FIRS CHASE FIRECRESTS

A pair of firecrest visited the Firs Chase garden on Sunday 24th - little gems when seen close-up!

There was a very brief song of a goldcrest / firecrest song heard in trees by the Firs Chase roadside on Sunday morning but nothing was seen - until later towards the end of the afternoon when a firecrest was heard singing in the back garden.

The male firecrest appeared on a bush in the back garden along with a female.

The firecrest was heard while I worked in the back garden and this hurried picture was taken with the phone, showing the very fiery crest as the bird sang. There have been several previous records of firecrests in the garden including four seen together in early November 2019.

High tide on Sunday covered all of the saltmarsh in front of the Firs Chase caravan park. Some of the 200 brent geese seen during the walk were feeding here over the saltmarsh while it was covered. Also seen along the seawall were a red kite over the Ray Channel, buzzard, marsh harrier and two kestrels.

A red squirrel and a jay were seen near the Firs Caravan park by Charlie Coltman on Sunday.

A siskin was photographed by Mollie Kirk on Sunday on her back garden feeder at Cudmore Grove. A second male siskin also made an appearance, as well as a red squirrel again - there has been a pair of reds most mornings recently.

At Coopers Beach on Sunday afternoon, Michael Thorley reported 41 curlew, 50 turnstone, 12 common gull, black-headed gull, 20 oystercatchers, redshank, pied wagtail, 30 wood pigeon, four brent geese and also 350 brent geese in fields east of the church.

Shaun Bater walked the Cudmore circuit on Saturday morning and reported a blackcap and two chiffchaffs near the park entrance, pair of mute swans and four gadwall on the park pond, another mute swan pair on the dyke, four greylag geese, 30 curlew, four shelduck, 8 shoveler, 50 wigeon, 25 teal and the kestrel in the box. At the Point were 17 sanderling, 3 turnstones, 2 dunlin, ringed plover and a distant marsh harrier.

Two siskins were seen by Fishponds Wood on Saturday by Steve Entwistle. Earlier he noted 8 goldfinches, greenfinch and two green woodpeckers were at the Firs Chase Caravan park

A slow-worm was found in the compost heap in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday 23rd. The first one this year in the garden but hopefully a few more will appear later in the summer.

On Saturday morning I joined Charlie Coltman for a walk from East Mersea church to the boating lake and nearby Youth Camp. Birds on the Rewsalls side lake during the high tide included 89 curlew, 80 redshank, 20 turnstone, a knot, two Mediterranean gulls, two common gulls, ten brent geese, shelduck, while other birds noted in the area were four green woodpeckers, Cetti's warbler, four skylarks, two linnets and a singing chiffchaff.