WINTERING GREENSHANK

A greenshank was roosting on the small lake beside the East Mersea boating lake on Friday 23rd, pictured above in the centre. It was with a mixed flock of waders during the high tide before flying onto the flooded Rewsalls Marshes where it stood on a lone bramble bush sticking out of the water. This is the first greenshank to be seen on the Island this winter.

Other waders roosting beside the East Mersea boating lake on Friday included 115 curlew.

Also roosting in a corner of the side lake on Friday were 70 redshank, 70 turnstones, 20 dunlin while other birds seen around the Rewsalls marshes were 400 brent geese, 2 little egrets, 3 little grebes, 2 buzzards, and two Cetti's warblers.

Feeding on a field to the west of the Youth Camp were 22 Mediterranean gulls, 15 common gulls and a few black-headed gulls. A pair of red-legged partridge was in a field to the west of the East Mersea church.

At Cudmore Grove on Friday, Steve Entwistle saw a little owl at the back of the park pond, Cetti's warbler, pair of pochard, two pairs of tufted ducks, pair of mute swans, three pairs of gadwall, while a goldcrest was seen west of the bird-hide. A second pair of mute swans was seen later in the day in the park dyke and a pair of greylag geese in the fields, by Caroline White 

Steve later saw 38 fieldfares with 50 starlings near Bocking Hall, two red-legged partridges near Barrow Hill on the East Mersea road, then watched 20 marsh harriers from the Hard seen flying to roost on Old Hall Marshes at dusk.

An oystercatcher stood on a surfboard behind the Dabchicks sailing club on Thursday 22nd - keeping an eye on a potential nesting site in an old dinghy nearby.

A peregrine flew over the Strood channel scattering birds as it headed over Ray Island.

Two great crested grebes were in the Strood channel in front of the Firs Chase caravan park, with a third in Ray channel on Thursday. Also along the Strood channel during the high tide walk were 70 shelduck, two avocets, Mediterranean gull, three little egrets, also thirty linnets and a pair of stonechats in the fields.

A song thrush was singing along the edge of the Firs Chase caravan park close to the seawall on Thursday. A male blackcap was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Thursday.

In East Mersea 600 brent geese were seen by Michael Thorley feeding in a field to the south of Meeting Lane on Thursday.

Wednesday 21st was wet most of the day and the only birds noted during a short walk to Feldy View from Firs Chase were two song thrushes, ten chaffinches and a distant flock of 100 golden plover flying over Feldy Marshes on the mainland.

A dead badger was found lying in Rewsalls Lane, East Mersea on Tuesday 20th, so it was lifted onto the nearby verge and the Badger Group informed.

A brief visit to Coopers Beach caravan park on Tuesday morning was quiet at high tide . Two Cetti's warblers were heard singing including one in the garden of the park manager's residence.

Steve Entwistle visited the Golfhouse area on Tuesday afternoon and reported pair of greylag geese on the grazing fields, stonechat pair by the dyke, four shoveler on the saltmarsh pools, four tufted ducks on the dyke, 19 knot and 11 ringed plover on the mud.

On Tuesday evening a sparrowhawk was seen flying amongst the large starling flock of 5000+, as they headed into roost at the top of Oakwood Avenue.

Andy Field photographed this stonechat, one of three seen at Reeveshall on Monday 19th late afternoon whilst watching seven or eight marsh harriers going into the Langenhoe roost.

Martin Cock earlier on Monday saw the velvet scoter and the eider in the outer Colne, from Cudmore Grove.

A small group of six skylarks was photographed by Michael Thorley feeding in the Golfhouse paddock on Monday, also three linnets here, 1000+ brent geese seen in the grazing fields then flew over to Ivy Farm.

Steve Entwistle visited Cudmore Grove on Monday and saw a pochard, two greylag geese, pair of mute swans on the pond and heard water rail and Cetti's warbler at the pond.

A pair of stonechat was beside the Strood dyke on Monday 19th, also five reed buntings, two meadow pipits and twenty linnets in the fields. A peregrine flew north-west over the channel and headed over Ray Island and two marsh harriers were seen too. Main flocks of birds included fifty wigeon, fifty teal and fifty shelduck also a pair of mute swans.

Birds seen during a walk along the Strood seawall on Sunday 18th included 800 brent geese, 120 shelduck, 60 grey plover, 30 knot, ten avocets, four little egrets, two marsh harriers, Cetti's warbler, three stonechats, while by the Firs Caravan park were the mistle thrush and a goldcrest.

A male yellowhammer perched on a tree by the Bower Hall seawall on Saturday 17th, a second bird flew over calling near to Maydays farm. A flock of 70 linnets was feeding on some game cover at Bower Hall, a buzzard, marsh harrier, twenty stock doves, green woodpecker, twenty skylarks and four brown hares also noted.

A nice clump of oyster mushrooms was photographed at Cudmore Grove by Caroline White on Saturday 17th. Birds seen during her visit included a merlin perched behind Ivy Dock, three greylag geese, two calling water rails at the park pond, grey squirrel at the back of the pond and a possible stoat near the hide.

On Saturday evening 28 red-breasted mergansers were seen off Cudmore Grove by Daniel Woollard. A  velvet scoter was reported on Birdguides, seen off Cudmore on Saturday sometime.

A couple of curlew photographs taken recently at Coopers Beach by Michael Thorley.