DAWN SONGSTER

The song thrushes are in full song around the Island at the moment. This one was singing in my Firs Chase garden just after daybreak earlier this week, with the first rays of sun glinting in his eye.

At the park during the morning on Friday 20th 200 knot and 500 golden plover formed the main wader flocks on the mud as the tide came in. Offshore 6 red-breasted mergansers, 5 great crested grebes and a common seal were in the outer part of the Colne.

The park's grazing fields looked much wetter after a good night's rain. Waders and wildfowl were arriving with the incoming tide although 400 wigeon, 200 teal were the main birds along with 50 lapwing and a smaller number of black-tailed godwits, curlew and redshank. Other ducks noted were 10 shoveler and 12 tufted duck. A Mediterranean gull was standing with a small group of black-headed gulls beside a pool in the fields.

On Tuesday 17th the little owl was seen flying from one hedge to another to the north of the park pond in the morning, while at the end of the day the barn owl was seen hunting over the park.
A group of 13 fieldfares flew west past the park on Wednesday afternoon. Later in the morning 4 Slavonian grebes were seen from the park on a very sunny day.

Thirty fieldfares, 20 linnets and 100 starlings were feeding as a big flock in the fields by Bocking Hall on Thursday 19th. On Wednesday a hen harrier was seen flying over the Langenhoe ranges by Martin Cock from Maydays farm.

The female stonechat is still being very confiding beside the seawall, seen Friday and Thursday mornings. For a change this time she obligingly perched facing me allowing this picture to be snapped.

Marion Potifar was surprised to see a little egret walking over her garden at the north end of Shop Lane on 10th February. An unusual bird for the garden list, although it had been seeing flying over a month earlier.