FLIGHTY GOLDENEYE

A male goldeneye was spotted by Shaun Bater near the East Mersea Point on Friday 6th as we walked the Cudmore circuit together. The goldeneye didn't hang about and flew off up the river Colne. Sadly goldeneye have become a rarity to the waters around Mersea in recent years. 

A female common scoter also made a brief appearance landing in the river near Ivy Dock, then drifted back into the middle of the river, before flying back out of the Colne past the Point. Two red-breasted mergansers were also in the river. Another chance sighting further up the river Colne whilst scanning for ducks, was a male hen harrier crossing east over from Langenhoe to the Brightlingsea marshes.

A flock of 700 brent geese was feeding in the park fields along with 500 wigeon on Friday. A black brant was also seen amongst the brent geese, later being seen in the Colne opposite the Golfhouse. 

A female pochard was on the park pond along with six gadwall, several mallard and twenty shoveler in total were seen at the pond and on the saltmarsh pools.

 

At least eight black-tailed godwits were feeding in the park fields on Friday. On the nearby saltmarsh a summer plumaged bar-tailed godwit stood out among the grey winter plumage of the other waders at roost. Thirty knot flew past the Point at high tide and eight sanderling were with thirty turnstone on the beach. 

A mistle thrush was feeding in a horse paddock to the north of the park and later on, a presumed second mistle thrush was in a poplar tree with mistletoe by the Golfhouse track. A redwing was in a berry bush by the turning circle, a song thrush was singing by the park entrance and a goldcrest was in trees by the pond. A male sparrowhawk perched in the trees behind the pond.

At Coopers Beach on Friday Steve Entwistle reported seeing fifty great crested grebes, eight common gulls, while in a Rewsalls field near the boating lake were 50 fieldfare, ten redwing, song thrush, 5 skylarks and a small flock of chaffinches.

Jon Ward photographed the snow bunting along the Reeveshall seawall on Friday morning, also seen by Glen Moore as well. Jon also saw a great northern diver off Coast Road.

On Thursday 5th the black brant along with some of the 700 brent geese in the Rewsalls area, flew off a wheat field and landed on the East Mersea boating lake, where it swam about and had a preen. Earlier a pale-bellied brent goose was seen with the main brent flock by Andy Field.

Offshore from the boating lake Andy saw 12 red-throated divers including a group of nine feeding in the sea together, Slavonian grebe and 200+ great crested grebes. 

A greenshank flew off the side lake and headed north-west, 30+ black-tailed godwits, 150 turnstone, 100 dunlin were also noted, as was a buzzard, Cetti's warbler, stonechat, rock pipit and 28 linnets.

Five redwing were seen at the Vineyard and another flock of twenty in the Waldegraves Holiday park, also a song thrush here, while 42 curlew and 200 brent geese were in a wheat field by Cross Lane.

On Wednesday 4th a confiding female stonechat was seen feeding along the bank of the East Mersea boating lake. A Cetti's warbler was heard, four meadow pipits, twenty linnets and six reed buntings also noted.

A greenshank was feeding on the side-lake at Rewsalls on Wednesday.

The greenshank, on the right here, was seen feeding with a black-tailed godwit towards the back of the side-lake. It then flew off and fed along the mud on the inside of the old collapsed Rewsalls seawall.

A grey plover was roosting on the side-lake at high tide on Wednesday.

Seven sanderling were seen flying along the beach.

Other birds seen at the Rewsalls marshes on Wednesday were 200 dunlin, 30 black-tailed godwits, nine shelduck, four shoveler, In the nearby fields were the black brant with 1000 brent geese, fifty curlew, buzzard, sparrowhawk, kestrel, song thrush and a flock of 100 fieldfares near Rewsalls farm.

A ringtail hen harrier was seen from the West Mersea Hard on Wednesday afternoon by Steve Entwistle as it flew over the Old Hall saltmarshes opposite Packing Shed Island. Paul Rowe was on hand on Old Hall helping to guide Steve successfully onto the bird via text messages! Fifty greylag geese also seen by Steve as they flew onto Feldy Marsh.

On Tuesday 3rd the black brant was seen through a hedge near Coopers Beach feeding on the wheat field with 1000 brent geese, also 65 curlew in this field at high tide.

Two kingfishers flashed low and fast over the eastern edge of the Rewsalls marshes as they headed past the Coopers clubhouse eastwards. Two little egrets, two shelduck and two singing Cetti's warblers also noted.

At Reeveshall the snow bunting was seen by Jonathan Norgate on Tuesday, also 30 knot and two greylag geese, while a grey squirrel in Fishponds Wood was not a welcome sighting.