MORE RAIN

 Water levels have risen sharply in the last couple of days especially as rain fell continuously through Monday night. One of the grazing fields at the park pictured above, appears to show most of it under water by Wednesday 18th. As always the greatest number of birds were on the fields during the high tide around the middle of the day.

Several groups of brent geese were flying onto the fields to feed such as this flock pictured above. By late morning around 500 brent had gathered in the field nearest the Golfhouse. Ten greylag geese were also in the fields.

At least 500 wigeon were strung out along the edge of the fields and also in the adjacent borrowdyke too. Some groups of wigeon headed away to rest on the far edge of the mudflats to rest.

Also in the fields was a ruff, 100+ redshank, 500+ black-tailed godwits and 300+ teal with a few dunlin, turnstone and lapwings too. On the nearby mudflats were 200 golden plover, 30 bar-tailed godwits flew past the Point, rock pipit at the Point and one great crested grebe in the Colne.

At the pond 85 mallard, 18 gadwall, 30 shoveler and five tufted ducks were noted. A sparrowhawk flew over fields to the north while a kestrel was hovering above the cliff in the morning.

A male pintail flew over the fields on Monday afternoon, at least eight snipe were noted while 30 sanderling were counted at the Point.

From West Mersea on Tuesday 17th, Martin Peers reported 2 great northern divers, 54 great crested grebes, 350 cormorants fishing, shag, 134 oystercatchers and 60 bar-tailed godwits.