STROOD RAZORBILL

A razorbill in the Strood channel on Thursday 20th was a surprise. It provided great views in good light from the nearby Strood seawall, staying on the water surface for the duration of the 10-15 minutes it was watched. It flapped its wings once and drifted slowly in the high tide that had just turned. It was seen a short while later by Martin Cock looking from the Dabchicks early afternoon but not seen subsequently. Razorbills are very rare visitors to the waters round Mersea, although the last one was seen just a couple of years ago from the Hard in November 2023.

Other birds noted in the Strood channel on Thursday included 200 brent geese, 40 avocets, two marsh harriers, sparrowhawk, two buzzards, two kestrels, two stonechats and three rock pipits. Two redpolls flew away from a birch tree in Feldy View. 

Two goldcrests were seen in Firs Chase.

A Sandwich tern was seen off the Esplanade on Thursday by Martin Cock.

At East Mersea a merlin was seen over the Cudmore Grove grazing fields by Carrie Horwood on Thursday.

On Wednesday 19th a red kite was seen by Michael Thorley flying west over his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane.

Two red squirrels were seen by Mollie Kirk in her garden at the Cudmore Grove bungalow on Wednesday, seen visiting her peanut feeders.

A pleasant sunny walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday 18th as the tide was coming in, brought this redshank close to the seawall. Also along the channel were 100 wigeon, 100 teal, 60 avocets, marsh harrier, buzzard, kingfisher by the sluice, three stonechats, three rock pipits.

In Feldy View a chiffchaff and goldcrest were noted, while a redpoll flew over Firs Chase calling.

At Cudmore Grove on Tuesday, a kingfisher was watched by Carrie Horwood for twenty minutes, in trees beside the park pond and seen fishing constantly. Other birds of note seen during her walk to the Point included kestrel, sparrowhawk, marsh harrier, four stonechats, 107 brent geese, 34 curlew, 200 redshank, 80 turnstones, 2 pintail, 22 ringed plover, snipe, rock pipit, four gadwall, six shoveler, four avocets, 62 wigeon, 26 teal and seven little egrets. A red squirrel was seen at the park in the hedge behind the toilets and bungalow. 

Five greenfinches were seen at the park by Steve Entwistle on Tuesday.

A firecrest was seen in Fishponds Wood near the old decoy bunker in Shop Lane by Mark Thomson on Tuesday.

A tawny owl was heard calling at 6.15am on Tuesday near Meeting Lane by Michael Thorley.

The brent geese were feeding over the saltmarsh at high tide in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Monday 17th. Three hundred brent were noted feeding over the flooded saltmarshes along the Strood channel, along with 100 wigeon, 100 teal and 50 shelduck.

Waders found it difficult finding areas of saltmarsh not under water at high tide along the Strood on Monday. This curlew didn't stay for much longer on this small patch of saltmarsh.

Seventy black-tailed godwits were seen along the Strood on Monday, also 30 avocets and 200 dunlin.

A kingfisher was perched on the Strood seawall sluice on Monday. Two marsh harriers, two pairs of stonechats, six rock pipits along the seawall, 80 linnets and ten reed buntings also noted in the area.

At Firs Chase  the firecrest was seen again in the garden with a tit flock, also a chiffchaff.

At Cudmore Grove on Monday, Mark Thomson reported a chiffchaff, 14 curlew near the Away Resorts holiday park and a further 28 curlew seen near the Golfhouse.

A red squirrel was seen at Cudmore Grove on Monday by Mollie Kirk in hedgerows near the bungalow feeding on berries.

Also in East Mersea a tawny owl was seen by Sarah Thorley in her garden near Meeting Lane just after sunset on Monday. Carrie Horwood reported hearing the tawny owl most recent nights in Fairhaven Avenue.

Birds noted along the Strood channel on Sunday 16th included 50 black-tailed godwits, 500 dunlin, 400 golden plover, 30 avocets, 70 lapwing, sparrowhawk, buzzard, forty linnets and a stonechat. A fieldfare was seen in Feldy View.

At Cudmore Grove on Sunday a chiffchaff and two goldcrests were seen with a long-tailed tit flock near the pond by Mollie Kirk, also a red squirrel feeding on hawthorn berries near the park's toilet block.

Andy Field on the Shop Lane seawall, counted thirteen marsh harriers flying into their roost on Langenhoe Point on Sunday late afternoon. No sign of the firecrests in Shop Lane.

A male blackcap was seen feeding on ivy berries in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday 15th. A presumed visitor for the rest of the winter here in the garden.

A very misty and dull walk along the Maydays seawall on Saturday 15th provided views of only two marsh harriers, buzzard, two redwing, two stonechats, two yellowhammers, two Cetti's warblers only heard, 15 avocets and 11 little egrets.

At East Mersea on Saturday a female goldeneye was seen flying upriver past the Point by Ed Bateman, also seen were a grey wagtail flying over towards the Pyefleet, kingfisher and Mediterranean gull at the Oyster Fishery.

Two firecrests were found in Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane by Martin Cock on Saturday, also two goldcrests and a sparrowhawk seen by Steve Entwistle there. At least 20 Mediterranean gulls were seen in fields near Bocking Hall by Steve.

The mothing-trapping season is drawing to a close as the nights get colder but these three Oak Rustics were still of note in the Firs Chase garden moth trap on 15th November. This species is slowly increasing in the county since it was first recorded in Essex only nine years ago.

The immigrant Pearly Underwing moth noted on the 15th was the first one on Mersea since 2007. With this individual showing a worn and very plain condition, I'm not sure if it was worth the wait of 18 years!

Andy Field photographed this Green Meshweaver spider Nigma walckenaeri in his West Mersea house on the 19th.

Michael Thorley enjoyed his best ever crop of Agaricus mushrooms in his East Mersea garden this last week.