the Strood channel too.

A grey plover stood on a wooden post as the tide covered the mud.

A large flock of 500 golden plover gathered on the mud, most of them closest to the Strood causeway.

Also along the channel were 100 brent geese, 200 wigeon, two avocets, 20 black-tailed godwits, 50 dunlin, five Mediterranean gulls, while 200+ cormorants passed overhead on their return to Abberton reservoir after their offshore fishing visit.

A buzzzard stood in one of the Strood fields on Thursday, a sparrowhawk and two kestrels were also noted. Feeding in the fields were 100 skylarks, 35 corn buntings, two stonechats and 100 linnets.

Four rock pipits were beside the Strood seawall on Thursday.

A chiffchaff was in Feldy View on Thursday and nearby two goldcrests were along the footpath folly.

A red admiral was photographed by Michael Thorley, on his chrysanthemums and dahlias in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Thursday. In Firs Chase a holly blue was seen flitting around some bushes in the garden.

Andy Field photographed one of three mistle thrushes seen in a horse paddock to the north of Cudmore Grove on Wednesday 26th.

As well as seeing this mistle thrush, Andy also noted during his walk of the Cudmore Grove circuit three bramblings feeding with 40 chaffinches at the back of Bromans Farm, three stonechats, three Cetti's warblers and 134 curlews in the fields.

This male stonechat perched on a bush beside the park dyke on Wednesday, with another pair on the saltmarsh- the same three birds also seen by Andy.

There were 23 little egrets roosting in the trees at the country park pond on Wednesday with another seven by the Golfhouse pools. Four siskins flew out of the alders calling and a chiffchaff was heard calling along the park horseride. A Cetti's warbler was heard singing by the horse paddocks to the north of the park - a new location.

On Monday 24th a peregrine was seen standing in the middle of one of the Strood fields for over an hour. A female red-breasted merganser flew down channel, while 70 brent geese, 100 golden plover, 20 lapwing, 70 dunlin and 11 ringed plover were noted along the channel. Along the dyke a Cetti's warbler was seen, five reed buntings, 30 skylarks in the fields and three rock pipits along the seawall were the main small birds of note.