WILDFOWL ON WET FIELDS

Lots of wildfowl and a few waders were feeding in the waterlogged grazing field at Cudmore Grove on Friday 1st. Up to 300 wigeon were scattered across the field with 400 brent geese, also ten shoveler and a few teal too. One black-tailed godwit, grey plover, ten dunlin, twenty redshank and twenty curlew were in the field for the high tide.

The main flock of brent geese was feeding in the field nearest the East Mersea Golfhouse on Friday, also a pair of greylag geese. Six tufted duck and three little grebes were in the park dyke and one stonechat was feeding beside the dyke.

A pair of ringed plover was flying around displaying to each other at the East Mersea Point on Friday.

At least 200 dunlin were feeding on the mud behind the Point.

Twenty five turnstone and four sanderling were beside the Point just before high tide on Friday.

On Friday afternoon two grey wagtails were found by Caroline White near the Golfhouse, while Steve Entwistle saw six greylag geese in the fields.

Earlier Steve at Maydays reported ten Canada geese, two greylag geese, marsh harrier, lesser black-backed gull on Reeveshall, later two red-legged partridge beside the East Mersea Road near Bocking Hall.

A muntjac deer was photographed by Caroline White from the bird hide at Cudmore Grove on Thursday 29th. Also seen were two little owls late afternoon from the hide, four siskins in the alders, three pochard, three pairs of gadwall on the pond and a kestrel in the kestrel box.

On Thursday morning Caroline saw a male blackcap in her Dawes Lane garden along with a song thrush and first greenfinches of the year.

At Cudmore Grove on Thursday late afternoon, Michael Thorley saw the barn owl quartering the grazing fields, seven greylag geese, 13 curlew, black-tailed godwit, 13 pied wagtails, pair tufted duck and few teal, mallard and shoveler, also 700+ wigeon and four shelduck noted too in the drizzle.

Martin Cock visited Maydays on Thursday morning and reported two singing Cetti's warblers, singing yellowhammer, marsh harrier and ten Canada geese

At West Mersea on Thursday a marsh harrier, grey heron, two little egrets were seen by the Strood, two song thrushes by the Firs Chase caravan park and a blackcap at the feeder in the Firs Chase garden.

On Wednesday 28th the only birds noted along the Strood seawall during the hide tide were 300 brent geese, two Canada geese flying over Feldy Marsh, great crested grebe, Cetti's warbler singing and two kestrels. A blackcap was seen by the Firs caravan park and one also in the Firs Chase garden again.

In late afternoon the large starling roost of about 5000 birds gathered over Windsor Road with two sparrowhawks in attendance too.

At East Mersea Point on Wednesday morning a Slavonian grebe, two red-breasted mergansers and two stonechats were seen by Martin Cock. A red-throated diver was seen off the park by Daniel Woollard.

Feldy View cemetery has some nice colourful patches of flowering crocus in places at the moment.

A flock of 400 brent geese was seen along the Strood channel on Tuesday 27th, also 110 shelduck, three black-tailed godwits, while a merlin flashed fast over the Strood fields and headed north-west and over Ray Island, three buzzards were in the air over the Ray Channel. 

A little egret was feeding near the Strood seawall sluice on Tuesday 27th. In Firs Chase a blackcap was seen near the caravan park and another blackcap in the Firs Chase garden feeders.

The pale leucistic redshank was seen by Daniel Woollard on the mud near Cudmore Grove on Tuesday afternoon. Daniel also found a black-throated diver on the sea off the cliff meadow beside the park in the afternoon.

The grey squirrel was photographed by Caroline White at the barn owl box behind the park pond on Tuesday.

Andy Field visited Reeveshall on Tuesday morning and saw a stonechat, eight marsh harriers, four buzzards, pair of red-breasted merganser, 56 knot, 300 dunlin, 30 grey plover, 20 stock doves and six brown hares gathering for a spot of boxing. A goldcrest was seen in Fishponds Wood.

A flock of 700 brent geese was feeding in the big grass field inside the Strood seawall on Monday 26th. 

Little else of note seen during that short walk onto the Strood seawall at high tide.

The black brant fed close to the Strood seawall beside the Firs Chase caravan park during the high tide when it covered the whole saltmarsh on Sunday 25th.

The large white neck collar showed well when the black brant lifted its head up, as it fed with 100 brent geese. Also along the Strood on Sunday were 70 shelduck, buzzard, marsh harrier, 2 kestrels, 3 sparrowhawks, 100 golden plover, fifty linnets and a Cetti's warbler singing beside the caravan park near Feldy View.

At Cudmore Grove on Sunday morning, Caroline White reported nice views of the little owl at the barn owl box by the park pond, three pochard, little egret, two pairs of gadwall and pair of mute swans on the pond. Sixteen greylag geese on the grazing fields, kestrel, Cetti's warbler and 25 meadow pipits by the  Golfhouse. 

Later in the day two little owls were seen mating by the barn owl box by James Taylor, also a muntjac deer and a Chinese Water deer seen at the park.

Up to 3000 starlings were seen heading to roost near Windsor Road on Sunday afternoon by Andy Field as they flew over his High St North garden.

The snow bunting was photographed at East Mersea Point on Saturday 24th by Michael Thorley. 

A Slavonian grebe was seen off the park by Jonathan Bustard, who later saw a great northern diver from the West Mersea Esplanade. 

A red-throated diver and the Slavonian grebe were seen from the park by Daniel Woollard.

In the Coopers Beach / Rewsalls area on Saturday Andy Field noted a great northern diver and Slavonian grebe offshore, 300 brent geese on the marsh at high tide, while two buzzards and 40 finches at least 14 chaffinches were in a game cover strip in the field south of Meeting Lane. At Cudmore Grove Andy heard the little owl and two water rails calling by the pond, also three pochard there too.

Caroline White saw the little owl near the park hide with a second sighting near the kestrel tree presumed the same bird, also six greylag geese seen.

Lots of blue sky above the Pyefleet Channel beside the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday morning. Birds of note included two great white egrets flying together along Broad Fleet, 11 Canada geese by the Fleet, eight marsh harriers with some displaying over Reeveshall, five buzzards, sparrowhawk, a merlin flew low west over the fields, red kite over Langenhoe, four red-breasted mergansers, four great crested grebes, three gadwall flying along the channel, two avocets, thirty knot, two Mediterranean gulls, while a pair of stonechat was by the Shop Lane seawall.