SLEEPY SQUIRREL

A red squirrel was watched having a little snooze in an ivy covered tree beside the footpath along the top side of the Firs Caravan park on Friday 13th.

The red squirrel had its eyes closed at times, as it enjoyed the late morning sunshine in a sheltered spot out of the strong wind.

In the sunshine the dark red coat of the red squirrel seemed to have a healthy shine to it. It also looks like one of last year's youngsters.

After taking a few photographs, the red squirrel was left to continue resting amongst the clump of ivy.

A female blackcap made a brief appearance in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 13th, also a song thrush.

A mistle thrush was in the poplar trees by the Firs Chase caravan park, while late morning a peacock butterfly was fluttering in the sunshine around Coast Road near the Company Shed

A curlew was feeding along the Strood Channel on Friday as were fifty shelduck, 60 avocets and forty grey plover. Two peregrines were tussling with each other over Ray Island and the Strood channel, scattering the other birds as the smaller male peregrine chased after the bigger female. At one point the female lunged at an avocet in the water, missing it due to being distracted by the chasing male peregrine. A buzzard was flying along the Peldon seawall.

A flock of 1000 golden plovers roosted on the flooded Strood field on Friday, later they flew off to land beside the Strood causeway along with 100 lapwing.

Fourteen meadow pipits were feeding in one of the grass fields by the Strood.

Martin Cock visited Maydays farm on Friday in the blustery conditions and saw a kingfisher, buzzard, marsh harrier and two Egyptian geese flying over.

A sub-adult grey heron has been a regular recently feeding in the grass field by the Strood and on Thursday two adults were seen again nearby resting out of the wind behind a hedge. Nine meadow pipits were in the grass field. 

In the flooded Strood field on Thursday were 800 golden plovers, 100 ringed plovers, also a male marsh harrier flew low over, then a female later flew over the Ray saltmarsh. In the channel were forty avocets and fifteen black-tailed godwits of note, with 700 brent geese flying off the Feldy Marsh.

The mistle thrush was seen high up in the poplar trees beside the mistletoe clumps along the top of the Firs Caravan park on Wednesday 11th.

In the flooded field by the Strood seawall on Wednesday were 1000 golden plover, 100 lapwing, 75 ringed plover, 200 dunlin, five Mediterranean gulls, with ten linnets, stonechat and 70 skylarks nearby.

Along the Strood channel were 55 shelduck, 61 avocets, ten black-tailed godwits, and a passing marsh harrier.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday morning Andy Field reported a song thrush and a red squirrel near the park entrance, 300 wigeon, 50 teal, 400 brent geese on the fields, stonechat pair, kingfisher along dyke, 1000 dunlin, two knot, forty golden plover on mud, water rail near Ivy Dock, two marsh harriers on Langenhoe including a wing-tagged bird. 

Near Rewsalls Lane 100 fieldfares and a few redwings were in a field to the west of the lane.

The middle grass field inside the Strood seawall has become waterlogged in recent days following lots of rain recently - including heavy rain in the morning of Tuesday 10th. There were plenty of birds enjoying the wet and muddy conditions during the afternoon high tide.

On the flooded Strood field on Tuesday afternoon were 500 dunlin, 800 golden plover, 70 lapwing, 90 black-headed gulls, 100 ringed plover, 30 redshank, 65 grey plover and five common gulls. A marsh harrier passed over, 3 grey herons, little egret, kestrel, 12 meadow pipits, two rock pipits and a buzzard were seen in the area.

A mistle thrush was seen by the Firs Chase caravan park and a song thrush was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday.

Shaun Bater saw a stock dove, jay and a red squirrel in his Estuary Park Road garden on Tuesday morning.

On the flooded Strood field on Monday 9th were 100+ black-headed gulls enjoying the wet and muddy conditions. 

A flock of 100 ringed plovers was in the Strood field on Monday, also 800 golden plover. In the Strood channel were 200 lapwing, forty avocets, ten black-tailed godwits and also a flock of thirty greylag geese flying over. There was lots of marsh harrier activity with at least six individuals seen passing along the Channel in both directions but just one buzzard seen. A thousand brent geese flew off Feldy marsh and into the Ray Channel, two mute swans also here.

A mistle thrush in the Firs Chase caravan park poplar trees.

A turnstone was feeding close to the West Mersea Hard car park on Monday.

The snow bunting was seen on the Reeveshall seawall on Monday by Martin Cock, also seen in the Maydays/ Reeveshall area were ten pintail, three marsh harriers, four Canada geese, a corn bunting and two common seals in the Pyefleet.

A marsh harrier was seen hunting low over the Bower Hall saltmarsh on Sunday 8th. A male hen harrier was seen flying low over the west end of Langenhoe before flying towards the nearby Langenhoehall marsh. In the Pyfleet were 12 pintail, red-breasted merganser, although there was no sign of the snow bunting on the Reeveshall seawall. On Reeveshall 44 stock doves, 200 starlings and 300 brent geese were feeding.

A kingfisher was seen by the Shop Lane seawall on Sunday and later another kingfisher perched on the Maydays sluice. A stonechat was on a bush at Bower Hall near the paramotor field.

A flock of 40 avocet was resting on a muddy island along the Strood as the tide began to recede on Sunday. In the fields were 100 ringed plovers, 30 golden plover and a stonechat. A marsh harrier flew over the channel and 700 brent geese were on the Peldon side.

John Ward walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Sunday photographing this mistle thrush near the Golfhouse turning circle.

Another of Jon's picture of the East Mersea mistle thrush.

An early Monday morning visit to Kingsland Road by Jon saw some of six red-breasted mergansers being photographed.

This red-breasted merganser pair photographed by Jon as it headed west. Also 100 brent geese seen heading east.

On Saturday 7th the snow bunting was still along the Reeveshall seawall, while in the Pyefleet were 12 pintail, six red-breasted mergansers, fifty avocets, nine shoveler, one knot with seventy golden plover flying over. Two marsh harriers were seen on Langenhoe, while fifty chaffinches were feeding near game cover crops in Haycocks Lane.

Later on Saturday Steve Entwistle noted nine yellowhammers, five corn buntings and ten chaffinches at Maydays.

Oliver Cottis was interested in seeing a summer plumaged black-headed gull from the West Mersea Esplanade on Saturday.

At East Mersea a record count of eighty moorhens by the Golfhouse was reported by Ashley Gooding with his group of Suffolk birdwatchers.