FLOODED PADDOCK WILDFOWL

A number of wildfowl were feeding on the flooded horse paddock in front of the East Mersea Golfhouse on Wednesday 27th including this pair of wigeon.

As well as 70 wigeon in the horse paddock, there were four swallows flying over the field and nearby seawall for a few minutes. On the saltmarsh pools were ten teal, five shoveler, two rock pipits, while on the mud were ten black-tailed godwits and four great crested grebes in the Colne. A clouded yellow was seen near the Golfhouse but the stonechat seen earlier in the morning by Andrew Tilsley couldn't be re-found.

The water rail called at the park pond, three Cetti's warblers were singing and a goldcrest was feeding in bushes near the bird hide.

Later at the park on Wednesday afternoon, 43 gannets were seen offshore by Steve Entwistle, many of them seen diving into the sea.

High tide covered over half of the old Rewsalls marshes beside Coopers Beach on Tuesday 26th where 30 little egrets, 300 golden plover and fifty curlew were gathered.

Offshore four gannets were seen flying west late afternoon following eight seen by Martin Cock mid afternoon on Tuesday.

Ten redpolls were feeding in the birches at Feldy View on Tuesday morning and a siskin was seen briefly in Firs Chase. A peregrine did a few stoops alongside the Strood road before flying low down the Strood channel on Tuesday morning. Ten shelduck, 200 wigeon and 18 avocets were of note along the channel, while in the nearby fields were 100 linnets and 500 starlings.

A great spotted woodpecker perched on wires beside Feldy View on Monday 25th and in nearby berry bushes were 15 blackbirds and a song thrush.

Along the Strood seawall were a stonechat, singing Cetti's warbler, two buzzards, 25 linnets, four meadow pipits and two rock pipits as well as a brown hare running across one of the fields. In the Strood channel were 25 avocets, 50 lapwing, 20 golden plover, ten ringed plover, 50 black-tailed godwits and 25 dunlin.

A continual passage of gannets was watched on Monday afternoon by Steve Entwistle from the country park with a final estimate of 150+ seen going past. A mix of adults and juveniles went past in small groups, many of them seen diving. This is a record count for Mersea.

Three swallows flew south over Martin Cock's West Mersea garden on Monday afternoon. Earlier at Cudmore Grove Martin noted two siskin, two stonechats, four Cetti's warblers heard and six clouded yellows over the park fields.

A barn owl was reported by Rusty Marshall seen in the car headlights on Monday evening perched on a fence before it flew off.

A mix of brent geese, teal and wigeon gathered near the sluice outflow along the Strood seawall on Sunday 24th. A marsh harrier, buzzard, stonechat, 50 black-tailed godwits and 200 wigeon were also noted in the area. A brambling flew around the Firs Chase caravan site calling, perching on several trees before flying off. Four redwing, eight jays and three great spotted woodpeckers were seen around the Feldy View and Firs cemetery

A colourful fly agaric toadstool was growing under the same bush as two years ago in the Firs Road cemetery on Tuesday 26th.