SICKLY SCOTER

A sickly male common scoter was near to the Monkey beach at West Mersea on Friday 2nd. Found by Daryl Rhymes initially off Kingsland Road, he said that it swam off whenever anyone tried to approach it. It could've been oiled, or it could've been bird flu. There were no further reports of it after Friday.

Also seen offshore were a great northern diver, red-throated diver and four Mediterranean gulls.

At East Mersea the six snow buntings were seen by Michael Thorley on the beach at the Point on Friday morning. At the end of Friday Steve Entwistle saw a sparrowhawk and a Chinese water deer at Maydays.

Along the Strood channel on Friday morning were lots of wildfowl with 100 wigeon, 100 teal and 100 shelduck resting on the mud.

A small flock of teal along with a black-tailed godwit, were gathered in the sluice outflow at the Strood on Friday. 

Also along the Strood channel on Friday were 84 avocets, four black-tailed godwits, while in the fields were a great white egret, 100 linnets, 20 skylarks and two corn buntings. A pair of stonechats and a mistle thrush were near the Firs Caravan park.

In Firs Chase just before daybreak two male tawny owls were calling repeatedly early on Friday morning.

There was a colourful display of snowdrops and winter aconites in front of the East Mersea church on Thursday 1st.

On a brief visit to Coopers Beach and the nearby Rewsalls marshes were 20 curlew, 19 shelduck, little egret, four black-tailed godwits, a buzzard flying over and 12 great crested grebes offshore.

Offshore from West Mersea a black-necked grebe was watched by Chris Poole off Lower Kingsland Road, seen drifting east on Thursday early afternoon, also a great northern diver seen too.

At Maydays farm a red kite, marsh harrier, six pintail and a stonechat were seen by Martin Cock on Thursday morning, then later two great northern divers off the Esplanade.

On Wednesday at East Mersea a male velvet scoter was seen off Coopers Beach by Martin Cock. At Cudmore Grove a little owl and five tufted ducks were seen late afternoon by Caroline White.

Birds of interest seen during a walk along the Strood seawall on Wednesday included 500 brent geese, 170 shelduck, 60 avocets, five knot, two marsh harriers, buzzard, two kestrels, 30 stock doves, two stonechats, 70 linnets and five corn buntings. A song thrush and mistle thrush were seen near the Firs Caravan park.

Andy Field photographed these two yellowhammers that were in the young tree plantation behind the West Mersea Glebe field on Tuesday 30th.

Another of Andy's pictures of some of the 20+ yellowhammers near the Glebe on Tuesday.

Andy also saw a velvet scoter off Coopers Beach, ten fieldfares along Rewsalls Lane, great northern diver and three red-breasted merganser off the Esplanade on Tuesday.

At Cudmore Grove six snow buntings were seen at the East Mersea Point on Tuesday morning by Jonathan Norgate and also two distant eider over towards Colne Point.

Caroline White reported hearing the little owl calling from the back of the park's grazing fields, three tufted ducks in the dyke, a vocal lapwing and also a song thrush in her Dawes Lane garden in the morning.

Along the Strood seawall on Tuesday a peregrine was seen disturbing all the birds along the channel before it headed north-west over Ray Island. A marsh harrier, great white egret, 54 avocets, 100 golden plover, 100 lapwing, 20 black-tailed godwits and ten knot were along the channel. In the fields were 50 linnets, ten corn buntings and two kestrels.

The black brant was seen along the Strood channel with about 200 brent geese on Monday 29th.

Also along the channel were 40 avocets, 1000 golden plover near the Strood, 110 black-tailed godwits, 16 knot, great white egret, marsh harrier, stonechat and twenty linnets.

A bar-tailed godwit was feeding on the mud behind the Dabchicks sailing club, a second bird further up the channel, also a red-breasted merganser in the Mersea Quarters and a Mediterranean gull by the Hard. A lesser redpoll flew a couple of times over Feldy View and a sparrowhawk seen over Firs Chase.

Six great northern divers was one of the highlights of the RSPB boat trip with Kieren Alexander and Steve Hunting aboard the Lady Grace on Monday. A purple sandpiper was seen among a couple of thousand knot and other waders on the Tollesbury recharge beach. Two pintail flew over the Mersea Quarters, two red-breasted mergansers, also six bar-tailed godwits and 20+ sanderling noted.

Martin Cock watching from the Hard on Monday afternoon saw a great northern diver, four pintail and a Mediterranean gull. Earlier the six snow buntings were seen at East Mersea Point again by Martin.

Along the Strood seawall on Sunday were seen marsh harrier, two buzzards, 300 brent geese, 40 avocets, 1000 golden plover, bar-tailed godwit and three black-tailed godwits. The mistle thrush was seen by the Firs Caravan park.

Andy Field photographed one of the six snow buntings at East Mersea Point on Saturday 27th, also two eider seen in the river off Colne Point. A possible scaup was seen distantly off the Esplanade in the afternoon before it flew across the Blackwater. 

A covey of five red-legged partridge was seen in a field at Maydays farm on Saturday.

Along the Maydays seawall on Saturday, highlights included 500 shelduck along the Pyefleet, 25 pintail, four shoveler, four red-breasted mergansers, great crested grebe, 30 avocets, great white egret, five marsh harriers, bar-tailed godwit, ten black-tailed godwits, ten knot, also two common seals.

In the fields were 50 skylarks, 50 meadow pipits, 25 linnets, three stonechats and a fieldfare.

Later on Saturday a look offshore from the Esplanade revealed a great northern diver, 130 great crested grebes and a red-breasted merganser.

On Wednesday 24th a black-necked grebe was photographed swimming past the East Mersea Point by Peter Higgleton. Also seen there were 100 sanderling, 110 turnstones and a pair of red-breasted mergansers on the water but no sign of the snow buntings that day.