HAWK-EYES

A nicely patterned male sparrowhawk was giving me the stare as it perched for several minutes on a fence-post along the front of the Firs Caravan park, before flying low over the nearby saltmarsh on Monday 5th.

A flock of 500 brent geese was feeding in the wheat field near Whittaker Way before flying down to the channel for a preen and bathe - some of them seen here. 

An intermediate type of brent goose with a paler back and belly was seen on Monday near the Firs Caravan park. This brent doesn't appear pale enough to be a pale-bellied brent goose but isn't as dark as the dark-bellied brent individual nearby.

Along the Strood seawall on Monday as the tide rose were fifty redshank, 30 avocets, 200 wigeon, 100 teal, marsh harrier, buzzard, while on the fields were 40 skylarks, 15 linnets, three stonechats and a flyover yellowhammer heading to the Strood reservoirs.

A greenshank was photographed near the Strood by Lolly Watson on Monday. 

A winter male snow bunting was found feeding beside the Reeveshall seawall on Sunday 4th. It flew a short distance a couple of times flashing wide white wing-bars.

On Reeveshall were 200 brent geese, four greylag geese, eight stock doves, while on Langenhoe were four marsh harriers. In the Pyefleet off Maydays were 16 red-breasted mergansers, seven great crested grebes and thirty shelduck. A stonechat and 14 corn buntings were noted along the Bower Hall seawall with 100 cormorants flying over.

In the Strood channel 1000 golden plover, 45 avocets, 45 knot were seen, while in the fields were 800 brent geese, two stonechats and 30 linnets.

Steve Entwistle saw two eider and a great northern diver off the Victoria Esplanade on Sunday, while at Coopers Beach there were 400 dunlin, ten sanderling, six black-tailed godwits, four ringed plover and fifty turnstone. Earlier in the morning three redwings, four blackbirds and a greenfinch were in Meeting Lane.

A Mediterranean gull was seen among the small group of black-headed gulls at the West Mersea Hard on Saturday 3rd.

Steve Entwistle and Oliver Cottis on Sunday saw two great northern divers, three eider, red-breasted merganser, two Mediterranean gulls and a possible goldeneye in the distance off the Esplanade / Kingsland Road. Earlier in East Mersea there was a goldcrest, mistle thrush and a red squirrel - but no sign of the three snow buntings seen the day before at the Point.