GODWIT AND REDSHANK ROOST

The mid morning wader roost on the grazing fields at the park on Thursday 2nd, consisted of around 120 redshank and 25 black-tailed godwits, some of the latter with their ginger necks as pictured above. Also on the fields were 70+ teal, 30 shelduck, 12 shoveler, 6 lapwing, 12 wigeon, 3 little egrets, 2 snipe, 20 curlew and a pair of oystercatchers.

Along the dyke were 16 tufted duck, male pochard, four mute swans and 6 little grebes, while two pairs of avocets were prospecting the saltmarsh pools near the Point and forty golden plover flew over.

At the end of the day the pair of kestrels were on their tree and a marsh harrier flew north over the Point heading back to Langenhoe.

The Cetti's warbler was singing loudly from thick cover at the back of the pond late on Thursday while around the park two out of the three chiffchaffs were singing.
 Earlier in the day two little owls were seen at Bromans Lane by Helen Mussett.

The first reported sighting of a swallow on the Island came from Andy Field who watched one fly over his High Street North garden during Thursday afternoon.
Yesterday offshore from Waldegraves Andy saw a black-throated diver, 2 little gulls, 4 Mediterranean gulls and 48 sanderling.

On Wednesday 1st, two chiffchaffs were singing at the park and another was seen near the Golfhouse, while three more were seen on the path between Meeting Lane and Shop Lane by Martin Cock. Also at the Golfhouse were a dozen fieldfares and a redwing.

At the beginning of Wednesday a common buzzard was flying over the fields near Weir Farm and one corn bunting was singing from wires over Chapmans Lane.

Four adders and a common lizard were seen basking early in the afternoon at the park on Wednesday.

Took a look on Monday 30th at the new water feature in the field next to Coopers Beach, excavated as part of the construction of a new counterwall. Birds noted here and the nearby Rewsalls marshes included a green sandpiper, 8 redshank, 4 snipe, 60 curlew, 20 shelduck, 10 mallard, little egret and 100 brent geese flying past.

Not much wildlife noted during a very windy and wet weekend although one chiffchaff was singing near Firs Chase on Sunday 29th.