SNOW BUNTINGS STILL AT POINT

The six snow buntings were still at the East Mersea Point on Sunday 11th, two of them photographed here by Michael Thorley.

Also photographed by Michael was this turnstone at East Mersea Point.

One of two ringed plovers at East Mersea Point was photographed by Michael on Sunday too.

At Cudmore Grove on Sunday Daniel Woollard saw a guillemot on the edge of the mudflats off the park, also eleven red-breasted mergansers, great white egret, 319 brent geese, male and female pochard, leucistic redshank, knot, also two Slavonian grebes and a red-throated diver offshore from the park.

 Later in the evening at the park a marsh harrier, peregrine, little owl by the car park, Mediterranean gull, nine bar-tailed godwits and a common seal were seen by Daniel.

A black brant was feeding in a field behind Rewsalls Marsh with 500 brent geese on Sunday.

High tide on Sunday flooded all the Rewsalls marsh with birds seen in the area being kingfisher, 8 snipe, 110 redshank, 135 curlew, 90 turnstones, two knot, black-tailed godwit, ten Mediterranean gulls, sparrowhawk, two Cetti's warblers. Offshore the guillemot seen earlier from Cudmore Grove was seen swimming west off Rewsalls, also the same two Slavonian grebes plus a third bird, red-throated diver, two shoveler and 110 great crested grebes on the sea.

The recent high tides have left the car park at the East Mersea boating lake completely under-water.

At Maydays on Sunday afternoon Steve Entwistle reported four pintail, 28 black-tailed godwits, seven knot, 100 dunlin, 40 shelduck, 25 curlew, 45 grey plover, two reed buntings and a female marsh harrier.

Three great crested grebes were in the Pyefleet at Maydays on Saturday 10th, also a red-breasted merganser, ten pintail, 16 shoveler, 15 black-tailed godwits, great white egret and two little egrets.

The high tide covered all of the Maydays saltmarsh leaving nowhere for waders to roost, 1000 dunlin, 80 golden plover were flying around and at least ten snipe flew off the marsh. A merlin flew over the marsh and perched on a bush near the Bower Hall seawall and a marsh harrier was also seen.

On Maydays two stonechats, 50 skylarks, three Cetti's warblers were noted and a Chinese Water Deer ran across a field and onto the nearby farm reservoirs. Highlights from the 20 species seen during the 30 minute Big Farmland Bird Count on one of the Maydays fields were 220 linnets, 65 chaffinches, four yellowhammers and a fieldfare.

At Cudmore Grove at least one eider in the Colne and 190 brent geese were seen by Daniel Woolard on Saturday. At West Mersea a great northern diver and 18 great crested grebes were seen offshore from the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle.

On Friday 9th the black brant was feeding with 100 brent geese on the flooded saltmarsh at high tide in front of the Firs Chase caravan park. Along the Strood channel were 40 avocets, 40 black-tailed godwits, two marsh harriers, also a Cetti's warbler and a stonechat inside the seawall.

Three lesser redpolls were briefly seen on the birch trees in Feldy View and a song thrush was singing in the Firs Chase garden.

A bit of a distant picture of a Chinese Water Deer feeding at the back of one of the Strood fields on Friday.

At Cudmore Grove on Friday late afternoon a barn owl was seen flying north over the grazing fields by Caroline White, and then another barn owl seen flying south across East Road between the Fox pub and the allotments.

A fox was seen in the Firs Chase garden checking for morsels under the bird feeders on a wet Thursday 8th.