PROUD PEEWITS

One pair of lapwings became proud parents to three chicks born on Wednesday 29th at the country  park's grazing fields. The female had been sitting tight for the last three or so weeks in the middle of the field. Then on Wednesday, one little chick was glimpsed alongside the mother while she appeared to continue incubating, although looking uncomfortable and restless as if other chicks had hatched or were about to.

On Friday at least two lapwing chicks were seen feeding for themselves around the muddy margins of one of the pools with the parents keeping a watchful eye for dangers. On Saturday the family had moved a bit closer to the dyke and this time, three tiny chicks were busy feeding, one of them pictured above.
There are four pairs of lapwings in the fields.

Other birds in the fields included this pair of Canada geese, two pairs of greylag geese, 50+ black-tailed godwits, 30+ redshank, 20 teal and a pair of oystercatchers.
A cuckoo was seen along the central hedge in the fields by Andy Field on Saturday about the middle of the day and a marsh harrier was seen flying over.

Ten shelduck were on the pools in the fields, squabbling with each other.

At least six avocets were on the saltmarsh lagoons near the Golfhouse.

A couple of adult grey herons have been seen most days recently on the grazing fields or at the park pond, as pictured above perched in the weeping willow. Two little egrets were also perched up here on Saturday.

A male pochard was on the pond as were six tufted ducks and two pairs of little grebes. The Cetti's warbler was singing along the back of the fields and the male kestrel brought food to the sitting female.

On Friday 1st two wheatears at Rewsalls marsh, whimbrel and four yellow wagtails were seen by Andy Field.
The first report of swifts on the Island this spring were three birds over Andy's High Street North garden on Monday 27th.

As the sun set, looking from East Mersea Point on Thursday 30th, birds noted included the first little tern of the season flying out of the Colne along with six common terns. On the mud were 250 dunlin, 100 turnstone and 10 ringed plover while eight avocets were on the saltmarsh lagoons.

Sixteen tufted ducks and a male pochard were on the dyke while a distant cuckoo called from tree-tops to the north of the park.

Earlier on Thursday a peregrine flew over the park cliff and then climbed high into the sky over the mudflats, at one point dropping slowly down, before climbing back high into the skies where it was soon lost to view. A marsh harrier was seen crossing the river Colne heading westwards.
A sand martin flew quickly over the cliff as it passed inland early afternoon.

A little owl was perched on telegraph wires beside Bromans Lane as night fell on Thursday while a barn owl flew alongside the same lane the following night.

One adder was sheltering out of the wind on Thursday afternoon at the park.