Four
sanderling were feeding at high tide along the St Peters beach at West Mersea on Monday 8th. Despite the regular disturbance by dog-walkers, the birds seemed quite confiding and happy to keep switching sections of beach to forage along, sprinting away when the next hazard got too near. A similar size group of
turnstones flew over to Cobmarsh away from the walkers.
Two
little egrets squabbled over territory on the St Peters saltmarsh, chasing each other away from small pools and little creeks as the tide came in. Two
rock pipits and a
redshank were the only other birds noted here.
A
great crested grebe was just offshore from the beach while on Cobmarsh
40
cormorants stood on one of the sand-spits until the tide pushed them
off. Fifty
oystercatchers were also resting here for the high tide.
Also seen from West Mersea on Monday by Martin Peers were a
common scoter, two
red-breasted mergansers, 130
cormorants, female
merlin heading towards Old Hall and a high tide roost of 120
oystercatchers.
Across the Strood Channel over the weekend, three
whooper swans were seen feeding in a field on Feldy marshes. First found by Andy Field on Saturday, they were very distant when watched from the Island. They were still there on Sunday. This is the first
whooper swan record for the Island since 2002.
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