SHORELARK STONE POINT

A shorelark was found at East Mersea's Stone Point late morning Monday 2nd by Jonathan Norgate. Andy Field was close at hand and after a bit of searching for the bird, managed to take these two photographs of it.

The shorelark was photographed by Andy right on the Point as it fed along the high strandline.

A purple sandpiper was also seen on the beach at the Point during the middle of the day high tide.

Mid afternoon on Monday, the shorelark had been feeding on the beach in behind the Point, later relocating back to the Point where the sunshine shone onto the bird, pictured above.

The last shorelark here at East Mersea Point was in mid December 2018 with that bird staying for three weeks into the start of 2019.

Other birds noted in the area were 15 sanderling, ten ringed plover, a snipe on the saltmarsh, 150 wigeon and a stonechat in the park grazing fields.

On Monday morning a pale-bellied brent goose was feeding along the water's edge at St Peters, West Mersea, also 50 dark-bellied brent geese, 30 great crested grebes and a great northern diver offshore, Mediterranean gull, kingfisher hovering near Packing Shed island, two skylarks over St Peters and a Cetti's warbler singing near the land-end of the boardwalk.

On Tuesday 3rd, the shorelark was still attracting a few other local birdwatchers to East Mersea Point. Shaun Bater took this picture.

Another of Shaun's pictures of the shorelark as it fed on the beach at the Point on Tuesday.

Jon Ward took this picture of the shorelark on Tuesday. The bird seen all day.

A couple of sanderling photographed by Jon at the Point.

A rock pipit at the Point photographed by Jon Ward on Tuesday.

Two male shoveler photographed at Cudmore Grove by Jon on Tuesday.

The purple sandpiper was feeding along the edge of the water at the Point on Tuesday during the high tide.

The purple sandpiper has been present for six days since it was first found by Andy Field here last week. High tide is the best time to view it.

Also feeding on the beach at the Point during high tide on Tuesday were 100 redshank, 90 turnstone and nine sanderling - the purple sandpiper can just be seen in this picture towards the back group of redshank with its head down.

Other birds seen during the walk past the Golfhouse to the Point on Tuesday included 150 wigeon, 30 teal, four shoveler, snipe, two little egrets, mistle thrush by the Golfhouse mistletoe, redpoll flying east, while in the river Colne were three red-breasted mergansers and a great crested grebe.

Mollie Kirk saw two marsh harriers fly right over the Point and four red-breasted mergansers flying past on Tuesday afternoon.