CHILLY STROOD WALKS

A grey plover was feeding near the seawall at low tide along the Strood Channel on a chilly morning on Friday 19th.

A ringed plover was also feeding on mud near the Strood seawall on Friday. Also along the channel were 150 shelduck, 300 teal, 100 wigeon, 30 avocets, 15 knot and four snipe flying over the fields.

A peregrine flew low over the fields and headed west, two marsh harriers and three buzzards were noted too. In the fields were a great white egret, 50 skylarks, 50 linnets, stonechat and 30 corn buntings.

A mistle thrush was high up in the trees beside the Firs Caravan Park on Friday, also a second bird seen in Feldy View and song thrush. A mistle thrush was also seen by Andy Field at the bird bath in his garden in High St North. Two fieldfares flew over the Strood fields.

A handful of goldfinches were feeding on alder cones in Feldy View on Friday morning. A snipe flew low over Feldy View before heading away, while in Firs Chase 30 noisy carrion crows were squawking from some tree-tops.

Late Friday afternoon the large flock of what seemed like 10,000 starlings was seen flying above the houses in Windsor Road before dropping down to roost in behind the solar panels.

Michael Thorley visited Cudmore Grove on Friday afternoon and saw lots of wildfowl and waders along the edge of the mud near the Point. Birds noted included 250 wigeon, and a few mallard and teal while in the grazing fields were 30 wigeon and 19 curlew.

Earlier two eiders were seen in the Colne from Cudmore by Martin Cock but no sign of the six snow buntings at the Point for the second day running.

Andy Field saw from the Esplanade on Friday two great northern divers, red-throated diver, two red-breasted mergansers and two Mediterranean gulls.

It was cold enough overnight Wednesday that there was a line of frozen sea left lying on Thursday morning along the Strood seawall and along from the Dabchicks, as above.

There was a band of ice left along the edge of the seawall on Thursday morning.

Birds seen along the channel included 200 wigeon, 30 avocets, marsh harrier, great white egret and a peregrine flying over the fields, then an hour later another peregrine seen flying over Cobmarsh Island towards Old Hall. Five snipe were flying off one area of the fields and dropping down into other areas, 30 corn buntings in the fields too.

Two great northern divers were seen off the Esplanade on Thursday by Martin Cock. No sign of the snow buntings at East Mersea after being looked for by Oliver Cottis.

On Wednesday 17th Neil Murphy saw the six snow buntings at the East Mersea Point, also red-throated diver, ten red-breasted mergansers and 50 avocets in the Colne, while at West Mersea two great northern divers, female scaup and a Mediterranean gull were off Seaview Avenue.

A song thrush was singing in the Firs Chase garden as dawn broke on Wednesday morning.

A redshank was feeding on the saltmarsh in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on a chilly Tuesday 16th. Along the Strood channel were 300 teal, 200 golden plover, ten black-tailed godwits, 120 avocets, six knot, 15 little grebes and a shoveler.

Twenty reed buntings were feeding along the Strood seawall on Tuesday, while in the fields were 15 snipe flying about, great white egret, 50 skylarks, 70 linnets, 30 corn buntings, three stonechats, three rock pipits, also buzzard and three marsh harriers noted during the walk.

In fields near the Glebe James Taylor on Tuesday saw two little gulls flying around which is a notable sighting for the island, also here 10 fieldfares, greenfinch, goldfinch, male and female yellowhammer, jay and also a hare sprinting across the field.

On Monday 15th the great white egret was standing on top of the Strood seawall for quite a while before flying over the channel. Also four little egrets, 400 teal, 100 wigeon, 200 golden plover, 40 black-tailed godwits, two shoveler, two buzzards, two stonechats, 30 linnets, forty corn buntings, five fieldfares and a flock of 28 siskin that flew north over the Firs Caravan park. The mistle thrush and song thrush were seen near the caravan park too. A red squirrel jumped over the path into the gardens behind the caravan park in the morning.

A second winter Mediterranean gull was seen near the Hard car park on Monday, along with about twenty black-headed gulls.

At East Mersea the little owl was heard for the second evening running by Caroline White, calling near the Golfhouse, it was also seen in flight.

Three lesser redpolls were feeding in the silver birches in Feldy View on Sunday 14th.

Lots of waders were feeding close to the Strood seawall on Sunday including these two dunlin. 

A flock of 22 black-tailed godwits was feeding along the Strood on Sunday, as were one bar-tailed godwit, 500 golden plover, 160 shelduck, seven shoveler, 66 avocets and 100 lapwing. Seven pochard appeared to fly off the the Strood reservoirs and fly around a couple of times before heading off north.

The great white egret was standing on the Strood seawall on Sunday morning. A peregrine caught a pigeon near Feldy View and plucked it in the nearby field. Also along the Strood seawall a stonechat, 70 corn buntings on wires, 30 linnets, two fieldfares, mistle thrush near the caravan park and a song thrush.

A red-throated diver and 15 red-breasted mergansers were seen off the Monkey Beach on Sunday by Jonathan Norgate.

At Cudmore Grove six snow buntings were seen at the Point by Michael Thorley on Sunday although they were being disturbed by walkers and dogs, also seen 600 dunlin, 20 turnstone and five shelduck. Later two eider were seen in the Colne by Steve Entwistle from Cudmore Grove.

There was a bit of a surge high tide on Saturday 13th with the water covering across Coast Road and most of the Hard car park.

The red-necked grebe was seen distantly in Salcott Channel by Andy Field looking from Coast Road on Saturday - thanks to directions from Jonathan Norgate on Old Hall. Also noted offshore two Slavonian grebes, two great northern divers, seven red-breasted mergansers as well as six pintail near Packing Shed island.

Along the Strood channel on Saturday Andy reported 22 corn buntings, rock pipit, marsh harrier, 30 black-tailed godwits, 50 avocets and 100 golden plover. Later Steve saw 31 corn buntings at the back of the Strood fields.

A walk along the Bower Hall seawall on Saturday provided views of 50 fieldfares, one redwing, yellowhammer flying over, 20 chaffinches and 60 linnets in a game cover crop, two marsh harriers, buzzard, two shoveler, ten black-tailed godwits and 500 teal.

In East Mersea thirty fieldfares were seen by Michael Thorley feeding at the bottom of Rewsalls Lane near the boating lake entrance on Saturday afternoon.