Sunday 11 February 2018

GREY WAG SURPRISE

A grey wagtail found feeding in a waterlogged corner of the Coopers Beach football pitch on Friday 9th was a nice surprise. After a few minutes walking about the big puddle, it flew off heading to a nearby ditch and pond.

It was also nice to see the black redstart is still between the caravans - ten days after first being found. The black redstart was relocated on Thursday by Martin Cock. A sparrowhawk flew over the caravans and dropped down to fly fast between them. 
Offshore a pair of pintail flew along the edge of the mudflats from the east but then returned back to the Colne. Along the Coopers borrowdyke 18 mallard, pair of shoveler and two little egrets were noted on Friday. The barn owl was seen hunting over the Rewsalls marshes again by Martin Cock on Thursday 8th.

Ice covered most of the park pond in the morning of Thursday 8th, with 90+ mallard resting along with 15 gadwall and three teal present. A sparrowhawk landed briefly in the grazing fields before heading into the copse by the pond. The little owl was in the usual alder hedge enjoying the morning sunshine.
A muntjac deer ran in front of the hide and two foxes were resting on each side of the pond on Thursday morning.

Five hundred wigeon were feeding on the frosty fields with some standing on the ice on the dyke. Also 100 lapwing and six skylarks in the fields.

A pair of mallard seen walking along the ice on the park dyke.

From the Point on Thursday a red-breasted merganser flew up the Colne, 500 knot feeding on the mud and 15 shoveler on the saltmarsh lagoons. Later in the day 11 red-breasted mergansers were offshore and a sparrowhawk flew low over the car park.


There was a light dusting of snow across the country park on Wednesday morning. It wasn't long before it all disappeared.
A common buzzard flew over the car park drifting west and four little egrets were at the park pond roost.

Offshore from West Mersea on Wednesday 4 great northern divers, 2 common scoter, 17 red-breasted mergansers and a Mediterranean gull were seen by Andy Field, while later 2 common buzzards were seen at Rewsalls.

On Tuesday 6th a female pochard was on the park pond, the little owl in the alder hedge, 600 wigeon and 150 lapwing in the grazing fields.
A barn owl showed well at the park in the late afternoon of Monday 5th, hunting over the long grass and catching a small mammal before flying off. Twelve stock doves gathered at the park pond copse at the end of the Monday.

At West Mersea during light snow flurries on Tuesday 6th David Allen recorded in the Blackwater 3 common scoter, 12 red-breasted mergansers, 8 great northern divers, 3 Slavonian grebes, black-necked grebe, shag, 16 sanderling and a Mediterranean gull.

Recent rains at the park have seen 3 song thrushes, 20+ blackbirds and several robins feeding on the grass after the worms.
A muntjac deer was seen trotting across the football pitch at Coopers Beach by Andy Field on Wednesday 31st Jan. A video taken of it  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPCRwny3HQ8;

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