STROOD WINTER SUNSHINE

A perfect winter's morning on Sunday 12th with an overnight frost giving way to blue skies and a hint of warmth in the sunshine. There were calm conditions along the Strood channel and lots of waders and wildfowl to be seen, like this pair of shelduck. 

Five ringed plovers were feeding on the mud close to the Strood seawall on Sunday. Other waders noted were 250 knot, 200 dunlin, 40 oystercatchers, 30 avocets and four snipe in the fields.

A few turnstones were also along the Strood channel on Sunday.

The male kestrel was on top of his usual willow tree along the Strood seawall on Sunday. Three marsh harriers also noted. Three stonechats, two Cetti's warblers heard calling were noted, while by the Firs caravan park were a mistle thrush, song thrush and twenty goldfinches.

In Firs Chase a male and female blackcap visited the garden feeders and a red squirrel was seen on Sunday too.

At East Mersea Point birds seen by Jonathan Norgate on Sunday morning were the purple sandpiper, five skylarks, three red-breasted mergansers and two distant eiders in the Colne. Also two rock pipits and 28 meadow pipits by the Golfhouse.

On a very misty Saturday 11th, the purple sandpiper eventually turned up at the Point about an hour after the high tide, allowing Andy Field to take this photograph. Also noted at Cudmore Grove were 50 turnstones, 15 sanderling, buzzard in the kestrel tree, a few meadow pipits and a rock pipit in the grazing fields. There was an unconfirmed report of the shorelark at the Point for Saturday.

In Shop Lane late afternoon on Saturday a tawny owl and two goldcrests were seen by Steve Entwistle, while a green woodpecker and stock dove were by the East Mersea Golfhouse.

Very little was seen through the thick mist on Saturday morning at Maydays with a quick walk in the freezing conditions revealing only a marsh harrier, 18 golden plovers, 3 avocets, fieldfare and a rock pipit.

The regular female blackcap was back at the feeders in the Firs Chase garden again on Saturday.

A mistle thrush was feeding in the mistletoe clumps in the poplar trees at the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday 10th. Birds noted in a brief visit to the Strood seawall included a sparrowhawk, buzzard, kestrel, grey heron, little egret, Cetti's warbler, two ringed plovers, 12 curlew in the field and ten little grebes in the channel.

A great white egret was seen at Maydays farm on Friday by Martin Cock.

A female kingfisher was back at its favourite spot along the Strood dyke at the south-west end on Thursday 9th. The other birding highlight was seeing two hen harriers at the same time hunting opposite ends of Ray Island. A ringtail hen harrier had been flying over the Peldon seawall before crossing onto Ray Island, while a male hen harrier flew low over the Ray saltmarsh towards Bonners Barn. Its been several years since I've watched two hen harriers at the same time here!

Two marsh harriers were also seen flying over the fields and the Strood channel.

 

Two song thrushes were feeding along the Strood seawall on Thursday. A mistle thrush was by the Firs Caravan park poplar trees. Two stonechats, corn bunting and a Cetti's warbler also noted.

Forty-four avocets were along the Strood on Thursday, a few seen here with some wigeon and teal. Good numbers of duck along the channel were 300 teal, 100 wigeon and 80 shelduck, with 15 little grebes also seen too. A flock of about thousand brent geese rose into the air off Feldy Marsh with some dropping down into the Ray Channel.

A male shoveler was resting with the other ducks on the Strood channel on Thursday. 

A female blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden on Thursday.

On Wednesday 8th at Maydays, Martin Cock reported a greenshank, two pintail, corn bunting, rock pipit, two marsh harriers and ten fieldfares. Later at West Mersea Hard a kingfisher was seen sitting at the end of the hammerhead pier seen by Martin.

Along the Strood channel on Tuesday 7th were lots of waders and wildfowl on show, such as this small group of wigeon with teal and a black-tailed godwit. The ducks on show in the channel included 140 shelduck, 200 teal and 100 wigeon, with 46 oystercatchers, 44 avocets and 200 knot.

A marsh harrier was hunting the Strood fields on Tuesday, three stonechats, ten corn buntings, ten meadow pipits and a rock pipit were seen during the walk along the seawall. A mistle thrush was by the caravan park.

At East Mersea there was no sign on Tuesday of the shorelark or snow bunting despite looking by Andy Field, although two chiffchaffs were seen feeding in the leaf litter at Cudmore Grove, while a fieldfare was by the East Mersea road.

There was an unconfirmed report of a Caspian gull and water pipit reported from Cudmore Grove on eBirds for Tuesday.

At West Mersea three great northern divers were seen offshore from the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle on Tuesday. Michael Thorley saw three Mediterranean gulls at Kingsland Beach in the morning.

The Strood snow bunting was very obliging and showy on Monday 6th as it fed along the side of the seawall.

This winter male snow bunting has been here for five days now, although not restricted to one regular spot. The last Strood snow bunting was one photographed by Andy Neal on 8th November 2015.

Other birds noted on Monday along the Strood seawall were 300 teal, 100 wigeon, 200 knot, 25 avocets, while in the fields were 200 rooks, 200 jackdaws, a buzzard and there was a song thrush in Feldy View.

Weather was a bit miserable on Sunday 5th, so the only photograph taken of the Strood snow bunting was this phone-pic. The snow bunting wasn't spotted on the walk along the seawall to start with, but on the return it was discovered crouching down between the concrete blocks on the seawall side.

Three Egyptian geese flew past Feldy View towards the Strood channel on Sunday. Other birds noted were a kingfisher perched along the Strood dyke, two marsh harriers, buzzard, sparrowhawk, 100 knot, stonechat, Cetti's warbler and also a mistle thrush by the Firs Chase caravan park.

A redwing was seen by Shaun Bater in his West Mersea garden on Sunday.

RAVENS FLYPAST

A pair of ravens flew south west in front of the Firs Chase caravan park, calling noisily to each other as they passed, on Saturday 4th. A mistle thrush and a red squirrel were in the poplar trees at the top end of the caravan park. In the Strood channel were 50 knot, 20 avocets, ten little grebes and three bar-tailed godwits.

A snow bunting was seen feeding along the Strood seawall on Saturday by Mark Thompson.

At East Mersea Point the purple sandpiper was photographed by Shaun Bater on Saturday morning, although no sign of the shorelark or snow bunting there. Other birds noted there were 100 turnstones and sanderling, avocet, 11 shoveler, 37 curlew, lots of redshank and wigeon, 200 brent geese, also 11 pied wagtails and a song thrush by the Golfhouse.

One of two little owls in Bromans Lane photographed by Mollie Kirk at dusk on Saturday.

A kestrel photographed by Michael Thorley in his East Mersea garden near Meeting Lane on Saturday.

At East Mersea on Friday 3rd, the shorelark, snow bunting and an eider were seen at the Point by Jon Ward.

From the West Mersea Esplanade on Friday, a great northern diver, three red-breasted mergansers and eight great crested grebes were seen by Steve Entwistle.

On a sunny walk along the Strood seawall on Friday 3rd , this black-tailed godwit was feeding on the mud. Eight bar-tailed godwits were feeding in their usual spot behind the Dabchicks sailing club.

A redshank was also feeding along the Strood channel on Friday. A snipe was seen flying over the fields calling, a pair of stonechat was in the paddock behind the Dabchicks, two rock pipits, six fieldfares flying west also noted.

Three buzzards were seen on Saturday along the Strood seawall, also two marsh harriers and a sparrowhawk.

A female blackcap was seen in the Firs Chase garden.

On Thursday 2nd the shorelark, snow bunting and purple sandpiper were seen by Jim Hume and others at the East Mersea Point. Steve Entwistle also saw there seven red-breasted mergansers, two rock pipits, two meadow pipits, linnet, 52 sanderling, 60 turnstones, three bar-tailed godwits, 20 grey plovers and a marsh harrier.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday was a male snow bunting feeding on the mud below the seawall.

The snow bunting plumage showed up nicely in the morning sunshine.

The Strood snow bunting is a different bird to the one on the East Mersea Point. It's probably been about ten years since the last one was seen along the Strood seawall, one feeding by the sluice.

A female kingfisher perched briefly over the Strood dyke on Thursday before flying away. Other birds noted were pair of red-breasted mergansers in the Ray channel, 50 avocets, three snipe, 50 knot, two marsh harriers, four buzzards, 100 rooks feeding with 100 jackdaws, two pairs of stonechats, 20 meadow pipits, four rock pipits, 25 corn buntings, Cetti's warbler by Feldy View and a blackcap in the Firs Chase garden.

Jack Hoy reported a pair of blackcaps, two pairs of greenfinches and two song thrushes in his Mersea Avenue garden on Thursday.

On New Year's Day, the snow bunting was seen at the East Mersea Point by Jonathan Norgate, also 30 knot, three red-breasted mergansers but the shorelark reported earlier in the morning had disappeared for him.

Five hundred brent geese were seen feeding in the wheat field south of Meeting Lane by Michael Thorley on Wednesday.

The weather on New Year's Day was wet and windy and the only birds noted during a short walk by the Firs Chase caravan park were a pair of stonechats, song thrush, three bar-tailed godwits, also a blackcap at the Firs Chase garden feeders.

A pair of stonechat was feeding in the small paddock just along the seawall from the Dabchicks sailing club on Tuesday 31st. Along the Strood seawall a great white egret flew over Ray Island, three marsh harriers, buzzard, 100 rooks and 100 jackdaws were feeding in the fields. 

The shorelark was reported present again on the East Mersea Point on Tuesday.

On Monday 30th a male hen harrier was seen by Rob Lee flying over the Bower Hall Marsh late afternoon.

Along the Strood on Monday were 100 teal, 30 avocets, 25 golden plovers, bar-tailed godwit, two marsh harriers, three buzzards and two rock pipits.

A red squirrel visited the nut feeder in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday 31st.

SEASONS GREETINGS

Alan Reynolds visited East Mersea on Sunday 29th and photographed the shorelark on the Point.

The snow bunting was also photographed by Alan on the East Mersea Point on Sunday.

The purple sandpiper showed well for Alan to photograph the bird in the very dull conditions on Sunday.

At Coopers Beach on Sunday morning a marsh harrier was perched at the back of the Rewsalls marsh at high tide. Other birds noted on the marsh were ten shelduck, six teal, wigeon, avocet, two skylarks, rock pipit, while offshore a red-throated diver flew east. Thirty chaffinches were perched in a tree beside Church Lane.

In Shop Lane on Sunday, Michael Thorley reported along the Pyefleet seeing 150 avocets, 120 knot, 100 dunlin, 100 redshank, 200 wigeon, 20 shelduck, shoveler, curlew, ten Brent geese, seven Canada geese on Reeveshall, two lesser black-backed gulls, while in his garden near Meeting Lane a green woodpecker.

In West Mersea the female blackcap was at the garden bird feeder in Firs Chase on Sunday.

On Saturday 28th the shorelark was still showing well on the beach at East Mersea Point.

A snow bunting came and joined the shorelark at East Mersea Point on Saturday. It was first seen flying about and looking very flighty, heading west along the beach first then flew north towards the Pyefleet. When it came back over the Point the shorelark flew up to join it and they both circled around before the two birds dropped back down onto the Point to feed.

Other birds seen on Saturday at the Point included 4 red-breasted mergansers, 500 knot, sanderling, 8 shoveler, while in the grazing fields were 100 wigeon, 75 mallard, 50 teal, ten black-tailed godwits, stonechat, sparrowhawk perched in the central ditch.

A little owl perched in an old hawthorn tree with mistletoe and ivy near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Saturday. A peregrine flew over the bus turning circle as it headed north. Ten meadow pipits were by the Golfhouse in the paddock.

The shorelark was seen on Christmas Day by Michael Thorley, showing well on the East Mersea Point.

On Christmas Day a male hen harrier was seen hunting over the Ray Island saltmarsh, skimming low as it passed quickly over, flushing one snipe in the process. A marsh harrier was noted too, as was a red kite flying slowly along the Feldy seawall on the mainland - where 1000 brent geese were feeding.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Xmas Day included 124 shelduck, shoveler, 200 teal, 100 wigeon, 40 avocets, 150 knot and nine bar-tailed godwits. In the fields 22 corn buntings, two stonechat, song thrush and ten skylarks noted. A goldcrest was in the Firs Chase garden.

A raven was seen at Barrow Hill on Christmas Day by Rob Lee at his feeding station.

SHORELARK STILL SHOWING

On Tuesday 24th the shorelark was still at the East Mersea Point for its 22nd day, photographed here by Andy Field. Also near there were three red-throated divers off Cudmore Grove.

Birds seen along the Strood Channel on Tuesday included this group pictured of a few wigeon, teal, redshank and a black-tailed godwit. Lots of wildfowl included 200 teal, 100 wigeon, 1500 brent geese flying over Feldy Marsh, while 45 avocets, 70 golden plover, 100 lapwing and fifty knot were the main wader flocks.

A great white egret flew over the Strood road and headed down the Strood channel, a marsh harrier also seen over the fields, 20 skylarks and five stonechats too. A mistle thrush was by the Firs Chase caravan park and a goldcrest was in the Firs Chase garden.

On Monday 23rd birds noted along the Strood channel included 300 teal, 100 shelduck and 100 wigeon female red-breasted merganser, 20 black-tailed godwits and a bar-tailed godwit, Two marsh harriers flew over the fields, 100 jackdaws and 100 rooks were feeding in the fields, 20 skylarks, two stonechats and rock pipits also noted. A chiffchaff was calling near Feldy View.

Birds of interest seen on Sunday 22nd along the Strood channel were 30 avocets, 20 black-tailed godwits, 100 dunlin, while in the fields were 35 stock doves, 100 rooks and 100 jackdaws, song thrush and a stonechat.

The shorelark was seen at East Mersea Point on Sunday by Michael Goodchild. Tony Kennelly also saw the shorelark, and 200 brent geese, two buzzards at East Mersea, while two Mediterranean gulls were in fields by the East Mersea road on Sunday.

On Saturday 21st there were 150 knot, 23 little grebes, 30 avocets, 7 shoveler, 100 shelduck, Mediterranean gull and buzzard seen during a walk along the Strood seawall.

A single knot was feeding close to the Strood seawall on Friday 20th, also 100 dunlin, 20 avocets and a bar-tailed godwit noted. A kingfisher perched beside the Strood dyke at the south-west end, a Cetti's warbler called briefly and a chiffchaff was feeding in a tit flock in Feldy View.

The shorelark showed well for Mike O'Hanlon and Richard Jeffree at East Mersea Point on Friday 20th.

In the Mersea Quarters off West Mersea, five great northern divers were seen from Old Hall marshes by Colin Mackenzie-Grieve on Friday.

Andy Field saw the shorelark at East Mersea Point on Thursday 19th, also a rock pipit, eider offshore, stonechat and 300 brent geese in the grazing fields.

Along the Strood seawall on Thursday were a marsh harrier, 40 avocets, three bar-tailed godwits, two stonechats and a redwing at Feldy View.

A female stonechat was feeding near the seawall at the bottom of the Firs Chase Caravan park on Wednesday 18th. An unexpected sighting was a female / imm long-tailed duck flying down channel towards the Hard - the first sighting here for this duck. A kingfisher flew along the Strood dyke, briefly hovering over the water before flying on. 

Along the Strood was a big flock of 240 shelduck, also 100 wigeon, 100 teal, two shoveler, 300 golden plover, 45 oystercatcher, 100 lapwing, 130 knot, 52 avocets and a Mediterranean gull. Over the fields were two marsh harriers, 200 jackdaws, 100 rooks and forty skylarks.

A turnstone was feeding along the Strood channel on Wednesday 17th. A marsh harrier, Cetti's warbler, two stonechats, rock pipit, corn bunting and eight greenfinches were of note during a brief visit. A song thrush was seen at the top end of the caravan park.

The brent goose with the light coloured wings and flank has been a regular visitor to the Strood channel behind the Dabchicks for its third year, seen here on Tuesday. It's not thought to be a pale-bellied brent goose.

Two Slavonian grebes were seen by Martin Cock offshore near the Nass beacon on Tuesday 17th.

 

A muntjac deer fawn was found in the middle of Firs Chase road by Rusty Marshall and carried to the safety of a nearby overgrown garden on Tuesday 17th.

Another island deer that wasn't quite so fortunate on a Mersea road recently was this Chinese Water Deer found on the East Mersea Road near Meeting Lane on Monday 23rd by Michael Thorley. It shows an impressive pair of downward-pointing tusks!

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.