BOATING LAKE BRANT

There was plenty of water on the old Rewsalls marshes on Friday 21st, in both the new boating lake as well as in the new lagoon and adjacent ditches too. Recent high tides and lots of rain have put water everywhere.
The regular black brant was resting on the boating lake among 100+ brent geese, before they all took off eastwards. Two Mediterranean gulls were also on the boating lake while 3 shelduck and a little egret were also present. In the fields behind, 30 curlew were feeding at high tide and a buzzard was perched at the back of the marshes.
Twenty-five chaffinches and two kestrels were seen next to Cross Lane on Friday.

At Maydays on Friday, a great white egret was seen feeding on the saltmarsh towards the Strood by Martin Cock and Andy Field.

The coal tit, male and female blackcaps and a goldcrest were in the Firs Chase garden on Friday.

Some of the large flock of 700+ black-tailed godwits were roosting while others fed in the waterlogged grazing fields at the country park on Thursday 20th. Also noted was a single knot with the godwits, 20+ dunlin, 8 snipe, 1000+ wigeon, 30 shelduck, 25+ shoveler and 100 lapwing. At the pond was a pair of pochard with another pochard on the dyke with 14 tufted duck.

 The recent storm surge tide of Ciara, washed a lot of sand and shingle further up the beach at East Mersea Point. The old pill-box has just about been smothered by the shingle and the high tide-line has receded closer to it by a few metres, ripping out marram grass while nearby sea-blite bushes were sand-blasted by the strong winds during the storm.
Of bird interest at the Point on Thursday were 36 sanderling feeding along the water's edge.

A Chinese water deer was seen well at Maydays on Thursday morning by Martin Cock.

Andy Field watched the harrier roost late afternoon on Wednesday 19th and counted a ringtail hen harrier at 17.20, just five marsh harriers, and a barn owl on Langenhoe Marsh, while on Reeveshall were 2000 brent geese and 200 lapwing. A little owl was calling at dusk near Shop Lane.

On Tuesday 18th between Meeting Lane and Shop Lane were 3 red-legged partridges, yellowhammer, kestrel, 2 Mediterranean gulls, 4 meadow pipits, green woodpecker, 2 great spotted woodpecker and ten long-tailed tits.
Martin Cock saw the great white egret at Maydays saltmarsh on Tuesday 18th.

A redshank stood on the mud along the Strood channel on Monday 17th. Also of interest there were 500+ brent geese, 75 shelduck, marsh harrier, 35 curlew, 3 reed buntings and the regular male stonechat.

Despite the wet and windy weather on Sunday 16th at Maydays, a ringtail hen harrier flew low over the fields, a sparrowhawk by the farmyard, buzzard in the Maydays Grove with a pair of grey partridge seen near here too. Four yellowhammers, 6 reed buntings and 16 linnets were some of the small birds of note. Five hundred brent geese fed in the fields while 7 red-breasted mergansers were in the Pyefleet.

A windy Saturday 15th walk along the Strood seawall produced a distant and brief view of a ringtail hen harrier flying over Ray Island. A sparrowhawk crossed the channel spooking the birds while on the fields were two Mediterranean gulls and a male stonechat.

It was sunny but a bit breezy along the Reeveshall seawall on Friday 14th. The sunny conditions enticed the marsh harriers to display high in the sky. The shrill call coming from the distant male bird high over Langenhoe as it performed its display flight to nearby females. Three marsh harriers were seen on Langenhoe with another three birds seen on Reeveshall, also two common buzzards noted too.
Sixteen red-breasted mergansers were in the Pyefleet, also 100 avocets and a common seal on a pontoon. In the fields were 24 stock doves, pair of stonechat, six meadow pipits, two little egrets and 500 brent geese. A muntjac deer was feeding alongside Shop Lane late morning.