LITTLE OWL LOOKING OUT

It was a surprise to see a little owl perched in the kestrel nest-box at the country park on Monday 27th. Earlier the little owl was heard calling and a second bird quickly duetting with it somewhere nearby at the back of the grazing fields. The little owl disappeared from the box mid morning but was seen back there again late afternoon by Caroline White.

The kestrel was seen near the park pond in the morning, a sparrowhawk circled high overhead and a buzzard was seen at the back of nearby Bromans Farm.

A flock of 700 brent geese was feeding in the park's grazing fields on Monday, also two greylag geese, 400+ wigeon and fifty teal, while 14 shoveler were on the Golfhouse pools. On the park pond were nine pochard and ten gadwall with a few mallard and teal.

Fourteen tufted ducks were along the park dyke, a female pictured here.

Birds on the mudflats were distant late Monday morning with 144 oystercatchers, 20 shelduck, two great crested grebes, four reed buntings and two linnets being the main birds noted from the Point.

A mistle thrush and four pied wagtails were feeding in the Golfhouse horse paddock on Monday, while a Cetti's warbler was singing near from bushes near the end of the East Mersea road.

On Sunday 26th the regular great white egret was back on the wet Strood field, as was a little egret, two ringed plovers and two Mediterranean gulls. A flock of fifty skylarks was flying over the field by Strood Hill, a stonechat was by the Firs caravan park.

A mixed flock of fifty fieldfares and ten redwing was feeding on one of the paramotor fields at Bower Hall, and a marsh harrier was seen flying over. A male stonechat was by the Maydays seawall and a pair further east near the Shop Lane seawall.

Twelve red-breasted mergansers and two great crested grebes were in the Pyefleet on Sunday, while on Reeveshall were fifty stock doves, 200 starlings and 100 lapwings.

A red squirrel posed briefly high in a cedar tree in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday afternoon.

Andy Field visited the East Mersea Youth Camp on Saturday 25th and noted a Slavonian grebe offshore, also 20 fieldfare, six redwing and a buzzard.

Shaun Bater walked the cemetery/ Strood seawall circuit on Sunday and reported five pochard on the fishing lakes, great white egret near the seawall sluice, 300 golden plover in the field, stonechat by the caravan park, kestrel, little grebe, 11 avocets and two distant mute swans on Peldon fields.

Along the Strood seawall on Friday 24th were the great white egret, two little egrets, 100 golden plover, 33 black-tailed godwits, bar-tailed godwit, 13 avocets, ten little grebes, 36 shelduck, 100 teal, 50 wigeon, marsh harrier over Ray Island and 1000 brent geese feeding on Feldy Marsh. A male blackcap was feeding inside a mistletoe clump at the top end of Firs caravan park.

Steve Entwistle enjoyed close views of a male sparrowhawk perched at the top-end of the Firs caravan park on Friday morning.

Michael Thorley photographed some pochard and tufted ducks at the country park on Wednesday 22nd. Here two female pochards in the park dyke.

A female pochard photographed by Michael.

Male pochard photographed in the park dyke by Michael.

Four tufted ducks photographed by Michael.

A male tufted duck and part of a female tufted duck photographed by Michael. In total four pairs of tufted ducks, three pairs of pochard and a pair of mute swans too. On the Cudmore foreshore on Wednesday 22nd were 120 oystercatcher.