MORNING OF SUNSHINE

A pair of stonechat was enjoying the morning sunshine near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Wednesday 15th. The grey wagtail was still in the horse paddock as were three green woodpeckers and a few brent geese.

On the nearby mudflats by the Point were 1500 dunlin, 20 avocets, ten ringed plover, 15 sanderling, five knot, while offshore from the park was a female common scoter. 

Fourteen little egrets were roosting at the country park pond on Wednesday during the early afternoon high tide. On the pond were 90 teal, ten mallard and three gadwall, also there was a goldcrest in trees nearby. To the north of the park 16 pied wagtails were feeding in a horse paddock.

Half a dozen common darters including a pair in tandem, were seen at the country park enjoying the late autumn sunshine on Wednesday. Two red admirals were also seen around the Cudmore circuit.

Along the Strood fields on Wednesday, two short-eared owls were seen flying about late afternoon by Andy Field.

Martin Cock reported seeing at Maydays a great white egret, three rock pipits, chiffchaff and also four common seals.

A short-eared owl stood inside the Strood seawall on Tuesday 14th. It had been hunting the nearby weedy field late morning before having a rest, then headed back over the fields and dropped down out of view.

The kingfisher perched at the end of the Strood dyke, a great white egret was stalking the back of one of the ditches, two Cetti's warblers singing, three corn buntings seen, and a yellowhammer flew west. Of note along the channel were 200 brent geese, 100 golden plover and a great crested grebe. 

Dark clouds passed over the Strood channel on Monday 13th. A merlin flew along Ray Island during high tide and dived into a wader roost on the saltmarsh but without catching anything. Also noted were a  marsh harrier, 20 avocets, 100 golden plover, 20 ringed plover, stonechat, 100 linnets and four corn buntings. A sparrowhawk flew quickly over Feldy View.

A flock of 800 brent geese was feeding on Reeveshall on Sunday 12th, also there were 100 lapwing, 20 stock doves, 50 curlew, pair of stonechats and four corn buntings flying to Langenhoe where 20 fieldfares were feeding on berry bushes. Four marsh harriers were seen over Reeveshall and Langenhoe. .

Along the Pyefleet were greenshank, 1000 dunlin, 20 knot, the leucistic redshank, four great crested grebes and two common seals.

At Maydays there were 20 meadow pipits, 15 linnets, stonechat and a Cetti's warbler, while a sparrowhawk and marsh harrier were seen along the Bower Hall seawall.

Two short eared owls were hunting over the weedy Strood fields Sunday afternoon, also 700 wigeon and a male shoveler along the channel. A stonechat and marsh harrier were also noted.

On Saturday 11th a siskin flew west over The Lane calling, a marsh harrier and buzzard were flying over Feldy Marshes and a great crested grebe was seen from the Dabchicks sailing club.

Offshore from the Victoria Esplanade on Saturday, Steve Entwistle saw two red-throated divers and a female eider.

At East Mersea on Saturday, Martin Cock reported a kingfisher and red breasted merganser at the Oyster Fishery, while Andy Field reported a great white egret, 300 brent geese, five marsh harriers and a buzzard from Reeveshall.

Eighty sanderling were counted feeding along the edge of the beach at Waldegraves as the tide began to recede on Friday 10th.

As well as the sanderling here, there were ten turnstones feeding with them while ten Mediterranean gulls were on the offshore shingle island. A little owl was seen in Waldegraves, ten skylarks and a buzzard were over nearby fields behind Waldegraves.

At Rewsalls marshes on Friday, there was a kingfisher perched on the old fenceposts, 70 curlew, 100 brent geese, 80 mallard, two black-tailed godwits, 70 curlew, 17 little grebes, 30 great crested grebes offshore, two Cetti's warblers, lesser redpoll flying west, also two green woodpeckers and a buzzard at the Youth Camp.

Michael Thorley visited Coopers Beach on Friday and reported a great northern diver, eight great crested grebes, 30 brent geese, 3 little egrets and the regular waders including redshank, turnstone and dunlin, also mallard, herring gull and black-headed gull noted.

From the Esplanade on Friday two red-throated divers were offshore and the distant peregrine perched on Bradwell power station.

A redshank was feeding close to the Strood seawall on Thursday 9th, also along the channel were 150 brent geese, 100 wigeon and a great crested grebe.

Ten black-tailed godwits were along the Strood on Thursday.

Several turnstones and a couple of dunlin were waiting for the tide to drop along the Strood channel on Thursday. Also of note seen from the seawall were a marsh harrier, buzzard, two grey herons, pair of stonechats, and a Cetti's warbler.

An eider was seen by Steve Entwistle from the West Mersea Esplanade on Thursday.

On Wednesday 8th a peregrine was watched mobbing a marsh harrier over the Strood fields. A great white egret stood by the Strood dyke for a while before flying over to the nearby saltmarsh at the bottom of the Strood Hill. Also two pairs of stonechats, fifty linnets, ten reed buntings, two grey herons and 7 stock doves all in the fields. Thirty avocets, 150 brent geese and fifty golden plover were noted along the channel.

An Angle Shades moth was in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on a chilly and clear night on Tuesday 7th, also two Yellow-line Quakers too.