FELDY FIELDFARE

The fieldfare was still present in Feldy View on Friday 28th, having taken up residence for nearly three weeks here since it was first seen. It has been favouring the northern end and on Friday was tucking into the juicy berries on a small rowan tree. Nearby a sparrowhawk was being mobbed by crows high over the houses.

Birds noted in a brief look at the Strood channel included 80 black-tailed godwits, marsh harrier, 25 shelduck, 15 little grebes, 50 lapwing, ten linnets and also 15 stock doves in the area.

Mike Dawson reported seeing the razorbill while in his boat just south of the Packing Shed island into the Mersea Quarters on Friday morning, also seen by Fred Wass in his boat too. Earlier in the week Mike reported seeing three glossy ibis in Salcott Creek near Abbotts Hall on Monday.

On Thursday 27th a chiffchaff seen near Feldy View is presumably here for the winter, while along the Strood seawall were two marsh harriers, 15 avocets, two stonechats and a rock pipit. 

A goldcrest and ring-necked parakeet were in Firs Chase gardens.

Richard Brown saw a grey wagtail on Thursday on the roofs of Grays Close on Thursday morning.

At the East Mersea boating lake on Wednesday 26th a greenshank was seen feeding in the former Rewsalls borrowdyke, also 24 little grebes in the side-lake and a sparrowhawk over the marshes. On the mud offshore 100 dunlin, 20 turnstones, three black-tailed godwits and 20 curlew noted, with five great crested grebes on the sea. Two Cetti's warblers, reed bunting and a song thrush were near the boating lake.

The ring-necked parakeet was heard again in Firs Chase, on Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday 25th at East Mersea, a flock of 500 brent geese came from the direction of Reeveshall with some landing on the mudflats by the Golfhouse and some on the grazing fields. Shelduck numbers have increased recently with 110 seen on the mud, while 700 dunlin and 20 avocets also here. A sanderling was with turnstones near the Point pushed in by the tide.

On the Golfhouse saltings on Tuesday 70 wigeon were feeding, also 30 teal by the pools.

Fifteen shoveler were on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools on Tuesday, a male seen here.

A rock pipit and two reed buntings were at the Point.

Three little grebes were along the park dyke on Tuesday, a water rail squealed from the reeds along the side, two stonechats were in the grazing field.

Andy Field photographed this grey heron at the Cudmore Grove pond on Tuesday but noted very little else on his walk at the park other than a goldcrest with a tit flock and two rock pipits.

On Monday 24th birds noted during a walk along the Strood seawall included 700 brent geese in Ray Channel, 100 wigeon, 400 dunlin, 85 shelduck, 45 oystercatchers, 40 avocets, 30 black-tailed godwits, 25 ringed plovers, 24 little grebes -all noted along the Strood channel. 

Also seen were two marsh harriers, sparrowhawk, two kestrels, three Cetti's warblers, three stonechats, 30 linnets, six reed buntings and two rock pipits.

In Firs Chase the ring-necked parakeet was seen perched briefly in a nearby garden on Monday.

A redshank was feeding in the Strood channel on Sunday 23rd.

Two snipe flew over the nearby fields but kept heading south-west. 

Ten black-tailed godwits were noted in the Strood channel on Sunday. Thirty shelduck and fifty wigeon also seen along the channel.

A grey plover perched on a post by the Strood seawall on Sunday, 100 golden plover also noted in the channel. A marsh harrier and a rock pipit were the only other birds of note.

A great northern diver was seen in the Colne near Langenhoe Point on Sunday by Ed Bateman.

A firecrest was feeding in a holly bush in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday 22nd.

A black brant was in a flock of 500 brent geese at Rewsalls farm on Saturday 22nd. The geese were feeding in a winter wheat crop but then getting spooked later and flying to the side lake next to the boating lake.

The brent geese had a bathe and a preen on the side lake at Rewsalls on Saturday before returning to the field to feed. Also on the side lake for the high tide roost were a greenshank, 30 turnstone, 50 dunlin, 30 ringed plover, 30 redshank, 20 curlew, 8 black-tailed godwits, ten grey plover while 50 golden plover flew over. Unexpected wader was a woodcock flying out of a ditch at the back of the boating lake then flying quickly west.

Brent geese flying off the side lake at Rewsalls on Saturday. Thirty teal and 26 little grebes also present while a sparrowhawk, kestrel, fieldfare, two Cetti's warblers, 2 green woodpeckers, 10 skylarks, 15 meadow pipits, two rock pipits and fifteen chaffinches.

Peter Marchington photographed this seemingly poorly common gull on Saturday at Cudmore Grove along the beach side of the seawall. 

The Feldy View fieldfare was feeding on the ground on Friday 21st.

A lapwing feeding in Feldy View on Friday was an unusual sight - it didn't stay for long and was soon off after a few minutes.

Two stonechats were along the Strood seawall on Friday, also two kingfishers seen along the Strood borrowdyke. One of them had perched on the Strood sluice and when another kingfisher appeared, they both flew off low along the water towards the Strood road direction. A marsh harrier, 20 avocets, 20 linnets and a rock pipit were other birds of note.

Andy Field snapped this very active firecrest in Shop Lane at Fishponds Wood on Friday. Two were first seen here a week earlier on the 15th by Martin Cock.

Later at the Esplanade Andy saw a great northern diver offshore, while Steve Entwistle reported a red-breasted merganser flying east and two Mediterranean gulls.