- TO A MOUSE

It seemed a bit of a sad coincidence that this small harvest mouse was dropped by a weasel on the famous Rabbie Burns day on 25th January. Burns was full of remorse having ploughed up the nest of a harvest mouse and his well-known poem described the mouse as the "wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie."

This poor harvest mouse in the picture above was still warm having just been caught by a weasel on the seawall at the country park on a dull and wet Sunday afternoon. The weasel was crossing the path just 10 metres in front, carrying the mouse but dropped it as it hurried away. At first sight the small animal was more the size of a shrew than a mouse and the warm orangey-brown coat, wasn't like the usual wood mice of the area. The long tail is a particular feature of harvest mice as they use it as another limb for gripping grass stalks.

Harvest mice numbers in the country have declined in recent years but rather conversely, a small population in the last 5 years have been discovered in the country park. Several nests of woven grass balls were found along a hedge by the park pond in 2004 and 2005 which was the first evidence that this elusive small mammal was present at the park.

One of the park fields is looking like a real water meadow with a large area now covered by water. All of the waders and wildfowl were busy feeding in the less wet field, nearer the Golfhouse, where the path pictured above, provided closer views of 600 wigeon, 150 black-tailed godwits, 10 redshank, 20 lapwing, 50 teal, 20 curlew and 25 goldfinches. There was the regular male stonechat by this path and overhead 5 snipe flew off the nearby saltmarsh.

At East Mersea Point 6 snow buntings flew around the beach a few times calling. In the river Colne around 500 gulls flew up and down one section where there was presumably a shoal of sprats for them to feed on. Three male red-breasted mergansers were the only other birds seen in the river from the Point.

The usual variety of 10 species of wader could be seen on the nearby mudflats with 300 knot and 5 bar-tailed godwits of note as well as a gathering of 150 oystercatchers. On the park pond the numbers of tufted ducks have built up to 10 birds.

The strong winds have whipped up lots of seaweed and other items onto the beach, including this surprisingly large pile of old egg-masses from the common whelks. It's usually quite easy to find one or two of these dried-out spongy egg-masses lying washed up along the strandline but not a whole heap of them.

As the park was being closed up as darkness fell, the dark silhouette of the Bromans Lane tawny owl was seen swooping around the trees at the entrance, perching up in a tree nearby. I slowly walked closer to the tree, knowing that the owl was watching me and was surprised it allowed me to walk past close-by, before it flew away.