SIGNS OF SPRING

There were signs of spring at Cudmore Grove Country Park on Thursday 7th with two adders basking in the morning sunshine.

The adders were making the most of the blue skies despite the fresh breeze.

Hopefully a few more adders will emerge from their own hibernation in the coming month to join these two. 

Another reptile spotted at the country park on Thursday making the most of the sun was this common lizard.

A chiffchaff was heard calling from the trees on the park cliff-top but could not be located. However a bit later a chiffchaff was heard calling on the north side of the park near the bird hide, presumably the same bird heard earlier, and it was watched feeding among the blackthorn flowers. It's likely this bird is a new migrant just arrived the previous night. It wasn't heard to sing.

At the park pond a siskin flew over calling on Thursday, also a pochard, 7 tufted duck, 6 gadwall and a pair of mute swans. A red squirrel was seen feeding under some trees behind the park workshop.

A large flock of 1000 brent geese was feeding on one of the park's grazing fields on Thursday. 

Also on the park fields of interest were 8 greylag geese, 400+ wigeon, 15 shoveler, 30 curlew and a black-tailed godwit.

From the Point a pair of red-breasted merganser and two great crested grebes were in the Colne, while two ringed plovers, two sanderling and eight knot were noted, as was an avocet on the Golfhouse pools.

A colour-ringed black-tailed godwit (O//R-GB) was photographed along the Strood Channel on Wednesday 6th by Andy Field.

Nine black-tailed godwits were seen by Andy along the Strood on Wednesday, also 400 dunlin, ten knot, 30 curlew, three buzzards and a Cetti's warbler by the Firs Chase caravan park.

Later on Wednesday morning a peregrine flew low along the Strood channel scattering all the birds as it continued north-east, also four buzzards circled over the Strood fields and another six were in the air over the Feldy and Peldon fields on the mainland.

A brimstone butterfly fluttered its way quickly over the Feldy View cemetery on Wednesday morning.

A male blackcap was photographed by Phil Passfield as it visited his garden feeder in Yorick Road on Wednesday, for the second day running.

The ghostly image of a barn owl was taken by Daniel Woollard at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday evening. Birds seen from the Point were 1500 black-headed gulls, 700 dunlin, 120 redshank, 28 grey plover, 79 curlew, 18 knot, 55 ringed plover, 350 oystercatchers, 7 little egrets and 7 red-breasted mergansers.

The barn owl flying behind the Cudmore Grove pond on Wednesday evening was also reported by local residents Tanya Griffiths and Steve Ford

A red squirrel was seen on Wednesday morning by Caroline White in her Dawes Lane garden.

On Tuesday 5th birds of note along the Strood Channel included 500 brent geese, 104 shelduck, ten oystercatchers, two black-tailed godwits, great crested grebe, marsh harrier, buzzard, two kestrels, twenty corn buntings and a Cetti's warbler singing.

A male kestrel perched on a tree by the Strood seawall on Monday 4th - a second bird seen over the fields too. Three buzzards, marsh harrier, two sparrowhawks were seen from the seawall and a third sparrowhawk over Firs Chase.

A handful of wigeon rested along the Strood channel during the low tide on Monday, also there were 81 shelduck, 80 grey plover, 100 dunlin, ten knot, black-tailed godwit, ringed plover, while in the fields were ten stock doves, fifty linnets, Cetti's warbler and a rock pipit on the saltmarsh.

A blackcap was seen in the Firs Chase garden.

In East Mersea Michael Thorley found this gathering of 16-spot ladybirds sheltering under an upturned fishbox on the Reeveshall seawall on Monday. Birds seen there were a pair of red-breasted mergansers in the Pyefleet, four shelduck, 30 dunlin, 45 redshank, great crested grebe. On the Reeveshall fields a grey heron, 400 starlings, 50 curlew, two Canada geese, ten brent geese and a few wigeon, mallard and the usual corvids.

On Monday early evening Caroline White reported at Cudmore Grove - shelduck, shoveler pair and little egret on the Golfhouse pools, six tufted ducks, 12 greylag geese, 100 brent geese, pair of kestrels on the kestrel tree, song thrush by the hide and mute swans on the park pond and a grey squirrel by the play area. A pair of little owl were being vocal with each other by the bus turning circle.

In East Mersea a pair of Canada geese was at Reeveshall on Sunday 3rd with another 12 seen with two greylag geese by the Broad Fleet. Many of the twenty lapwings near Broad Fleet were displaying, also 25 stock doves in the fields. A peregrine was seen high over the Pyefleet while five marsh harriers and three buzzards were seen over the Island / Langenhoe. Four grey herons flew over Langenhoe and a little egret was on Reeveshall. 

In the Pyefleet were two red-breasted mergansers, two great crested grebes, five knot, two avocets, Mediterranean gull and a 100 brent geese.

Offshore from the West Mersea Esplanade on Sunday were two great northern divers and 80 great crested grebes.

Andy Field walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Sunday morning and photographed one of the four skylarks in the Golfhouse paddock, also six meadow pipits there. Other birds noted included six red-breasted mergansers, six bar-tailed godwits off the park, 12 greylag geese on the fields, six meadow pipits, sparrowhawk, Cetti's warbler by the hide, little owl calling by the park entrance and a grey squirrel taking drey material into the barn owl box by the pond. 

Late on Sunday night a pair of tawny owls called to each other in Firs Chase - the female doing "tu-whit", the male doing "to-woo!"

Caroline White and Lisa on Saturday walked from the Golfhouse to Reeveshall then back to the Cudmore hide, noting six meadow pipits by Golfhouse, six Canada geese and brent geese flock on Reeveshall, great crested grebe, 200 dunlin, six shoveler, cormorant along Pyefleet, nine shelduck Golfhouse pools, five tufted duck on the park dyke, little owl calling by the hide and another possible one in flight towards car park.