Saturday 4 March 2017

POCHARD ON POND

The first pochard of the year was found on the country park pond on Tuesday 28th. The male was present for just the one day along with six tufted duck. The Cetti's warbler was heard singing alongside the copse behind the pond, while in the various trees were at least ten stock doves.


A common buzzard circled in the air over the pond and the grazing fields before drifting north on Tuesday and then the next day two common buzzards flew over the pond heading north-west over the fields.

The male house sparrow has been cheerily chirping from the trees and buildings in the car park for the last few days. The male here chirped a bit more excitedly to two female birds that perched nearby on Tuesday 28th.


The pair of stonechat was still on the saltmarsh by the Golfhouse on Tuesday, nearby 400 brent geese were feeding in the grass field by Ivy Farm and ten great crested grebes were in the Colne.


Near West Mersea the common buzzard was in the field by Haycocks stables on Tuesday, also a pair of moorhens were unusual visitors to the Firs Chase garden early in the morning.


A sparrowhawk, 3 house sparrows and a fieldfare were seen in the car park on Wednesday 1st and a goldcrest in bushes near the hide. Thirty wigeon and a curlew were feeding in the pond-field and 25 goldfinches flew from the alders.


On the grazing fields 200 brent geese, 200 redshank, 50 black-tailed godwit, 2 dunlin, 40 curlew, 500 wigeon, grey heron and a little egret were present at high tide on Wednesday afternoon.


Along the Pyefleet near Peewit Island a record Mersea count of 122 pintail was made by Andy Field on Wednesday, also 3 red-breasted mergansers seen here too.


Highlights from the Swallow Birding boat trip on Wednesday from West Mersea into the Blackwater and nearby creeks were 2 great northern divers, 7 Slavonian grebes, 180 great crested grebes, 3 common scoter, 70 red-breasted mergansers, guillemot, 2 goldeneye, shag, 30 pintail, 160 avocets, 3 peregrines, 6 marsh harriers and 2 common buzzards.


On Friday 3rd a sparrowhawk flew across the country park, a marsh harrier passed high over the Point late afternoon, 5 little egrets noted, 3 rock pipits on the saltmarsh, 2 linnets, 3 sanderling at the Point and 7 red-breasted mergansers in the Colne.


On the grazing fields at high tide 200 redshank, 30 black-tailed godwits, 40 golden plover, 500 wigeon, 200 teal, 40 shoveler, 25 shelduck and a pair of oystercatcher was noted in the afternoon.


An unexpected bird sighting was a woodcock seen flying across the East Mersea road near the pub, just after dark. The bird swooped low enough over the road to be seen in the car headlights forcing it to take evasive action before it continued west towards the church.

The badgers at the park were quick to make use of some heaps of cut grass on Thursday night that had only been deliberately dumped under the bushes for them as bedding earlier in the day. The path on Friday morning was left strewn with the grass by the busy badgers as shown above, which had just been raked off from a nearby meadow by some volunteers.


Three adders were seen at the park on Thursday late morning.

This red squirrel was photographed in a garden half way along Shop Lane by Andy Field on Wednesday afternoon.




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