SINGING STOCK DOVE

Three stock doves were perched above the path along the top of the Firs Chase caravan site on Thursday 14th. One stock dove has been heard singing in recent mornings near the Lane.

A female marsh harrier flew low over the Strood fields on Thursday, hunting low along one of the ditches before heading south-west towards the Hard. The bird passed close to me but unfortunately looking straight into the sun, as picture shows.
The marsh harrier passed right over a section of ditch near where a pair of grey partridge had been feeding only a few minutes earlier. Luckily they managed to stay hidden while the harrier passed over.

The pair of stonechat was in the usual area near the borrowdyke on Thursday, also 10 reed buntings, 10 skylarks, 4 meadow pipits and 3 rock pipits noted.

Some of the 500 brent geese were gathered along the Strood channel having been flushed off the Strood fields. A Mediterranean gull was flying over fields by the Strood Hill.

Off West Mersea's Esplanade on Thursday 14th, a possible black-throated diver, great northern diver and red-throated diver were seen by Martin Cock. Two great northern divers and a black-necked grebe were seen offshore from the Esplanade on Wednesday 13th by Andy Field.

On Tuesday 12th a common buzzard, kestrel and a flock of 50 skylarks were seen near Cross Lane, while at the south end of Shop Lane a sparrowhawk flew over and 16 pied wagtails were feeding in a horse paddock.

Fifty wigeon were resting along the Strood Channel on Monday 11th, also 50 teal seen too, while eight avocets and 25 little grebes were also noted.
The pair of stonechats were by the seawall, a corn bunting was feeding near the seawall as were a dozen reed buntings.

The sunny weather saw common buzzards in the air with three together over Ray Island, another two high over the Strood fields while one flew west high over Firs Chase on Monday midday. A sparrowhawk hunted low over the saltings by Strood Hill and a Mediterranean gull flew over the fields.

At the end of Monday afternoon Andy Field and I watched the harriers going into the Langenhoe roost from the Shop Lane seawall. Twelve marsh harriers were seen but no sign of the ringtail hen harrier seen the previous two evenings by Darrell Stile from the Brightlingsea seawall. Also four common buzzards over Langenhoe, a barn owl hunting over Reeveshall and a little owl calling near Fishponds Wood. Six red-breasted mergansers were in the Pyefleet.

Two muntjac deer were grazing one of the Reeveshall pastures late Monday afternoon and a red squirrel scrambled away from the footpath up into the trees of Fishponds Wood by the old decoy-bunker.
On Friday 8th a dancing stoat and a muntjac deer were seen by the country park pond by Martin Cock.

On Sunday 10th three great northern divers, red-throated diver, Slavonian grebe and a common scoter were seen off the Esplanade by Graham Ekins.

The female blackcap has been a regular visitor to the bird feeders in the Firs Chase garden in recent days. A house sparrow made a rare brief visit to the feeders on Thursday 14th.

An early red admiral was out in the sunshine in Adrian Amos's West Mersea garden on Wednesday 13th.