SOME WADERS CLOSE-UP

The cold weather provided photo opportunities for Michael Thorley at Coopers Beach on Saturday 13th. As the tide ebbed in the afternoon and the foreshore was uncovered, the waders gathered close in during a strong icy wind. This golden plover photographed by Michael was one of 50+ seen.

Golden plover at Coopers Beach

Golden plover

Five grey plover were seen by Michael at Coopers Beach.

Grey plover

Grey plover

Bar-tailed godwit seen at Coopers Beach. Two black-tailed godwits were feeding in the dyke.

A Mediterranean gull and curlew at Coopers Beach.

WOODCOCK WEEKEND

The recent cold snap brought out the woodcock to feed in the open at Cudmore Grove Country Park. The rare sight of watching and photographing a woodcock on the Island, tempted several of the local birders to go and have a look at them over the weekend. Andy Field took this picture of two woodcock feeding together with a snipe.

This woodcock photographed by Andy had a worm in its bill. Five woodcock were thought to be along this ditch - three feeding together, a fourth bird 30 metres further along the field-edge, while a fifth bird in a ditch near the park entrance was reported by Jack Hoy. This is the most amount of woodcock seen at the park in a day.

A water rail was also seen inside the ditch on Sunday by Andy.

One of the woodcock alongside a snipe was digiscoped by Steve Entwistle on Sunday 14th.

There has been a big influx along the east coast in recent days of woodcock arriving from the continent to escape the cold weather there. Woodcock usually hide in cover during the day but this cold weather has forced them out to feed in the open. 

Not to be out-done by the others before, Jonathan Bustard managed to photograph two woodcock and two snipe feeding on the wet grassland at the bottom of the small field at the park on Sunday.

A couple of back of the camera shots of the woodcock from Steve.

Another digiscoped woodcock image from Steve.

Another woodcock was discovered elsewhere on the Island by Steve, on the verge in Meeting Lane at the entrance gate to Reeveshall, which sadly got flushed by a couple of joggers.

One of the woodcock was on show at the park on Friday 12th along with a water rail feeding along inside the ditch. This poorer image is my contribution to the woodcock album! A woodcock was also seen flying out of the ditch just inside the park entrance on Friday morning by Martin Cock.

At least one woodcock was present during Saturday morning while later two woodcock and a water rail were seen at the park late afternoon on Saturday 13th by Martin Cock.

In previous winters during periods of snow, woodcock have occasionally been seen feeding near the park pond and nearby hedge bottoms. Woodcock have sometimes been seen flying about at dusk as they head off to feed for the evening.

WOODCOCK ALONG DITCH

Two woodcock were discovered by Andy Field at Cudmore Grove Country Park on Thursday 11th on a cold day with the snow still lying everywhere. This bird was found feeding along a ditch near the park entrance and stayed still just a few metres away while Andy photographed it - presenting quite a challenge for the camera focus through the ivy branches with the bird so well camouflaged.

A second woodcock was found by Andy at the country park about thirty metres along the same ditch from the other woodcock, This photograph was taken by Richard Brown a little bit later on Thursday.

This ditchline has been a good place for seeing woodcock in previous cold snaps where the ditch remains unfrozen under the trees for the birds to feed along.

Snipe were feeding out in the open and easy to see in the snow. This one photographed by Andy at the country park on Thursday.

At least 24 snipe were seen at the country park by Andy, also a sparrowhawk and a couple of fieldfares.

A flock of twenty fieldfares was seen by the Firs Road cemetery on Thursday morning, along with ten redwing.

The walk on Thursday morning along the Strood seawall coincided with the high tide - so no mud on show. 

The highlight was watching a smart male hen harrier tussling with a carrion crow for several minutes over the bushes of Ray Island. Both birds appeared to be playing with each other in the air, the hen harrier showing off its striking grey- white wings with black tips, the underside whiteness accentuated by the bright snow reflecting up. The hen harrier slowly flew south-west over the Ray saltmarsh and over to the Feldy seawall where it got mobbed by another carrion crow.

The black brant was seen feeding among the saltmarsh at high tide beside the Firs Chase caravan park, along with 200 brent geese on Thursday.

The kingfisher was seen perching briefly on the seawall sluice before heading along the dyke, where one was seen later, presumably the same bird, flying across the Mersea Quarters.

Waders were huddled together in flocks on small saltmarsh islands, as this group of dunlin did on Thursday. The regular flock of 30 avocets was also seen resting near the top end of the Strood channel.

An adult Mediterranean gull rested in the Strood channel on Thursday.

Two male stonechats were seen along the Strood seawall, this one on the ice on the borrowdyke seemingly picking up items on the frozen surface. The other male stonechat was seen perched alongside the road at the bottom of the Strood hill, later perching on the otter-proof fence nearby.

A male blackcap was seen in the Firs Chase garden feeding among the ivy on Thursday.

There were still big flocks of fieldfares around West Mersea on Wednesday with this one photographed by Jonathan Bustard. There have probably been about 1500 fieldfares across the many gardens and also 500 redwings too. In the Firs Chase / The Lane area there were 50 fieldfares and 50 redwing feeding on berries in various gardens, then sitting up on the nearby tree-tops.

A merlin flashed fast over the Firs Chase caravan site and a pair of sparrowhawks came together briefly high over The Lane.

The thick snow covered the fields beside the Strood channel on Wednesday. A smart male marsh harrier flew over the fields as it headed north-east and a buzzard sat in trees at the back of the fields.

The wintering bearded tit was seen feeding low among the clubrush in the dyke, the male stonechat was feeding alongside too and six rock pipits, ten meadow pipits and ten skylarks were also noted.

Tuesday 9th was the second day of the big influx of hundreds of fieldfares and lots of redwing too across West Mersea. In the Firs Chase / The Lane / City Road area were 100 redwing, 200 fieldfares and a couple of mistle thrushes too. In the afternoon around 300 fieldfares and 50 redwing were seen along the Firs Road and Captain Road area. In Empress Avenue area Tony Riley thought there were about 400 fieldfares present while Adrian Amos reported a fieldfare feeding frenzy in the East Road / Oakwood Avenue area, also Phil Passfield filmed a large fieldfare flock in his Yorick Road garden. Hundreds of fieldfares were reported by Angela Buckley in the Feldy View and Strood Close area in the afternoon.

Ian Black reported hundreds of fieldfares and redwings in his Mersea Avenue garden and on surrounding trees with the sparrowhawk having a field day. His best bird noted there was a woodcock seen flying over Ian's garden in the morning. Jonathan Bustard reported dozens of fieldfares around the village it seemed. Shaun Bater was pleased to have at least one fieldfare in his Estuary Park Road garden along with lots of chaffinches and a pied wagtail. 

A redwing was feeding on berries with several others near the West Mersea Yacht Club on Tuesday morning.

A red kite was seen by Martin Cock flying over his garden in the Coverts on Tuesday heading north.

Andy Field reported that the country park was quiet with fieldfare and redwing activity with just a few seen compared with the mass of activity in West Mersea.

Along the snowy Strood seawall on Tuesday 9th, the bearded tit was seen in the borrowdyke showing well among the clubrush, also the pair of stonechat, marsh harrier, buzzard, 30 avocets, 200 golden plover and a little egret. A large flock of 1500 brent geese was feeding on the Peldon fields.

A pair of stock doves was feeding under the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday - the first garden visit for a few months.

Three stock doves were photographed by Michael Thorley when they visited his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Tuesday. Also a marsh harrier flew over the field to the south, three red-legged partridges seen and later at dusk three skylarks came into the garden to feed.

Ten marsh harriers were seen flying into the Langenhoe roost by Martin Cock on Tuesday late afternoon.

One of the many fieldfares visiting Phil Passfield's Yorick Road garden was photographed by him early on Tuesday morning.

SNOWFALL WITH FIELDFARES

Almost five inches of snow had covered many places around West Mersea by the end of Monday 8th - the second day of snow falling. A flock of 20 fieldfares in Feldy View seemed a small amount compared to the big flocks of fieldfares being seen all over West Mersea on Monday. Reports came in from Church Road by Frances McKay of 300 stripping pyracantha berries, 200+ seen in Firs Road by Andy Radley, a fieldfares flock at East Road /Oakwood along with four redwings seen by Adrian Amos, 300 fieldfares and redwings noted generally around West Mersea by Martin Cock, as well as 30 fieldfares seen in Empress Drive by Kate Entwistle while five redwings were seen the previous day. 

Ian Black reported the pyracantha bush in his Mersea Avenue garden was covered with redwings and fieldfares with big flocks flying about most of Monday afternoon. Twenty fieldfares and three redwings were seen in Firs Chase in the middle of the day. Andy Field saw a few fieldfares along the East Mersea road and a fed up looking red-legged partridge in the cold of Chapmans Lane.

The fields beside the Strood channel looked more like the Siberian tundra with their covering of snow.

A marsh harrier was seen hunting over one field, a buzzard perched in a tree while small birds noted were 12 linnets, six reed buntings, four skylarks and three meadow pipits. A flock of 200 golden plover were huddled together on one of the snowy fields.

The Strood seawall covered in snow. As the tide receded along the Strood channel, a full summer plumaged bar-tailed godwit was feeding with five others in winter plumage, also nearby a single black-tailed godwit.

This regular male sparrowhawk was photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane as the snow fell on Sunday 7th. Feeding in the nearby flooded wheat field were 20+ jackdaws, rooks and carrion crows.

At West Mersea three bar-tailed godwits were seen on the mud near the Monkey beach by Jonathan Bustard on Sunday.

In East Mersea, the Youth Camp little owl was playing hard to spot on Saturday 6th, as it perched close to the trunk of a poplar tree. A buzzard, Mediterranean gull and green woodpecker were in the area while in the field hedges behind the boating lake were six yellowhammers and five reed buntings. 

Near Meeting Lane Michael Thorley noted both great spotted woodpecker and green woodpecker in his garden with 15 fieldfares in a hedgerow.

Offshore from Cudmore Grove on Saturday, Steve Entwistle located the three velvet scoters in the outer Colne estuary and after a long wait they flapped their wings to show their diagnostic white wing-bar, A Slavonian grebe was also seen offshore while in the park were eight snipe in the field, three pochard on the pond, a green woodpecker and a goldcrest.

Thirty avocets were seen along the Strood Channel on Saturday afternoon by Jonathan Bustard.

A wood-mouse was found on the boardwalk near the St Peters well on Saturday, looking a bit poorly.

On Friday 5th a chiffchaff was in bushes at the bottom corner of the Firs Caravan park, thirty avocets feeding in the channel and a buzzard at the back of the fields.

Late on Friday afternoon a visit to the Reeveshall seawall proved productive with a male hen harrier seemingly going to roost in the Langenhoe Point reedbed. It was first seen flying north over the reedbed there before returning half an hour later, flying slowly low over the reeds. Also there were at least six marsh harriers also heading into the roost. 

At the same time a short-eared owl was hunting along the Reeveshall seawall, perching on the old traffic bollard again. Two buzzards and a sparrowhawk were also in the area while in the Pyefleet were fifty avocets and a red-breasted merganser. Four yellowhammers were roosting in a hedge for the night.

At Maydays farm on Friday Martin Cock reported seeing 12 pintail, two stonechats, buzzard, sparrowhawk and a distant great white egret on the Geedons. 

Four white-fronted geese, above photographed by Andy Field also seen at Cudmore Grove were 13 snipe and two pochard on Friday. At West Mersea two female eiders were seen off the Dabchicks sailing club by Ian Black.

On Thursday 4th along the Strood of note were three marsh harriers, a buzzard, four Mediterranean gulls, stonechat and 43 avocets.

A flock of 700 brent geese was feeding on the grazing fields at Cudmore Grove on Wednesday 3rd - until something spooked all the birds away. Also on the fields were 1000 wigeon, 100 lapwing, 30 greylag geese, six snipe while at the pond were two pochard, ten gadwall and eight tufted duck. 

A red squirrel was seen in a tree just inside the park entrance.

Offshore from the West Mersea beach on Wednesday were three great northern divers seen by Jonathan Bustard.

A male reed bunting was feeding close to the Strood seawall along with its partner on Tuesday 2nd.

The Cetti's warbler was heard calling from the bushes at the end of the central ditch, also three stonechats were seen, a sparrowhawk, two marsh harriers and a buzzard. Of interest along the Strood channel were 140 shelduck, 34 avocets, 150 redshank and 200 wigeon.

At Reeveshall on Tuesday afternoon, Andy Field reported a merlin, one possibly two barn owls, short-eared owl, 14 marsh harriers and nine red-breasted mergansers.

Three great northern divers and a red-throated diver were seen offshore from the West Mersea beach on Tuesday by Jonathan Bustard.

Michael Thorley took these three pictures of a sanderling at Coopers Beach on Tuesday afternoon.

Sanderling feeding along beside Coopers Beach.

Sanderling with its wings stretched getting ready to fly.

SHORT-EARED OVER REEVESHALL

A short-eared owl was seen hunting over the grass beside the Reeveshall seawall on Monday 1st. After flying the full length of the seawall, it stopped to rest on this old traffic bollard. It would seem this bollard might be a regular perch for it judging by the dropping stains down it.

Despite attracting the attention of a carrion crow, the short-eared owl perched on the bollard for about ten minutes, whilst I watched it from about 70 metres away. It then flew back along the inside of the seawall following the line of the overflowing ditch.

Also noted at Reeveshall were two buzzards, one which crossed over the Pyefleet to Langenhoe, also on the fields were 200 lapwing, 300 starlings, fourteen stock doves, 70 jackdaws and a corn bunting singing on a bush.

Later on Monday Steve Entwistle visited Maydays farm and also saw the short-eared owl hunting over Reeveshall as well as a barn owl flying about. A peregrine was seen perched on the Langenhoe seawall and also a merlin sitting on a post on Langenhoe. The kingfisher was briefly seen over the Maydays marsh and a rock pipit noted too.

At the country park on Monday Martin Cock saw the pochard was still on the pond, four white-fronted geese were feeding near the Golfhouse and a peregrine flew over the grazing fields

This rock pipit was photographed by Michael Thorley on Monday as it perched on the seawall sluice near the Golfhouse.

An unusual sight for Mersea was this quail which a cat brought into the house near Colchester Road  belonging to Ron Harvey's daughter, early on Monday morning. It was soon repatriated with its rightful owners who keep quail in captivity in nearby Upland Road, seemingly unscathed!

A grey squirrel was trapped in Seaview Avenue, the day after one had been trapped near Triangle Wood.

A male blackcap was photographed by Phil Passfield at his garden feeders in Yorick Road whilst he was doing the RSPB garden birdwatch survey on Sunday 31st. The next day two male blackcaps were seen at the feeders on Monday.

Along the Bower Hall seawall on the north side of the island on Sunday morning a kingfisher flew over the saltmarsh, three marsh harriers were seen flying about, two little egrets, stonechat and a noisy flock of 150 jackdaws flew over. Beside Haycocks Lane a flock of 100 linnets and 70 chaffinches were feeding in a game crop. A brown hare was seen running over the saltmarsh and across the nearby field.

Steve Entwistle reported seeing on Sunday morning at the country park three snipe, a pochard while at the end of the afternoon a barn owl flew across the field to Bromans Farm. In Haycocks Lane 150 linnets and 30 chaffinch were noted.

In fields to the west of the East Mersea church on Sunday morning, Andy Field saw the black brant feeding with 500 brent geese, also the rare sight of two grey partridge in a stubble field and 120 curlew.

Saturday 30th was a very wet day with lots of rain flooding the fields beside the Strood seawall even more. On the wet fields during the high tide were 1000 dunlin, 50 ringed plover, 25 redshank and 30 grey plover. A pair of stonechat was still by the seawall while near the caravan site were a pale-bellied brent goose and a male red-breasted merganser.

This green woodpecker visited Michael Thorley's East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on the wet Saturday 30th morning, photographed through his window.

A recent high tide dumped this boat on the old polder at an odd angle along the Strood channel on Friday 29th. The boat is named aptly - or prophetically, "Get wrecked"! 

Birds noted during the seawall walk were marsh harrier, two buzzards, sparrowhawk, stonechat, pale-bellied brent goose, Mediterranean gull, as well as 1000 dunlin, 50 ringed plover, 50 golden plover, 50 redshank and 20 grey plover on the wet fields.

At Cudmore Grove on Friday four white-fronted geese were seen in the fields by Martin Cock, also noting two stonechat, Cetti's warbler by the central ditch while offshore were two Slavonian grebes and two red-throated divers. Michael Thorley saw the purple sandpiper for a few minutes near the East Mersea Point on Friday afternoon.

On Thursday 28th a female kingfisher was perched at the back of the old Rewsalls marshes in a small pond, also 11 snipe seen while in the wheat field near Coopers Beach were 300 brent geese and 160 curlew. Four sanderling were on the beach by the Youth Camp and five Mediterranean gulls were amongst the gull flock feeding in the fields west of the church.

At Cudmore Grove on Thursday Andy Field reported a pair of pintail, four white-fronted geese, Cetti's warbler by the dyke, four colour-ringed black-tailed godwits among the flock of 400, also a mistle thrush by the Golfhouse and the purple sandpiper on the mud.

A buzzard was seen by Ian Black flying over the High Street on Thursday.