REEVESHALL MERLIN

 

A male merlin was seen perched on a distant fencepost on Reeveshall on Monday 16th, whilst I was carrying out the monthly wildfowl count along the north side of the island. The merlin spent at least an hour on the post and wasn't seen to fly away. Earlier a small raptor was seen in the area being mobbed by a carrion crow, which might've been this same bird seen from a distance.

A peregrine was seen taking off from a Maydays field and flying up the Pyefleet, spooking all the waders and wildfowl.

In the Pyefleet were 16 pintail, 14 red-breasted mergansers, 300 knot, 145 avocets, 136 teal, 200 shelduck, 300 brent geese on Maydays and seven Canada geese on Reeveshall.

A great northern diver and black-throated diver were seen offshore from West Mersea by Charlie Williams on Monday.

Two male blackcaps were feeding in an ivy bush in the Firs Chase garden on Monday morning.

As well as 63 sanderling seen at the East Mersea Point on Monday, the shorelark was still seen feeding along the strandline. Four bar-tailed godwits were by the Point, 400 wigeon in the grazing fields, 300 brent geese by the Golfhouse and 11 shoveler on the park pond with 60 teal and 60 mallard.

Earlier on Monday Martin Cock saw the purple sandpiper at the East Mersea Point, also 45 sanderling, merlin trying to catch small birds, rock pipit, stonechat and a mistle thrush near the Golfhouse.

At Barrow Hill, a woodcock was flushed by Rob Lee on Monday, and later a male hen harrier and a marsh harrier were seen by him over Bower Hall marsh.

On Sunday 15th it was high tide over the Rewsalls Marsh beside Coopers Beach, where a kingfisher, 20 snipe, 170 teal, 12 shelduck were noted. Also 20 great crested grebes offshore, a knot on the beach, 30 curlews in the field with 5 Mediterranean gulls, six fieldfares by the church, Cetti's warbler and two rock pipits noted.

The shorelark was seen at East Mersea Point on Sunday by Zane Sargent, but no sign of the snow bunting seen the previous day.

A flock of 300 brent geese was feeding in the wheat field at Maydays farm on Saturday 14th.

When the brent flock got spooked off the Maydays field, they dropped down into the nearby Pyefleet for a while on Saturday morning. Also in the Pyefleet were 6 red-breasted mergansers, 8 great crested grebes and 300 knot, while also noted in the area were four marsh harriers, three buzzards, 45 fieldfares, five redwings, two stonechats, sixty meadow pipits and a Cetti's warbler.

At Cudmore Grove on Saturday, James Taylor saw the snow bunting at East Mersea Point, also a peregrine chasing a flock of waders.

On Friday 13th it was unlucky for Jonathan Bustard trying to see the shorelark as there was no sign of it, however he did find a snow bunting at the East Mersea Point instead, also a rock pipit.

The large field near Feldy View had a big feeding flock of 100 rooks and 100 jackdaws in it, also a buzzard there, while three bar-tailed godwits were feeding near the Dabchicks on Friday morning.

The shorelark was still feeding on the East Mersea Point on Thursday 12th. Other birds noted in the area were rock pipit, stonechat, 200 knot and four great crested grebes in the river, while a mixed finch flock was by the Golfhouse with ten chaffinches, ten greenfinches and eight goldfinches seen. 

Andy Field was surprised to have this kestrel perch so close to him at Cudmore Grove, that he could take this photograph of it, on a very dull Thursday. He also saw the shorelark earlier in the day and thirty sanderling, rock pipit and a chiffchaff.

Michael Thorley saw a great spotted woodpecker in this East Mersea garden on Thursday, the first sighting of the year there.

On Wednesday 11th a great northern diver was seen offshore from the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle, while a Slavonian grebe was reported off Cudmore Grove.

A brief walk in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Wednesday provided views of ten avocets, three bar-tailed godwits and three buzzards.

The shorelark was seen on Tuesday 10th at East Mersea Point by Shaun Bater, which was reassuring to hear following the lucky escape from the clutches of a pursuing merlin the previous day.

Along the Strood on Tuesday were 100 wigeon, 150 teal, 23 little grebes, 300 golden plover, 52 avocets, 50 knot, while in and around the fields were three buzzards, 100 rooks, 100 jackdaws, two stonechats and a Cetti's warbler.

STROOD HEN HARRIER

A male hen harrier flying low across the Strood fields on Monday 9th was a nice surprise. It was first spotted as it came over the seawall from the south-west, then flying quickly low to the north-east. This record shot was taken as it flew across the back of the large grass field.

 

Other birds noted during the walk along the Strood seawall on Monday were 138 shelduck, 100 teal - some pictured with a curlew and a wigeon, also 52 avocets, 25 black-tailed godwits, two bar-tailed godwits, four buzzards, Cetti's warbler and two pairs of stonechats. A chiffchaff was seen in the Firs Chase garden with long-tailed tits.

At East Mersea the shorelark was still present on Monday at the Point, although Chris Poole watched it narrowly escape the clutches of a female / imm merlin which chased it around for twenty seconds before the shorelark dived for safety into the bushes. The female eider was seen off the Point by Colin Mackenzie-Grieve.

Andy Field saw two great northern divers, red-throated diver, 30 great crested grebes, two Mediterranean gulls and five sanderling from the West Mersea Esplanade on Monday.

A nice arch of a rainbow appeared over the Strood fields on Sunday 8th.

Birds noted in the area included 20 avocets, marsh harrier, stonechat, ten corn buntings, forty skylarks and a chiffchaff calling again near Feldy View.

The shorelark was seen at East Mersea Point by Andy Goodey, as were the purple sandpiper, an eider, 12 sanderling, also six redwing noted.

Steve Entwistle saw a great northern diver offshore from the Esplanade, also a Mediterranean gull, while at Tesco a sparrowhawk flew past.

On Saturday 7th the only birds noted on a wet and windy morning included 20 avocets, Mediterranean gull, two stonechats, ten corn buntings and a song thrush.

The sun shone along the Strood channel on Friday 6th and near the Dabchicks sailing club were this grey plover and bar-tailed godwit - one of seven seen bar-tailed godwits seen. Also 61 avocets, 300 golden plover in the channel and a snipe seen in flight.

A male teal in the Strood - 100 were noted on Friday.

Also 100 wigeon in the Strood on Friday, 100 brent geese too.

A redshank feeding along the Strood.

A curlew feeding in the Strood channel on Friday.

Two buzzards perched on a telegraph pole at the back of the Strood fields on Friday. A marsh harrier and two kestrels also seen, while in the fields were 35 corn buntings, 70 rooks and a stonechat. A mistle thrush was seen in the tall poplars by the Firs Caravan park.

The shorelark was still present on the East Mersea Point on Friday.

A red-necked grebe and Slavonian grebe were seen at high tide in Salcott Channel by Steve Entwistle viewing from the Hard car park on Friday. Twenty marsh harriers were seen gathering over Old Hall going to roost late afternoon.

A blackcap was seen by Andy Field in his High Street North garden on Friday.

On Thursday the shorelark was seen by Paul Everett at East Mersea Point, also 155 wigeon, eider, rock pipit, 6 meadow pipit, 8 redshank, 73 brent geese, 5 shelduck, shoveler, 4 teal, 6 turnstone, two dunlin and two pied wagtails.

Andy Field and Martin Cock saw 12 common scoter offshore from the Esplanade on Thursday, also red-throated diver, while from Coast Road two hen harriers and a marsh harrier were seen over Old Hall.

Along the Strood on Thursday were 95 shelduck, 100 wigeon, 56 oystercatcher, 44 avocets, 200 golden plover, 20 black-tailed godwits, 50 knot, 7 bar-tailed godwits, two marsh harriers, buzzard, 40 skylarks, two stonechats and two rock pipits.

On Wednesday 4th Liz Huxley saw the shorelark at East Mersea Point, also red-breasted merganser, 50 turnstones, 10 sanderling and 500 golden plover.

Offshore from the Esplanade on Wednesday, two great northern divers and 28 great crested grebes were seen by Steve Entwistle, also a peregrine on Bradwell power station. The black brant was opposite the Hard car park in the afternoon.

A brief visit to the Strood on Wednesday revealed 40 avocets and seven bar-tailed godwits, a chiffchaff was calling near Feldy View while a goldcrest was in the Firs Chase garden.

SQUIRREL DUO

Two red squirrels visited the Firs Chase garden on Monday 9th to look for walnuts laid out for them.

 

Both red squirrels were dashing about the place, including over the roof of the house.

It didn't take them long to carry the walnuts away and bury them in various places.

Some walnuts were buried in the lawn, others in pots, one even hidden in the ivy on the side of a wall.

It's been a few weeks since two reds squirrels have been seen together here.

One or two walnuts just had to be eaten and not buried!

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.

FELDY REDPOLL

A redpoll was feeding in a birch tree in Feldy View on Sunday 1st. After a few minutes it flew west over the caravan park. Redpolls have been a bit scarce this autumn on the island.

The black brant was with a small group of brent geese behind the Dabchicks Sailing Club on Sunday. There were about 200 brent in the Strood channel, also three shoveler flying to Ray Channel and 30 avocets. In the fields were 30 corn buntings, two stonechats, two buzzards and a rock pipit by the saltmarsh.

The first mistle thrush of the winter beside the mistletoe clumps high in the poplar trees at the Firs Caravan park was seen on Sunday morning.

A male stonechat perched up on the Strood seawall on Friday 29th. Ten corn buntings were in the fields, Cetti's warbler, three buzzards and a marsh harrier were in the area. Birds of note along the channel were twenty avocets and fifty golden plover, also a pair of mute swans.

At East Mersea Point the purple sandpiper was seen by Mollie Kirk on Sunday, present for its fourth day.

On Saturday the purple sandpiper was seen at the Point by Steve Entwistle, also there 12 sanderling and 25 turnstones, also a Cetti's warbler near the Golfhouse path to seawall.

A mistle thrush flew over Firs Chase on Saturday and perched on top of a cedar tree in the garden for a minute or so before flying off calling. The first garden sighting for more than fifteen years!

Andy Field found a purple sandpiper on the East Mersea Point on Thursday 28th and took this photograph of it. It stayed on the beach during the high tide period during the late morning but not seen in the afternoon.

Steve Entwistle had good views of a water rail in the dyke near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Thursday. A little owl was at the back of the Golfhouse, also six meadow pipits, 45 avocets, 28 moorhens, knot, six black-tailed godwits and also five snipe that got flushed from the saltmarsh pools by a paramotor.

Birds were showing well in the bright morning sunshine along the Strood channel on Thursday 28th - such as this grey plover feeding on the mud close to the seawall.

A redshank and grey plover seen along the Strood channel on Thursday.

Seventy black-tailed godwits, one pictured, were feeding along the Strood on Thursday, also two bar-tailed godwits. Other birds along the channel were 300 brent geese, 150 wigeon, 50 teal, 50 shelduck, 50 avocets, snipe in flight, 50 knot and 500 dunlin.

A male kestrel perched on wires near Feldy View on Thursday, also four marsh harriers and three buzzards and a sparrowhawk noted, while in the fields were 20 skylarks and ten corn buntings.

On Wednesday 27th a male goosander flew north-west over the field near Feldy View, heading to the Strood channel where it turned towards the Hard. A peregrine flew over the fields among the wood pigeons and feral pigeons, before heading over the caravan park. Three kestrels, sparrowhawk, three Mediterranean gulls and two bar-tailed godwits were also noted.

A great northern diver and Mediterranean gull were seen offshore by Steve Entwistle from Kingsland Road on Wednesday.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday, Michael Thorley reported a little grebe, mute swan cygnet, kestrel, 8 teal, two stonechats, 90 wigeon, three redshank and two shelduck.

A red squirrel was rummaging through the leaves on the back garden lawn in Firs Chase on Wednesday.

Meanwhile in the front garden in Firs Chase there was the unwelcome sight of a grey squirrel at the bird feeders - present at the same time as the red squirrel in the back garden.

STROOD SHELDUCK

There were lots of shelduck along the Strood channel on Tuesday 26th with 100 noted -their numbers have increased in the last week or so. Other wildfowl seen were the black brant at the Hard, 150 brent geese, 150 wigeon and 70 teal, also 20 little grebes in the channel too.

Waders seen along the Strood on Tuesday included 130 black-tailed godwits, one pictured, and 300 golden plover.

A flock of 44 avocet was seen roosting on the Strood channel mud on Tuesday.

Over the fields a peregrine was chasing after the big feeding flock of wood pigeons and 200 feral doves. A marsh harrier, three buzzards, sparrowhawk were seen, also a red kite crossing over Salcott Channel to Copt Hall.

A male yellowhammer perched on a bush near the Strood seawall before flying over to Ray Island, also ten corn buntings, three stonechats, 30 skylarks and a Cetti's warbler. A goldcrest was in Firs Chase.

On Monday Jon Ward photographed these wigeon at Cudmore Grove.

Male wigeon at Cudmore Grove photographed by Jon.

A rock pipit at Cudmore Grove photographed by Jon on Monday.

Rock pipit at Cudmore Grove by Jon - who also saw two red-breasted mergansers, a few sanderling in with dunlin and oystercatchers.

A pale-bellied brent goose, pictured right, was feeding with a handful of dark-bellied brent just off St Peters by the houseboats on Monday. In the Mersea Quarters there were 100 dark-bellied brent geese, also the black brant was by the Hard.

Offshore from St Peters were two great northern divers, red-throated diver and three great crested grebes. Three little egrets, rock pipit and a skylark were noted at St Peters too.

Andy Field saw a red-throated diver and a great northern diver offshore from the Esplanade on Monday, which were likely the same birds also seen from St Peters earlier in the morning.

The only birds of note seen on a short visit to the Strood seawall on a windy Sunday 24th were a stonechat, great crested grebe and four avocets.

 

On a wet Saturday 23rd the black brant was photographed with the phone at the West Mersea Hard, also 100 brent geese, Mediterranean gull, while a stonechat and rock pipit were noted near the Strood seawall.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday 21st were 105 shelduck, 150 wigeon, 50 teal, 18 little grebes, 30 avocets, 20 knot, 30 black-tailed godwits and three bar-tailed godwits.

A kingfisher flew over the seawall and perched very briefly on the sluice railings before flying away and down the channel to the Hard. Also seen were a marsh harrier, 40 skylarks, stonechat, 25 corn buntings, while a chiffchaff and six redwing were near the Firs Caravan park.

Off the Esplanade on Thursday, Andy Field reported a great northern diver, red-throated diver, five red-breasted mergansers, seven common scoter, gadwall and 63 great crested grebes, also a distant peregrine on Bradwell power station.

At Cudmore Grove Mollie Kirk had a very productive afternoon watch from the small meadow behind the cliff, seeing three spoonbills flying west, seven great white egrets flying east, great northern diver, peregrine and eleven sanderling.

Joined the RSPB on a boat trip on Wednesday 20th to survey birds seen using the beach recharges of Packing Shed island, pictured, also Cobmarsh Island, Old Hall Point and Shinglehead Point at Tollesbury Wick. There was a chilly north-westerly breeze blowing and we didn't get too wet with spray in Jim Pullen's boat.

A red-necked grebe was an unexpected sighting near Packing Shed and almost ran it over after spotting it at the last moment before it dived under. It resurfaced later giving better views and we saw it later the east side of Packing Shed island. A kingfisher flew away from the causeway as we boarded the boat and then a second bird was seen flying from Cobmarsh to Packing Shed. 

Five red-breasted mergansers were seen near the entrance to the Mersea Quarters, also two great crested grebes and large flights of 200+ cormorants heading back to Abberton.

On Cobmarsh Island seven pintail were of note, also roosting were 100+ oystercatchers, 20 ringed plover, 20 sanderling and three little egrets. Two common scoter were seen near Shinglehead Point.

On Tuesday 19th birds noted during a brief walk along the Strood seawall included 1000 wood pigeons feeding in the fields, three stonechats, 30 linnets, buzzard, two sparrowhawks. The only birds of interest in the channel were five bar-tailed godwits, 100 golden plover and ten little grebes.

On Monday 18th Andy Field and I carried out the monthly WeBS count walking from Maydays to Cudmore Grove counting waders and wildfowl. The biggest flock of brent geese we saw was just over 300 feeding in the field by the East Mersea Golfhouse.

Other highlights were ten red-breasted mergansers and two eider in the Colne, common scoter and 90+ great crested grebes off the park, six marsh harriers, two buzzards, four stonechats at Maydays also there 20 fieldfares, 10 redwing, yellowhammer, three Cetti's warblers and 30+ chaffinches.

Along the Pyefleet were 55 avocets, 41 shoveler, two snipe, 17 great crested grebes, 6 rock pipits, 17 linnets at the Point, sparrowhawk, two calling water rails at the park pond. As the tide dropped flocks of 1000 knot and 1000 dunlin were seen flying up into the Colne past the Point. A muntjac deer was seen at Reeveshall and two common seals in the Pyefleet.

Michael Thorley visited Coopers Beach on Monday and reported 132 brent geese, 10 grey plover, 7 little egrets, 20 mallard, 2 shelduck, 4 teal, 34 turnstone, and 64 great crested grebes offshore.

On Sunday 17th Tony Kennelly visited Cudmore Grove and saw 300 brent geese, two eider, 2 common scoter, 10 red-breasted mergansers, 20 moorhens, 50 golden plover, 20 curlew, Mediterranean gull, two Cetti's warblers, three goldcrest and two stonechats along the seawall.