WILDFOWL COUNT

Andy Field and I walked the north side of the Island between Maydays and Cudmore Grove on Monday 20th, carrying out the monthly count of waders and wildfowl. It was a fairly quiet walk birdwise, carried out during the high tide period in the middle of the day.

The biggest concentration of wildfowl was at Cudmore Grove with nearly 600 wigeon in the fields and some feeding in the saltmarsh by the Golfhouse. Also in the fields were 150 teal, ten shoveler and one black-tailed godwit. 

At Cudmore Grove on Monday were four pochard and fourteen tufted ducks - some on the dyke and some at the park pond, as were six gadwall and 20 mallard.

Ten red-breasted mergansers were seen in the Pyefleet / Colne, 14 great crested grebes - most off the park. On the mud were 24 ringed plover and four sanderling of interest as the tide began to ebb.

At Reeveshall there was a stonechat, 48 stock doves, two greylag geese flying past, the leucistic redshank in the Pyefleet and a bar-tailed godwit on Pewit Island. Two marsh harriers and two buzzards were over Langenhoe while at Maydays two yellowhammers flew away from bushes in the dyke.

Along the Strood a great white egret and three pintail were seen by Martin Cock on Monday. A great northern diver was seen offshore from Kingsland Road by Mike O'Hanlon.

Michael and Sarah Thorley on Sunday 19th almost stood on a snow bunting as it fed close to the top of the Strood seawall. They managed a photo with their mobile phone and the dark back with white underparts looks similar to the male that has recently gone from the Reeveshall seawall, so maybe the same bird. A second bird was also seen a minute or two later following the first bird which had flown towards West Mersea. Michael also reported 300 golden plover in one of the Strood fields.

The female stonechat was feeding along the Strood dyke on Sunday.

A variety of wildfowl was gathered near the sluice outflow along the Strood channel on Sunday with a mix of wigeon, shelduck and teal seen here. Also a marsh harrier, 100 lapwing and 20 black-tailed godwits were of interest.

A flock of 500 brent geese was waiting on the edge of the Pyefleet mud at Maydays on Sunday. A red kite spooked the flock as it flew up-channel before it drifted over to Langenhoe and was then seen slowly flying over Langenhoe farm. Four buzzards, two marsh harriers were mainly over Langenhoe, while a pair of stonechat was by the Maydays dyke.

Along the Bower Hall seawall a marsh harrier and sparrowhawk were seen, also 30 corn buntings, 15 meadow pipits and 12 reed buntings.

On Reeveshall 120 stock doves were feeding on the grass field, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier and three red-breasted mergansers were seen.

A small flock of redshank roosted on the small island on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools on Sunday 19th.

Steve Entwistle on Sunday saw a great northern diver off the Esplanade, the red kite mentioned earlier over Langenhoe from Maydays, also there two buzzards, stonechat pair, corn bunting, 500 brent geese, mute swan pair, two lesser black-backed gull and sparrowhawk. Earlier in the day a flock of about 400-500 herring gulls was off Victoria Esplanade.

John Ward photographed this skylark singing as he walked between the East Mersea Road to Maydays on Sunday, also meadow pipits and a small flock of linnets, corn buntings and reed buntings.

One of two buzzards photographed by Jon on his walk on Sunday.

A distant great white egret was feeding on the saltmarsh below Bower Hall on Saturday 18th. 

On Reeveshall fifty stock doves, 500 starlings and 200 lapwing were feeding, also two marsh harriers on Langenhoe and three great crested grebes in the Pyefleet. A stonechat was on Maydays.

Carried out the Big Farmland Bird Count at Maydays Farm for the third year running on Saturday morning. It ended up being more productive than expected with a big mixed flock of 100 chaffinch, 10 yellowhammer and ten reed buntings seen in a game cover crop. Also five red-legged partridges, marsh harrier and a buzzard noted here in the half-hour survey of this corner of the farm.

Of more interest than the birds beside the Maydays game cover crop on Saturday was a Chinese water deer seen feeding out in the open.

The Chinese water deer headed towards the end of the game crop and disappeared from view.

On Friday 17th a great white egret was seen feeding on Ray Island, seen from the Strood seawall. 

Not much else of note along the Strood seawall other than a grey heron, two little egrets, 30 avocets and also ten meadow pipits in the field.

Steve Entwistle visited Maydays on Friday and reported 500 dunlin, three marsh harriers, two pairs of red-breasted mergansers, avocet, two rock pipits, pair of stonechat, 280 brent geese on Maydays and another 350 on Reeveshall.

Jon Ward walked from Shop Lane to East Mersea Point on Thursday evening and photographed this obliging goldcrest in Shop Lane.

Jon also photographed this male wigeon at Cudmore Grove on Thursday.

Some wigeon photographed in flight by Jon near Cudmore Grove.

A pochard and tufted duck were photographed by Jon at the park on Thursday.

A male pochard also photographed at the park by Jon during his walk on Thursday.

Along the Strood on Thursday were 45 shelduck, 50 avocets, 500 dunlin, 30 black-tailed godwits and a marsh harrier.

A redwing was photographed by Andy Field in the Firs Road cemetery on Wednesday 15th. Two lesser redpolls were feeding at the top of an elm tree down the side of the Firs Chase caravan park.

The great white egret was feeding in the Strood dyke on Wednesday, while in the nearby field were 200 golden plover, Mediterranean gull, buzzard, stonechat, also two marsh harriers and a sparrowhawk seen. Along the channel were 42 shelduck, 30 avocets and 30 black-tailed godwits, with 500 brent geese over Feldy Marsh.

Offshore from the Esplanade on Wednesday morning, four great northern divers and a red-throated diver were seen by Andy.

At Maydays on Wednesday afternoon, Martin Cock reported three marsh harriers, buzzard, merlin, two, possibly three short-eared owls over Langenhoe, also great white egret and a yellowhammer.

On Tuesday 14th a red kite was seen by Martin Cock drifting over Bonners Barn on the mainland side of the Strood.

Offshore from Coopers Beach on Tuesday 283 great crested grebes were seen, while a flock of 500 brent geese was feeding on a wheat field beside the caravan park.

Three great northern divers and 31 great crested grebes were offshore from the Esplanade on Tuesday.

A grey squirrel was seen near Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane by Steve Entwistle on Monday 13th.

The first moths of the year were found in the moth trap in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 17th with this satellite being one, along with a dark chestnut moth.