BRENT FLOCK REEVESHALL

A big flock of 800+ brent geese was grazing on one of the Reeveshall fields on Sunday 7th. On one of the other fields were 100 lapwing, 30 curlew, 30 stock dove, 9 skylark and a marsh harrier flying over the Broad Fleet reedbed.

Also in East Mersea in Sunday, Michael Thorley reported seeing the six snow buntings at the Point, also 15 redshank, oystercatchers and dunlin while in the park dyke were 150 wigeon and a pair of tufted duck. On the shore were 600 dunlin, great black-backed gull, 15 oystercatchers, and in the fields were 15 curlew and a meadow pipit.

Two wigeon photographed by Michael at Cudmore Grove on Sunday.

Off the West Mersea Esplanade on Sunday morning, three great northern divers, red-throated diver, red-breasted merganser and a Mediterranean gull were seen by Andy Field.

Thirteen red-legged partridges were seen in the field near the Strood reservoirs by Steve Entwistle on Sunday.

This Small-spotted Catshark, also known as the Spotted Dogfish (or Spotty Dog locally), was found on the beach below the Esplanade on Sunday by Jonathan Norgate.

On Saturday 6th two common seals were resting on the mud in the Pyefleet Channel, seen from the Maydays seawall. Birds seen along the channel included 20 pintail, 300 shelduck, 300 wigeon, red-breasted merganser, 90 avocets and fifty knot.

The narrow ditch inside the Reeveshall seawall has overflown onto the nearby grass following the recent rains. On Reeveshall 500 brent geese and 15 stock doves were noted while at Maydays a merlin was seen chasing a meadow pipit which escaped by diving into a bush. The merlin then also perched on a nearby tree before heading west over the farm. Three red kites were flying high in the distance over South Green with a fourth bird flying west over the Ranges. Five marsh harriers and five buzzards were enjoying the sunny weather on the island and the mainland.

Other birds seen at Maydays included ten redwings, ten fieldfares, 25 meadow pipits, 20 linnets, Cetti's warbler and two rock pipits. Two Chinese Water Deer were seen at different locations near the Maydays dyke - one of them flushed by a family with a dog on the seawall, it then ran east across the Maydays fields.

The six snow buntings were seen by Steve Grimwade at East Mersea Point on Saturday morning. Later at the Esplanade along with Steve Entwistle, two great northern divers, red-throated diver, Mediterranean gull, marsh harrier and a peregrine on Bradwell power station were also seen by them.

On Friday 5th the six snow buntings were feeding on the beach at East Mersea Point. 

A sparrowhawk flew low over the Golfhouse pools, three avocets were seen on the mud and three great crested grebes were in the Colne.

Recent rains have topped up the park borrowdyke so that it's overflowing to the bottom of the nearby seawall.

The wigeon were enjoying the flooded path inside the park seawall, most of the 300 wigeon were in the grazing fields, along with 50 teal and ten shoveler, with a pair of tufted duck in the dyke.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday 4th a great white egret was seen flying to feed beside a hedgeline towards the top of the ploughed field near the Bowls Club. In the channel were 30 avocets, bar-tailed godwit, 100 lapwing, ten little grebes and also 1000 brent geese seen in the air over Feldy Marsh on the mainland. 

A female stonechat was feeding in one of the paddocks between the Dabchicks and the Firs Caravan park on Thursday. Twenty goldfinches were flying around Firs Chase while a tawny owl was heard hooting around midnight on Thursday evening in Firs Chase.

Martin Cock saw red-throated diver, four red-breasted mergansers, Mediterranean gull and a few great crested grebes. A later visit to Shop Lane in East Mersea, three red squirrels and at least one grey squirrel, maybe a second one were seen at Fishponds Wood.

A rainbow shone briefly over the Strood channel, seen from behind the Dabchicks sailing club on Wednesday 3rd.

There was a mix of wigeon and teal resting along the Strood channel on Wednesday, also a pair of shoveler, 77 avocets, 73 shelduck, 200 golden plover, 100 lapwing, a knot and a bar-tailed godwit. In the fields were two stonechats, 30 linnets, 50 skylarks, 30 stock doves, Cetti's warbler while a sparrowhawk and mistle thrush were by the caravan park.

At Maydays farm on Wednesday, Martin Cock reported seeing seven pintail, four red-breasted mergansers, Cetti's warbler, redwing, fieldfare and a Chinese Water Deer.

At East Mersea Point the six snow buntings were seen by Colin Mackenzie-Grieve on Wednesday.

On a wet Tuesday 2nd the only birds noted during a brief visit to Feldy View were the mistle thrush in the mistletoe, kestrel, little egret and the ten curlew and 200 starlings in the grass field inside the Strood seawall.