FELDY REDPOLL

A redpoll was feeding in a birch tree in Feldy View on Sunday 1st. After a few minutes it flew west over the caravan park. Redpolls have been a bit scarce this autumn on the island.

The black brant was with a small group of brent geese behind the Dabchicks Sailing Club on Sunday. There were about 200 brent in the Strood channel, also three shoveler flying to Ray Channel and 30 avocets. In the fields were 30 corn buntings, two stonechats, two buzzards and a rock pipit by the saltmarsh.

The first mistle thrush of the winter beside the mistletoe clumps high in the poplar trees at the Firs Caravan park was seen on Sunday morning.

A male stonechat perched up on the Strood seawall on Friday 29th. Ten corn buntings were in the fields, Cetti's warbler, three buzzards and a marsh harrier were in the area. Birds of note along the channel were twenty avocets and fifty golden plover, also a pair of mute swans.

At East Mersea Point the purple sandpiper was seen by Mollie Kirk on Sunday, present for its fourth day.

On Saturday the purple sandpiper was seen at the Point by Steve Entwistle, also there 12 sanderling and 25 turnstones, also a Cetti's warbler near the Golfhouse path to seawall.

A mistle thrush flew over Firs Chase on Saturday and perched on top of a cedar tree in the garden for a minute or so before flying off calling. The first garden sighting for more than fifteen years!

Andy Field found a purple sandpiper on the East Mersea Point on Thursday 28th and took this photograph of it. It stayed on the beach during the high tide period during the late morning but not seen in the afternoon.

Steve Entwistle had good views of a water rail in the dyke near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Thursday. A little owl was at the back of the Golfhouse, also six meadow pipits, 45 avocets, 28 moorhens, knot, six black-tailed godwits and also five snipe that got flushed from the saltmarsh pools by a paramotor.

Birds were showing well in the bright morning sunshine along the Strood channel on Thursday 28th - such as this grey plover feeding on the mud close to the seawall.

A redshank and grey plover seen along the Strood channel on Thursday.

Seventy black-tailed godwits, one pictured, were feeding along the Strood on Thursday, also two bar-tailed godwits. Other birds along the channel were 300 brent geese, 150 wigeon, 50 teal, 50 shelduck, 50 avocets, snipe in flight, 50 knot and 500 dunlin.

A male kestrel perched on wires near Feldy View on Thursday, also four marsh harriers and three buzzards and a sparrowhawk noted, while in the fields were 20 skylarks and ten corn buntings.

On Wednesday 27th a male goosander flew north-west over the field near Feldy View, heading to the Strood channel where it turned towards the Hard. A peregrine flew over the fields among the wood pigeons and feral pigeons, before heading over the caravan park. Three kestrels, sparrowhawk, three Mediterranean gulls and two bar-tailed godwits were also noted.

A great northern diver and Mediterranean gull were seen offshore by Steve Entwistle from Kingsland Road on Wednesday.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday, Michael Thorley reported a little grebe, mute swan cygnet, kestrel, 8 teal, two stonechats, 90 wigeon, three redshank and two shelduck.

A red squirrel was rummaging through the leaves on the back garden lawn in Firs Chase on Wednesday.

Meanwhile in the front garden in Firs Chase there was the unwelcome sight of a grey squirrel at the bird feeders - present at the same time as the red squirrel in the back garden.