It's been over a month since I last visited the Reeveshall seawall, so it was nice to have the winter sun shining on it during Monday 12th. Not much of a muddy margin around the pool pictured above with a little egret and a mute swan the only birds present here. In the nearby grass field near the Shop Lane seawall, the black brant goose was feeding amongst the 150 dark-bellied brent geese.
A casual scan along the rest of the Reeveshall seawall revealed an unexpected peregrine perched on a stile before it flew off over the Pyefleet. A sparrowhawk also flew over the Channel with a carrion crow mobbing it all the way across. Two marsh harriers and a kestrel were the only other birds of prey noted on Langenhoe.
The tide was coming in during the mid-morning so many of the waders were dotted along the water's edge quite close-in. Amongst the regular waders 20 bar-tailed godwits and 50 avocets were of interest. Amongst the wildfowl in the Pyefleet were 42 pintail which is a good count for the Pyefleet of these smart looking ducks. Three male goldeneye and 7 red-breasted mergansers were also of note in the channel.
A walk along the footpath from Shop Lane to Meeting lane provided views of a sparrowhawk, 5 redwing, green woodpecker and a great spotted woodpecker. There were about a dozen blackbirds, 2 song thrushes feeding on some blackthorn bushes still laden down with a huge crop of sloes, pictured below.
At the beginning of Monday a marsh harrier flew low over the fields opposite the East Mersea shop. In West Mersea in the afternoon a chiffchaff flitted and called above Firs Chase while 50 greenfinches gathering to roost, 8 goldfinch and two great spotted woodpeckers were also seen here
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