BURNING THE CALORIES

Burnt off a few calories on Boxing Day with a good long walk along some of the East Mersea footpaths. It was a brighter day today but still chilly with some of the ground still frozen, as in this field at Rewsalls Farm.

A peregrine flew over the fields here disturbing some of the golden plovers, lapwings and wood pigeons feeding in the fields. On the frozen Rewsalls marshes, 40 curlew and golden plover were roosting during the high tide along with a few lapwing. Three corn buntings perched on a dead tree and a reed bunting was also noted near here too.

The tide was just starting to turn early in the afternoon and along the beach by Coopers Beach, were 50 turnstone, 15 sanderling as well as a few redshank, oystercatcher and grey plovers. There was nothing of interest at sea other than a number of gulls, one great crested grebe and 4 mallard.

There was a very impressive flock of 200+ skylarks flying about the rape field to the east of Coopers Beach. Helping to scatter these larks was a sparrowhawk, hunting slowly around the field, hoping to surprise a small bird out of the crop. Two hundred brent geese were also feeding in the rape field, occasionally flying out to land on the nearby sea if they got disturbed.

There was no sign of the waxwings near the East Mersea pub today, although 25 waxwings were seen feeding on the bushes by the road near the Peldon Rose pub, just off the Island, in the afternoon.

One coal tit was visiting the feeder by the Shop Lane conifer wood in the afternoon. Two swans flew over Shop Lane in the late afternoon and could've been Bewicks, heading to Reeveshall. Earlier in the day Martin Dence reported seeing a barn owl hunting again at Bromans Lane in the morning and also the kingfisher was seen at their farm pond again.

WAXWINGS FOR XMAS

A pleasant surprise on Xmas day morning was finding a small flock of waxwings as I drove along the East Mersea road. Fourteen birds perched up in some of the bushes opposite the Dog and Pheasant pub.



The waxwings were feeding mainly on some hawthorn berries in one of the gardens but if you were in the pub pictured above, you could've had a nice warm view of them in the bushes on the opposite side of the road. The flock that was seen three weeks ago was very near to this spot and comprised about the same number of birds, so this could be the same flock come back again. Needless to say, some of the local birdwatchers this morning managed to escape from their kitchens ahead of Xmas lunch to come and view the waxwings.


Most of the country park was obscured by freezing fog early in the morning and visibility was poor - and it was very cold. The only birds seen on the frozen fields were 30 lapwing. At the park pond 100+ wildfowl were still occupying the little bit of exposed water with gadwall, mallard, teal and shoveler the main ducks present. A female sparrowhawk flashed along the hedgeline and perched on a post briefly. One fox was hunting over the park in mid morning and another one was curled up sleeping on the frozen ground near the pond.

Not much could be seen at a very foggy Point although the large outline of a female marsh harrier was seen flying low over the saltmarsh before crossing the river.

Both Helen Mussett and Martin Dence saw the barn owl hunting near Bromans Lane at different times during the morning and also a kingfisher was also seen at Bromans Farm. Martin Cock saw a spotted redshank at Maydays Farm feeding beside one of the outflows in Maydays creeks.

Yesterday Andy Field noted from Reeveshall 2 hen harriers and at least 22 marsh harriers going into the Langenhoe roost. Also noted in the area were 1000 brent geese, 16 goldeneye, 6 red-breasted mergansers and 100+ avocets.

RELUCTANT THAW

It was still very cold on Thursday 23rd with a fresh northerly wind blowing in the occasional snow flurry during the day. Most of the snow has melted at the country park, as shown in the picture above. However yesterday's slight thaw turning snow to slush, all froze solid overnight.
The lack of visitors to the park in the last few days has allowed up to 50 golden plover and a few lapwings the rare opportunity to fed undisturbed on the main field.

The park pond and surrounding area seemed to have the greatest variety of birds to look at. Most of the pond is still frozen with 100+ wildfowl gathered round the open water section. Forty gadwall were the most interesting ducks busy in the water. Close to the pond a redshank dropped down onto a part of the field to feed near a snipe and some moorhens. A well-marked male sparrowhawk with a bright peach-coloured chest, perched on a hedge by the pond for a few minutes.

The nearby grazing fields still looked frozen although a scattering of waders were present such as black-tailed godwits, curlews, lapwings, golden plover, grey plover and redshank too.

On Wednesday a woodcock flew over the park, heading towards the field behind the pond. As it flew over a hedge, lots of the tits could be heard calling anxiously as if concerned they'd seen this as some sort of owl passing by. A female sparrowhawk was busy hunting all over the park and surrounding fields, panicking all the birds in its flight-path. Meanwhile a female marsh harrier was slowly checking the saltmarsh near the Point, scattering wigeon, teal and lots of waders as it flew slowly along.



The park was still covered in plenty of snow on Monday 20th and the appearance of the sun was a welcome sight. Not many cars have ventured into the car park, pictured above. Four fieldfares flew over the car park on Tuesday and later, 2 redwing were seen too.


The pond never froze completely over with the area close to the willow trees staying ice-free helped by all the ducks swimming around. Fifty gadwall on Tuesday was the highest count for the pond and outnumbering all the other ducks present.




The sea from the park on Monday morning was calm which made a change. There was a notable passage of 100+ red-throated divers well offshore, seen flying east towards Colne Point from the direction of the Dengie. The birds presumably making their way north up the Essex coast, taking in a circuit round the outer reaches of the Blackwater and Colne estuaries. Two big flocks of the divers were seen flying, with one 35 birds and another 45 birds.

Very little else has been seen in the estuary during the week other than 15 great crested grebes, 10 red-breasted mergansers and a skein of 28 greylag geese, which I tried to make into white-fronted geese.

Martin Cock had the unusual sight of 2 taiga bean geese flying over Maydays on Tuesday, circling over some fields with brent geese before flying off west. There was a good view of a male hen harrier hunting there and also lots of small birds seen including 100 corn buntings. A barn owl was reported hunting over fields near the Strood Hill on Thursday morning.

Maybe the last moth sighting of the year - four winter moths resting on the lit window at the park on Tuesday evening, even with the temperature only one or two degrees above freezing!

BACK IN THE GRIP OF WINTER

There was at least two inches of snow covering the country park on Sunday 19th. It stayed grey and overcast all day with a very cold breeze that meant you didn't want to stand around outside too long.


High tide in the morning, and these three redshank were ready in place for the sea to uncover the mud underneath them. Facing into the cold easterly breeze, they had their eyes tight shut as they perched on the posts next to the country park beach.

The most unexpected sighting for this time of the year was an immature gannet seen flying fast and straight towards the mouth of the river Colne, before turning round and heading back out to Colne Point. As it flew back out, the two velvet scoters appeared in the same field of view as they bobbed on the surface of the choppy sea. Occasional glimpses of the white on the folded wing were seen but both birds remained as distant black ducks. Also seen were 2 goldeneye, red-breasted mergansers as well as small flocks of wigeon and brent flying well offshore.



The grazing fields were a bleak winter wasteland covered in ice and snow. A roost of 200 golden plovers and 25 lapwing waited in the fields. It looked very chilly and exposed for them as they stood snoozing in the snow.

Thirty skylarks were seen flying over the park, as they headed for easier feeding elsewhere. In a field by the East Mersea pub another 100 skylarks were seen. More eyecatching was a barn owl out hunting in mid afternoon the rape field opposite the pub. The whiter-than-white underparts of the owl reflected the brightness of the white snow on the ground as it flew low across the field. It looked like more like a very white seagull rather than an owl, especially flying around in broad daylight. Finding food must be very hard, especially with frozen, snow-covered ground.



As usual the foxes were out on the prowl around the park pond as dusk approached and this one was snuffling after something in the snow A second fox ventured confidently out onto the ice towards the 100+ wildfowl gathered around some open water. The ducks quickly dropped into the water as the fox approached and the fox then sat down on the ice beside the wildfowl. It eventually saw this fox pictured above, over near the hide and quickly chased it away.

In the water-hole were 40 gadwall, 30 mallard, 12 coot, 25 moorhen, little grebe, 5 shoveler and 10 teal. Scuttling across the ice under the willow bushes were 3 water rails. In bushes nearby, 40 greenfinches waited to drop down to roost for the night.

A woodcock flew away quickly from under some trees near a path close to the hide. As the park gates were being closed at nightfall, a second woodcock swooped overhead, nearly dropping down close-by to find somewhere to feed. Also making an appearance was a little owl that sat on a tree on the edge of the car park, staring at me for a minute or so, before flying to the far side of the car park.

OUT BEFORE THE SNOW

It was so cold on Saturday 18th that the waves lapping onto the beach by the country park were leaving behind ice. The high-tide line was covered with a mass of ice that looked just like snow. The morning stayed dry but with a very cold wind. Early in the afternoon the snow arrived and by the end of the day an inch of snow carpeted the park.

Offshore two velvet scoter were seen from the park bobbing up and down in the choppy sea, occasionally diving down, they were hard to keep a track of. After a while the birds took off, displaying their white wing-bars as confirmation of the scoter species. They flew fast and low further out to sea, heading towards Colne Point before turning back westwards towards the Dengie.

Joining Martin Cock, we braved the cold to walk to the Point. A female common scoter drifted out of the river with the tide. Probably the first time both scoter species have been seen from the park in the same day. Also seen in the river were 6 red-breasted mergansers and 4 great crested grebes.

Lots of waders were gathering on the mud by the Point ready to feed as soon as the tide started to recede. Ten sanderling fed close in on the beach, 10 bar-tailed godwits and 50 avocets joined the familiar flocks of dunlin, knot, grey plover and redshank along with a few of the other species too. A rock pipit called out from the edge of the saltmarsh.

Around the saltmarsh and edge of the river were groups of wigeon and teal. In the distance on Langenhoe, more ducks could be seen including a small group of 10 pintail, probably disturbed by one of the 4 marsh harriers flying around.

The park fields were frozen with 70 lapwing and 50 golden plover the main waders seen here. On the park pond one small corner remained unfrozen where 30 gadwall were feeding with mallard, a few teal and shoveler. One snipe fed on the grass by the pond beside some of the moorhens.


The bushes are quickly losing their berries during this cold weather although in some places a few can still be seen such as these sloes on a blackthorn bush at the park. Not many groups of birds around the park with 15 goldfinches in alders by the pond the biggest flock. A couple of song thrushes and a few blackbirds and chaffinches were also noted but not much else. A sparrowhawk was seen crossing the field on the west side of the park.

BRIEF THAW

Although it has stayed cold in recent days, a partial thaw has been taking place with some of the watercourses ice-free. There was quite a bit of rain on Thursday 16th which helped to saturate the already wet ground.

There were quite a few waders and wildfowl on the wet grazing fields, pictured above, although not as many birds as before the cold snap began. Around 400 wigeon were back on the fields as were some of the 100 teal. However there was still a group of 100 teal resting on the outer edge of the nearby mudflats. Also present were 20 shoveler, 25 mallard, 8 gadwall, 50 black-tailed godwit and 4 greylag geese.

At the half- frozen pond, 14 gadwall and 20 mallard were noted along with some coots while 20 moorhens nibbled the grass on the nearby field. In the park one of the regular goldcrests was seen near the car park, while 14 long-tailed tits worked their way along the cliff-top trees. Ian Black saw a woodcock fly out from the trees on the clifftop in the afternoon, for the second day running.

In the estuary 8 red-breasted mergansers and 6 great crested grebes were the only birds noted in the river. There was an unusually high number of shelduck feeding along the outer edge of the Mersea mudflats with at least 270 birds seen.

Martin Cock walked the Strood seawall on Tuesday 14th and saw 2 or 3 lapland buntings as they flew around the fields before landing in the arable field. Still present in the area were 40 linnets and 40 skylarks mainly in the weedy field. A ringtail hen harrier was also seen in the area as were a couple of marsh harriers too. From the Esplanade a Mediterranean gull was seen, the first for a while in the area.

WINTER DUCKS AND SWANS

It was a bright sunny winter's day on Thursday 9th although there was still lots of ice around such as at the park pond pictured above. Here a small mix of coots, gadwall, mallard, shoveler, little grebe and moorhen were making the most of the only bit of unfrozen water. Three green woodpeckers were seen around the field just to the north of the pond.

To the west side of the pond a fox was curled up beside a hedge enjoying the winter sun, while on the east side of the pond 3 more foxes were also lying against the hedge within 50 metres of each other. A sparrowhawk flew past the pond in the late afternoon upsetting the 30 greenfinches that were gathering to roost. In recent days it has been nice seeing a group of 30 golden plover feeding on the main field of the park, taking advantage of the lack of dog-walkers to the park.

Earlier in the afternoon a flock( or herd?) of 12 swans was seen flying high over the car park, heading north-east. The flock were flying in a long line and were probably Bewicks swans. By the time the birds were noticed they had passed overhead although no calling was heard but they appeared to have shorter necks than mute swans. The only mute swans normally seen flying about are small family groups, so this flock of 12 is an unusual sight.



The old stepping stone path near the Point in the picture above, is not snow but a thin cover of ice left behind by the high tide during the night. At the Point there was an unusually good view of a female long-tailed duck which flew from the opposite side of the river and then landed only 30 metres from the Point. The bird was spending a lot of time diving underwater spending more time below than on the surface. After a few minutes the bird disappeared and presumably flew back upriver.

Also in the river were 5 red-breasted mergansers with two males going through their very eye-catching display in front of the 3 females. At Langenhoe Point the bright white flock of 250 avocets were gathered.


The ice was thick along the borrowdyke and will take a while to thaw through. Twenty skylarks, 4 reed buntings and a rock pipit have been seen in recent days in the adjacent fields and around the seawall.


The sun finished shining for the day with a colourful sunset enjoyed along the frontage of the country park beach, pictured above.

Martin Cock had a good view on Thursday morning of two Bewicks swans flying north-west over Reeveshall and Maydays as if heading towards Abberton Reservoir. He also watched a velvet scoter feeding in the Colne with a couple of herring gulls for company. The scoter flew out of the river and past East Mersea Point when a boat approached it.

Steve Grimwade reported seeing a velvet scoter in the river Colne off East Mersea Point which later flew towards Colne Point. A male and female marsh harrier were seen in the afternoon at the country park while at West Mersea, 5 Slavonian grebes were seen offshore from the Esplanade. Ian Black saw a merlin flying over St Peters Marsh at West Mersea in the morning.

Martin Cock watched a peregrine fly along the saltmarsh by the Point flushing all the waders which included at least 50 avocets. Six goldeneye were seen feeding in the river Colne along with a few great crested grebes and a couple of red-breasted mergansers.
Hugh Owen reported seeing the distinctive profile of a spoonbill in flight near the Strood causeway on Tuesday.