STROOD GREAT WHITE EGRET

The great white egret was back along the Strood dyke on Friday 24th.

A black-headed gull felt threatened by the great white egret and began mobbing it.

The great white egret waded through the large pools of water in the very wet fields beside the Strood seawall.

A short flight across the field saw the great white egret spread its large wings out as it landed.

The great white egret had been feeding amongst the thick stand of club-rush along the Strood dyke. Also in the fields were a little egret, 70 golden plover and three ringed plover.

The kingfisher which has been seen a few times over the last week along the Strood dyke was seen on Friday perched in a bush over one of the ditches running back inland from the seawall.

Along the Strood channel of interest were three avocets, great crested grebe, three black-tailed godwit, forty grey plovers and two Canada geese flying over.

A dark threatening cloud just missed the Strood fields on Friday with a few spots of drizzle, although apparently nearby West Mersea was hit with a torrential downpour of hailstones.

At Maydays a red kite, three buzzards, male stonechat, yellowhammer and a chiffchaff were seen by Martin Cock on Friday morning.

Jack Hoy saw a red-legged partridge perch on a shed roof in Mersea Avenue on Friday.

The Strood kingfisher was found perched beside the dyke in a bramble bush on Thursday 23rd, before it flew off and over the seawall and saltmarsh towards the Strood fishing reservoirs.

A peregrine flew low over the Strood fields scattering the gulls and waders as it made its way rapidly over to Ray Island in the strong wind on Thursday.

In the wet Strood fields were 45 shelduck, 100 golden plover, three little egrets and four ringed plover. 

Four redwing were feeding in the field beside Feldy View.

A Mediterranean gull just coming into its breeding plumage was bobbing on the water along the Strood Channel on Thursday, also a great crested grebe seen.

An adder was photographed by Trudie Beckwith beside the dyke at Cudmore Grove on Thursday. Her dog Indi had seen and smelt it first, and was called quickly away. The adder was then seen sliding into the water and Trudie managed to take this picture with her mobile phone.

On Wednesday 22nd three ringed plovers were seen on the beach, close to the seawall at Cudmore Grove Country park. 

Also on the beach at Cudmore Grove was a skylark feeding amongst the plants.

On the wet grazing fields at the country park on Wednesday were 12 shelduck, 200 wigeon, 30 teal, 70 curlew, 18 black-tailed godwits, and two lapwing.

At the park pond were three pochard, eight tufted ducks, a calling water rail, singing chiffchaff and another in the park, a flyover siskin calling near alders, a Cetti's warbler singing at the pond and another one near the Golfhouse sluice.

Also visiting the country park on Wednesday were Mike Harris and John Slee who reported 200 brent geese, 12 shelduck, 8 shoveler, six gadwall, 252 wigeon, 20 teal, six pochard, stock dove singing, four little grebes, ten oystercatchers, lapwing, ten grey plover, ten ringed plovers, 15 curlew, 17 black-tailed godwits, ten turnstones, 60 knot, 20 dunlin, 20 redshank, three Mediterranean gulls, four green woodpeckers, two skylarks, four long-tailed tits, chiffchaff singing, white wagtail in the horse paddock, four reed bunting and ten tufted duck. At the Strood forty greylag geese and 38 shelduck were noted.

Oliver Cottis visited the Shop Lane seawall on Wednesday late afternoon to count the harriers going into their roost and saw nine marsh harriers, male hen harrier appearing at 18.18 then dropping into the reeds at 18.30pm. Also seen were two great white egrets, three buzzards, red kite and five red-breasted mergansers and also a goldcrest in Fishponds Wood.

Steve Entwistle also visited the Shop Lane seawall on Wednesday afternoon and saw a brief view of the short-eared owl on Langenhoe, also four marsh harriers, 18 grey plovers, knot, 25 dunlin, a great white egret that flew from Langenhoe to Reeveshall and was joined by a second bird, after which they both flew towards Maydays.

The kingfisher was seen perched on a culvert pipe in the Strood dyke by Steve on Wednesday morning.

Steve saw a red squirrel in his Empress Drive garden on Wednesday morning, then two red squirrels later beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane, while one was seen the previous day on Tuesday in Empress Avenue.