BLACK BRANT BACK

A black brant was feeding in the Strood Channel with 100 dark-bellied brent geese by the Firs Chase caravan park on Wednesday 5th. This is most likely the same individual judging by the markings, that has been wintering here for several years. Last November it was first seen four days earlier on November 1st. Further up the Strood channel another 200 brent geese were feeding by Ray Island

The black brant, seen here front right, was feeding at high tide over the flooded saltmarsh on Wednesday.

A grey wagtail was seen feeding on the edge of the mud by the Dabchicks sailing club on Wednesday.

Ten little egrets were seen along the Strood channel on Wednesday, this one by the caravan park.

During the very high tide, a raft of avocets floated in the Strood channel while in the background a lorry waits mid-causeway for the tide to recede on Wednesday.

The forty avocets bobbed in the water in the Strood during the high tide as all the saltmarshes were under water on Wednesday. Ten Mediterranean gulls and forty shelduck were noted along with lots of wigeon and teal feeding over the flooded saltmarshes.

In the fields there were three red-legged partridges, twenty skylarks, four stonechats, ten reed buntings and also four rock pipits along the seawall.

A male blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden on Wednesday.

On Tuesday 4th a grey wagtail was hurriedly snapped before it flew off from the side of a pond at Waldegraves Holiday park. It had been feeding round the edge. Presumably it was this same individual  seen a short while earlier perched on a railing of the Youth Camp sewage works.

A merlin flew east over Waldegraves and then over the Youth Camp while a buzzard was by the Rewsalls farm. Seventy brent geese, fifty oystercatchers and four sanderling were on the shingle island by Waldegraves. Four great crested grebes were offshore.

The water level on the side lake near the boating lake was too high for any waders although 12 little grebes and 20 Mediterranean gulls were present. Two green woodpeckers and two great spotted woodpeckers and 1000 starlings were by the Youth Camp.

 

A clouded yellow was seen briefly on the wing by the Youth Camp on Tuesday - the first November sighting on the island. One red admiral also seen nearby.

A grey squirrel was reported by Michael Thorley in Bromans Lane on Tuesday.

A small flock of thirty brent geese was feeding in the Golfhouse paddock on Monday 3rd - another 150+ brent geese were in the estuary. On the nearby saltmarsh 100 wigeon and 30 teal were noted. Three stonechats, rock pipit and four reed buntings were near the Point.

At the East Mersea Point on Monday 30 turnstones were feeding as the tide receded, also 1000 dunlin, 25 ringed plovers noted. Two terns feeding distantly in the Colne were only identified as Commic terns (Common or Arctic). A great crested grebe was seen in the Colne.

A sea rocket clump was in flower near the old pillbox at East Mersea Point on Monday.

The confiding at times Strood wheatear was still feeding along the seawall on Sunday 2nd - present for its ninth day. Three stonechats and two rock pipits were also along the seawall while 70 linnets were in the fields. A marsh harrier and three kestrels were over the fields too.

Along the Strood channel on Sunday were 100 golden plover, 46 avocets, 150 wigeon, 120 black-tailed godwits, 50 knot and 60 dunlin.

A flock of 30 avocets took off from the Pyefleet mud by Maydays on Saturday 1st. Also along the Pyefleet channel were 500 golden plovers, 50 knot, 50 dunlin, 100 brent geese, six great crested grebes and also a common seal on the saltmarsh.

A kingfisher perched over a Maydays ditch on Saturday, two marsh harriers were seen over Langenhoe.

Three yellowhammers were at Maydays on Saturday, also two stonechats, 50 linnets, 20 meadow pipits, two rock pipits, 150 starlings and a goldcrest.

On Friday 31st, birds of note seen along the Strood seawall included two marsh harriers, buzzard, sparrowhawk, wheatear, three stonechats, fifty linnets, 160 black-tailed godwits, 54 knot, 50 dunlin, 50 oystercatchers, fifty brent geese and 36 avocets.

Three redwing flew out of a holly bush in Firs Chase while a migrant hawker was still on the wing in Feldy View on Friday morning.

A Yellow-line Quaker was in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on 30th.

The small immigrant Diamond-backed Moth was noted on the 30th.

Fifth record this autumn of a Variable Cockroach on the 30th in the garden moth trap.