STROOD GREAT WHITE

The regular great white egret was back again in the weedy fields beside the Strood on Monday 16th. It has been stalking the fields and borrowdyke for the last month or so - especially since the fields have become wetter.

The flooded borrowdyke beside the Strood seawall appears to have happened because the sluice flap has wedged open allowing seawater to pour in during the high tide! Usually the flap on the outside of the sluice is closed by the rising tide, which prevents seawater pouring in.

The black brant was feeding with 100 brent geese in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Monday 16th. In the channel were great crested grebe, 30 avocets and 100 dunlin.

A flock of nine fieldfares was on bushes beside the Strood seawall on Monday, also here was a pair of stonechats and fifty linnets. In the nearby field 500 golden plover were gathered, also a Mediterranean gull with some black-headed gulls. Two marsh harriers flew over, while a sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a kestrel over Feldy View.

Two blackcaps were in the Firs Chase garden on Monday.

A firecrest was photographed by Andy Field in Shop Lane on Saturday 14th.

The firecrest was in trees beside the layby at Fishponds Wood - Andy's photo.

Another of Andy's photos of the firecrest - the same bird was first seen several weeks ago in the same area. The other overwintering firecrest on the island is at West Mersea beside the Firs Chase caravan park.

Andy watched the harriers going into the Langenhoe roost from the Shop Lane seawall on Saturday later afternoon and counted 15 marsh harriers but no hen harrier. Also seen were three buzzards, ten pintail and 1000 brent geese on the Shop Lane field.

Steve Entwistle saw two little owls in Bromans Lane near the farm on Saturday late afternoon at dusk, with one of the birds calling behind the Bromans white house.

Nice to see the sun shining on Saturday over the Pyefleet channel, where four red-breasted mergansers, five pintail, ten shoveler, forty black-tailed godwits, thirty knot and the leucistic redshank were seen. Most of the five marsh harriers noted were over on Langenhoe.

The Big Farmland Bird Count was carried out for thirty minutes at Maydays farm beside this game cover crop on Saturday. The main birds noted were two buzzards, four song thrushes and a Cetti's warbler. A chiffchaff was seen in nearby bushes.

A wren made the most of Saturday's warm sunshine in the Firs Chase garden, sunbathing on the side of a tree!

On Friday 13th a skein of 18 white-fronted geese was heard calling first before being seen, as they flew up the Strood channel, passing over Ray Island as they continued to the north-east. A pair of Egyptian geese were seen briefly flying along the Feldy Marsh seawall. The great white egret was in the Strood fields, also the pair of stonechat and fifty linnets.

Three blackcaps were in the Firs Chase garden on the fatballs again on Friday.

Daryl Rhymes watched an adult little gull fly out of the Blackwater estuary on Friday, seen from the Esplanade. Twenty red-throated divers were also seen mostly flying east, also a great northern diver dropped in.

There was a larger than usual flock of 250 golden plover on the Strood field on Thursday. The pictures posted on this blogspot often lose their sharpness but there are 27 golden plover in this picture!

As well as the golden plover in the Strood field on Thursday, some of the 250 lapwings seen during the walk were in this field, also two great white egrets, grey heron and fifty linnets. Two marsh harriers, two buzzards were flying about, while a red-breasted merganser was in the channel.

Three redwing flew over Feldy View.

A jay rested in a tree beside the Firs Chase caravan park on Thursday.

Steve Grimwade walked the Cudmore Grove to Shop Lane circuit on Wednesday 11th and noted a male hen harrier over Reeveshall, 3 marsh harriers, 16 red-breasted mergansers, sparrowhawk, four stonechats, 1500 brent geese including a colour-ringed bird. Also two grey squirrels in Shop Lane and two grey squirrels in Cudmore Grove.

Martin Cock at Maydays on Wednesday also saw the male hen harrier heading towards the Fingringhoe Wick nature reserve, a male marsh harrier, great white egret, 2 buzzards, 8 Canada geese and a calling water rail.

Andy Field heard a wigeon flying over his garden in High Street North late on Wednesday night - a garden tick!

The West Mersea firecrest beside the Firs Chase caravan park was seen on Tuesday by Andy Field.

Birds noted during a walk along the Strood seawall on Tuesday included 52 avocets, two marsh harriers, buzzard, 60 golden plover, 80 linnets, 2 stonechat, 2 rock pipits, ten pied wagtails, male reed bunting singing and two song thrushes by the caravan park.

On Tuesday afternoon Steve Entwistle at Maydays reported 4 yellowhammers, 6 corn buntings, Cetti's warbler and a mute swan pair.

The previous afternoon on Monday 9th, Steve at Maydays reported water rail, 105 shelduck, 3 shoveler, 5 pintail, mute swan pair, 55 grey plover, 500 dunlin, Mediterranean gull, two redwing, 3 rock pipits, 3 corn buntings and 15 linnets. 

In Empress Drive Steve saw a mobile flock of 12 fieldfares and also 13 goldfinches.