WAXWING EXCITEMENT

 

A flock of six waxwings made it to the Island on Saturday 16th perching on bushes by the Strood reservoirs. Large numbers arrived earlier this autumn into northern Britain from Scandinavia. Flocks have been slowly coming south as they strip the bushes of berries. The last time waxwings were seen on the Island was eight in November 2016 at Cudmore Grove.

The waxwings were feeding on some of the hawthorn berries, as well as flying up into the air flycatching.

One or two waxwings made very quick visits to a puddle in the Strood layby for a drink, as the traffic thundered nearby. An unexpected treat for anyone observant enough driving past!

Andy Field made a quick dash down in his car and managed to photograph this waxwing - after having parked his car away from this puddle so the birds could be watched as they came down to drink.

This waxwing shows its crest nicely in this picture by Andy. The starling sized birds can turn up in gardens in their search for berries, so look out for them!

Shaun Bater also arrived quickly on the scene to photograph this bird - having only just come back from watching waxwings on the north side of Colchester!

Michael and Sarah Thorley came too and watched the waxwings perching high in the trees before they were last seen flying off westwards. Hopefully the flock will be relocated elsewhere on the Island - or maybe a different flock will arrive looking for food. Two fieldfares were also feeding on berries here.

Other birds seen on Saturday along the Strood seawall were a great white egret, two marsh harriers, buzzard, 21 stock doves, 70 skylarks, snipe, four stonechats and 1000 golden plover on the mud by the Strood - later 2000 flying over Feldy Marsh probably some included some of the earlier flock. A mistle thrush was in the poplar trees by the Firs Caravan park.

A very close view was had of a Chinese water deer seen trotting along the path inside the Strood seawall, before turning into the reedbed just twenty metres from me. First sighting here for several months.

On Friday 15th Andy Field and I walked the north side of the island from Maydays to Cudmore Grove to carry out the monthly Wetland Bird Survey. Birds of note included a raven "cronking" loudly as it flew east, red kite, peregrine, 6+ marsh harriers, buzzard, great white egret on Maydays marsh, 9 pintail, 1000 brent geese on Reeveshall, 20 snipe on Maydays, 200+ fieldfares with a few redwings - some on Maydays but lots on Langenhoe, 11 red-breasted mergansers, spotted redshank heard in the Pyefleet, leucistic redshank in the Reeveshall bay, 3 stonechats, two little owls calling in Bromans Lane at dusk.

A common seal in the Pyefleet channel watched us walk along the Reeveshall seawall - Andy taking this picture, with two other common seals resting on the saltmarsh further up the channel on Friday.

Charlie Williams was also carrying out the WeBS count on Friday and walked from Maydays round to West Mersea and reported 60 redwing, 15 fieldfares and 20 song thrushes below Bower Hall, a short-eared owl, peregrine, great white egret and 3 corn buntings along the Strood and then three great northern divers offshore in the Blackwater.

On Friday morning Martin Cock visited Maydays and saw a spotted redshank flying towards the Strood over the Bower Hall Marsh, also a great white egret and lots of fieldfares and redwings.

Three snow buntings were a nice surprise at the East Mersea Point on Thursday 14th.

The snow buntings were first seen circling above the Point as if they were just arriving. They fed happily along the strandline, although flew a short distance when a group with dogs walked over to them. They weren't seen there the next day when looked for late afternoon.

Six sanderling were scurrying along the edge of the water at the East Mersea Point on Friday.

Three other sanderling were seen with a dozen turnstones at the Point on Thursday, although not many other waders seen with the tide covering the mudflats. Offshore a great crested grebe was seen.

A female red-breasted merganser feeding in the saltmarsh lagoon near the Golfhouse was an unusual location to see this bird. Ten shoveler, little egret and 16 shelduck were also in the area.

Along the park dyke on Thursday was a mix of wigeon and teal with about 300 birds in total feeding in the fields, dyke and saltmarsh.

One of the male wigeon seen at the park dyke on Thursday.

Water levels have risen recently at the park with the path inside the seawall flooded on Thursday.

A greylag goose and two stonechats were in the fields while 40 moorhens were by the Golfhouse. On the park pond were eight gadwall and three tufted ducks, while forty goldfinches were feeding in the alders.

An unwelcome sight of a grey squirrel was seen in the alder trees behind the park pond on Thursday.