Tuesday 5 January 2016

STROOD STONECHAT

It was nice to see the colourful male stonechat still along the Strood seawall on a sunny Monday 4th. It was very confiding at times and perching beside the seawall path.

The stonechat was last seen here almost six weeks ago and despite looking out for it several times, it has kept out of sight.
Also feeding along the seawall were 20 corn buntings and a couple of reed buntings.

There seemed a lot more birds in the Strood fields following more rain over the weekend. Five hundred golden plover and 300+ lapwing were noted as were two green sandpipers, common snipe and a small flock of 20 dunlin. Also seen were a grey heron, 4 little egrets, 40+ pied wagtails, 25+ meadow pipits and a rock pipit.

A thousand brent geese were feeding on a wheat field on the Peldon side, pictured here in the distance rising in the air, with Little Wigborough church near Copt Hall in the background.
Further along the seawall big flocks of 3000+ golden plover and 2000+ lapwing were rising in the air over the Feldy marshes.

Of interest along the Strood Channel were a red-breasted merganser, 20+ little grebes, 50+ knot, 100+ wigeon and 100 teal.

The black brant was seen on Monday morning by Andy Field at the back of the Mersea Quarters from the Hard.

No sign of the black brant at the Hard on Tuesday 5th morning but there was a peregrine flying over Feldy putting several thousand plovers into the sky. The peregrine then headed to Old Hall where it mobbed a marsh harrier.

Another blooming early bush is this cherry plum / blackthorn by the Nothe along from the Dabchicks. A cherry plum bush in our Firs Chase garden is also sprouting a few flowers - two months early.

On Monday afternoon 50 fieldfares were in a hedge near the Dog and Pheasant pub at East Mersea while near Bromans Lane one red-legged partridge and three mistle thrush were seen.

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