BLACK BRANT BY DABCHICKS

 

The black brant was feeding close inshore in the Strood channel behind the Dabchicks sailing club on a dull Tuesday 21st. Also beside it were a pale-bellied brent goose and a dozen dark-bellied brent geese. The main flock of 400+ brent geese were feeding on the Feldy Marshes on the Peldon side.

The tide was rising during the morning, covering most of the mudflats by mid-day with this redshank feeding close to the seawall. Also along the channel were 60 shelduck, 44 avocets, 12 black-tailed godwits and four Mediterranean gulls. A marsh harrier disturbed lots of waders and wildfowl as it flew over Ray Island.

Two dunlin were some of the last waders along the Strood mud by the seawall on Tuesday. In the fields inside the seawall were a passing sparrowhawk, a buzzard, stonechat, 40 linnets and 15 pied wagtails and four meadow pipits. A mistle thrush was perched beside clumps of mistletoe high in the poplar trees at the top of the Firs Caravan park - for the second day running.

At Coopers Beach on Tuesday, Steve Entwistle saw a Slavonian grebe offshore and two snipe on the nearby Rewsalls marshes.

Marsh Stitchman saw 21 red-breasted mergansers flying out of the Colne on the ebb tide on Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday 20th, there were five Mediterranean gulls along the Strood channel, two pictured here.

A peregrine raced across the maize stubble field and chased after some wood pigeons before continuing on its way. Two buzzards perched on nearby hedgerows and two marsh harrier passed along the Strood channel, while a sparrowhawk flew over the caravan site.

Also seen from the seawall were the stonechat, 40 linnets, 20 avocets, 20 black-tailed godwits and the main flock of 700 brent geese on the Peldon side.

A stock dove was singing from the poplar trees by the Firs Caravan park on Monday, also a mistle thrush perched near the clumps of mistletoe. A female blackcap was at the feeder in the Firs Chase garden.

Offshore from the Esplanade Steve Entwistle and Martin Cock saw four great northern divers, four red-throated divers, eight red breasted mergansers, a peregrine on Bradwell power station, a shag and a Mediterranean gull. Later at Maydays farm, Steve reported the little owl, three avocets, pair of red-breasted mergansers, 30 knot and 200 dunlin.

Birds of note seen by Andy Field at East Mersea on Monday while doing the WeBS count were two Slavonian grebes and two red-throated divers offshore from the country park, seven sanderling, three water rails - one seen between Ivy Dock and the Oyster Fishery, also 11 red-breasted mergansers.

Conditions were foggy on Sunday 19th during a walk along the north side of the island from Shop Lane to the Strood channel. Here at Maydays during a brief easing of the fog, 50 reed buntings were in the game crop and dyke, also 18 fieldfare and four redwing here.

Over Reeveshall a male hen harrier was close enough to recognise through the fog, as it flew low westwards across the fields. In the Pyefleet an immature male eider was feeding with a dozen red-breasted mergansers, while nine shoveler flew overhead. High tide was covering the mud and the only wader flocks of note were 100 black-tailed godwits and a floating raft of 100 avocets in the Reeveshall bay while 140 golden plover were feeding in a grass pasture.

The black brant was feeding by the West Mersea hard on Sunday, while along the Strood channel were 50 knot, five Mediterranean gulls, a bar-tailed godwit while in the fields were two buzzards, stonechat and 500 starlings.

On a misty morning at Maydays on Saturday 18th, there were 12 red-breasted mergansers, four great crested grebes, 11 avocets, seen along the Pyefleet channel. Around the fields were a marsh harrier, 80 golden plover, two calling Cetti's warblers, two stonechats, two song thrushes, four redwing and five fieldfares.

The first song thrush heard singing in the Firs Chase garden this winter was on Saturday morning.

Steve Grimwade reported seeing on Saturday the black brant by the Hard, 3 red-throated divers, 2 great northern divers, 2 red-breasted mergansers, Mediterranean gull and a sanderling from the Esplanade.

Ashley Gooding leading a Suffolk Bird Group visit to Mersea on Saturday, reported 190 brent geese, 42 oystercatchers, 48 sanderling, 2 Mediterranean gulls at Waldegraves, 6 shoveler, 170 wigeon and 8 teal near Golfhouse saltmarsh, 26 ringed plover, 73 curlew, 14 redshank, little egret, 36 wigeon at Coopers Beach, while from the Esplanade were two great northern divers and at East Mersea Point was a red-throated diver and 40 knot.

At East Mersea Point on Friday 17th there was no sign of any snow buntings, although this skylark was feeding in the same area where the buntings had been feeding the week before.

Also noted in the area were ten sanderling, bar-tailed godwit, 15 ringed plover, 20 knot, while 70 avocets flew over the river and five snipe flew over the saltmarsh. Thirty shoveler, 200 wigeon and fifty teal were around the saltmarsh area while six gadwall were on the park pond.

Four water rails were noted, one seen in a ditch along from the bird hide, another two calling in that area while another one scuttled back to the hedge in the Golfhouse horse paddock. 

The herd of redpoll cows continue to graze down the thick vegetation on the park's grazing fields. A pair of stonechat was still present in the field, 250 starlings were also seen, while in the park were a calling Cetti's warbler, two goldcrests feeding with a flock of 15 long-tailed tits and a song thrush singing in the car park.

The Blackwater was calm on Thursday 16th which helped with looking for birds on the river. A distant razorbill had been seen in the middle of the Blackwater by Colin Mackenzie-Grieve from Old Hall marshes. Martin Cock and I thought we might've seen the bird but it was too distant to confirm. 

Two guillemots, two great northern divers, two red-throated divers, two red-breasted mergansers, 25 great crested grebes were on the river, while three goosanders flying past the Esplanade was a bonus with a nicely marked male leading the trio. Two lesser redpolls flew west along the Esplanade, a grey heron and Mediterranean gull were also noted while 70 ringed plovers roosted on Cobmarsh Island.

From Cross Lane a red-throated diver, great northern diver was offshore, five Mediterranean gulls, 30 sanderling were on the mud. In the nearby fields were a buzzard, 40 chaffinches and three song thrushes.

A blackcap was reported in the previous week by Trevor Hearn seen among the flowers of his mahonia bush in his West Mersea garden.