EGRET EXCITEMENT

Eight cattle egrets spent a few hours feeding among the cattle on Reeveshall on Saturday 23rd - this record shot of three of them in the distance. The cattle egrets were quite spread out among the herd of eighty cows, either feeding or pausing to rest and preen. After two or three years of cattle egrets regularly occurring with the livestock at nearby Old Hall Marshes, Tollesbury and Abberton, finally a flock has turned up here on the Island. Martin Cock got a closer view of the flock of cattle egrets as they flew off from Reeveshall north-west to Langenhoe in early afternoon.

Andy Field managed to take a short video  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wC4L1df_28

Also seen during the walk along the Maydays seawall on Saturday morning were four marsh harriers, four buzzards, distant peregrine on Langenhoe, 50 avocets, 70 shelduck, 50 black-tailed godwits, 40 golden plover and 200 dunlin. Small birds noted included 20 reed buntings, 25 skylarks, 40 linnets, 3 rock pipits and two singing Cetti's warblers.

In addition to Martin seeing the cattle egrets, he also had a brambling fly over Maydays, eight red-breasted mergansers in the Pyefleet, three marsh harriers and a buzzard while Andy Field also reported 400 dunlin in the Pyefleet.

In the Firs Chase garden on Saturday morning 300 wood pigeons were flying high westwards, also a brambling flew over, a redwing dropped into a holly bush and also a goldcrest in there too.

Late on Saturday night Michael Thorley heard a tawny owl calling very loud and clear from his neighbour's garden near Meeting Lane.

A curlew was feeding amongst the seaweed along the Strood channel on Friday 22nd. Also noted were 500 golden plover, 50 black-tailed godwits, 20 avocets, the first two shelduck of the autumn along the Strood, singing Cetti's warbler, five rock pipits, 100 linnets and also a blackcap near Feldy View.

At Coopers Beach on Friday afternoon Steve Entwistle watched three gannets flying west, also three red-breasted mergansers flying west and one heading east, a Mediterranean gull and eleven great crested grebes offshore. 

There was a much higher tide on Thursday 21st with it reaching 6m high - 0.75m higher than was originally predicted. The sea covered most of the East Mersea Point leaving just a sliver of beach showing and the sea-blite bushes.

The saltmarsh beside the East Mersea Point was covered by the high tide and the usual saltmarsh lagoons by the Golfhouse were part of the sea for a couple of hours! Seventy brent geese were seen feeding over the flooded saltmarsh.

Lots of waders and wildfowl were feeding and roosting in the waterlogged horse paddock by the Golfhouse on Thursday with the main birds being redshank and black-tailed godwits.

Looking from the seawall onto the Golfhouse paddock revealed 300 black-tailed godwits, 200 redshank, 30 dunlin, one knot, 30 lapwing, 50 wigeon, 50 teal and 15 shoveler. Several flocks of waders were flying about as the tide covered their regular roost sites with five bar-tailed godwits, five knot, four snipe of interest.

A male shoveler was seen along the country park dyke on Thursday. Twenty little egrets were at the park pond along with a few wigeon, teal and mallard. A water rail squealed and two Cetti's warbler were singing.

A male stonechat was feeding by the park dyke on Thursday, with a female seen by Andy earlier, staying hidden. A swallow flew over paddocks to the north of the park, two siskins landed in some alders, a blackcap, two goldcrests, four redwing and a song thrush were also seen at the park.

Several common darters were seen at the park enjoying the sunshine on Thursday.

Along the Strood seawall on Wednesday 20th were five avocets, six ringed plover, 80 golden plover, 50 black-tailed godwits, 100 linnets, rock pipit, Cetti's warbler, sparrowhawk and a buzzard. Two siskins flew over Firs Chase calling.

A redshank was feeding close to the Strood seawall on Wednesday, one of over 100 feeding along the channel.

The first appearance of the year of a hummingbird hawkmoth in the Firs Chase garden late on Wednesday afternoon feeding on salvia flowers.