SNOW BUNTING AT THE POINT

A nicely marked snow bunting was feeding on the top of the beach at the East Mersea Point on Sunday 5th. This bird was first seen on Thursday by Martin Cock, so now present for its fourth day.

The snow bunting flew around a couple of times but came back to the same sort of area at the far end of the Point. Luckily the poor weather on Sunday meant there was less disturbance from walkers and dogs.

Also seen at the Point on Sunday afternoon were 20 sanderling, 36 bar-tailed godwits flying into the Colne, 300 wigeon and 12 shoveler. There was a good variety of waders and wildfowl in the Golfhouse paddock during the high tide including 100+ black-tailed godwits. A stonechat was present in one of the park's grazing fields, sharing the field with the recently introduced herd of redpoll cattle.

Walking the seawall back to Shop Lane late on Sunday afternoon a check of the gathering harriers at the roost on Langenhoe revealed the nice sight of a male hen harrier flying low north-west along the seawall there at 3.25pm. Also at least ten marsh harriers were already gathered there an hour before dark.

A small flock of black-tailed godwits with a few redshank waited on the Reeveshall saltmarsh for the tide to drop on Sunday afternoon. Nearby a flock of 80+ avocets appeared to be waiting for the mud to show by sitting on the water. Later a flock of 300 knot was feeding on mud near Ivy Dock while in the Pyefleet were 9 red-breasted mergansers.

A flock of 300 redshank and 100 dunlin roosting on the Reeveshall pool during Sunday's high tide was one of the larger wader roosts seen here for some time. On the Reeveshall field were 400 golden plover and 100 lapwing, also a small flock of 20 greenfinches seen feeding at the back of the pool.

A pair of stonechat was still present by the Shop Lane seawall and a water rail called from the dyke. A brambling was heard calling over Fishponds wood, a song thrush was seen in Shop Lane and a muntjac deer strolled past the wood.

A mistle thrush perched on roadside wires at Weir Farm in East Mersea on Sunday and a buzzard perched beside Bocking Hall.

High tide covered the saltmarsh on Saturday 4th during a walk along the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls. A male hen harrier was one of the highlights, watching it fly low over the Maydays saltmarsh as it headed west, before it dropped down for a rest. There were three sightings during the walk of two short-eared owls - one flying high over Langenhoe and a couple of views of one on Reeveshall with the latter bird seemingly being territorial with deliberate wing-beats and a brief wing-clap too. Six marsh harriers were seen, most of them on Langenhoe.

Seven pintail were at the top end of Langenhoe creek with another female flying off the small bay at Reeveshall. In the Pyefleet were ten red-breasted mergansers, 150 avocets, a snipe, 150 teal and two great crested grebes. On Reeveshall fields were 200 golden plover, 100 lapwing, 50 curlew and 16 black-tailed godwits. Four fieldfare could be seen perched on bushes on Langenhoe.

At Maydays two brambling were seen flying over calling, also 100 chaffinches, 30 reed buntings, 30 linnets, Cetti's warbler, two redwing and a pair of stonechat.

At West Mersea Andy Field did well to find a razorbill from the Esplanade on Saturday morning, the bird being seen a short while later off St Peters by Andy. It was difficult to keep track of as it was diving under so often, also the wind picked up producing more waves. The razorbill was later seen from Old Hall by Colin Mackenzie Grieve flying from just off the Mersea Quarters to just off Tollesbury Wick. 

This is the first razorbill record for the Island since 1986.

Andy also saw offshore a guillemot, two great northern divers, two red-throated divers and a shag, while

a great northern diver was seen off the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle on Saturday afternoon.

A black brant and pale-bellied brent goose was seen by Sean Nixon in the Strood Channel on Saturday.

Offshore from the bottom of Cross Lane on Friday 3rd was a red-throated diver, twelve great crested grebes, twenty sanderling, ten Mediterranean gulls and a bar-tailed godwit. In bushes nearby were twenty blackbirds, two song thrushes and also four yellowhammers that had been feeding in a field.

At the Rewsalls marshes on Friday a female merlin appeared low over the flooded old fields carrying a small bird which he then proceeded to eat in a neighbouring field. It sat in the field for some time, spending most of that time just looking around, whilst standing on what may've been a dunlin or something similar.

Also on the marshes during the high tide two greenshanks were seen, one seen flying away to the north-west, the other roosting on the marsh until the merlin flew over. Other birds here were 50 curlew, 90 black-tailed godwits, 100 dunlin, 15 little grebes and 500 brent geese dropping in between feeds on the wheat fields. In bushes nearby were two redwing, two song thrushes, twenty blackbirds and 25 house sparrows.

From the Esplanade on Friday morning Steve Entwistle saw a great northern diver drifting then flying west and a black-throated diver flying west towards Tollesbury.

At Maydays farm Martin Cock reported on Friday three buzzards, five marsh harriers, ten red-breasted mergansers, and a Chinese Water Deer.

A male kestrel was enjoying the morning sunshine out of the northerly breeze, on the tower of the East Mersea church on Thursday 2nd. A female kestrel was seen perched in wires along the track to the west of the church and a buzzard perched in a hedge by Rewsalls farm. 

There was a nice variety of waders and wildfowl on the old Rewsalls marshes beside the East Mersea boating lake during the high tide on Thursday morning. Some of those noted included 700 brent geese, 50 black-tailed godwits, greenshank, 100 golden plover, 25 Mediterranean gulls, 15 little grebes and twenty ringed plover. Also noted were 40 linnets, Cetti's warbler, four reed buntings and 30 house sparrows.

On the beach by the boating lake were 48 sanderling and a couple of turnstones on Thursday while offshore was a red-throated diver and a couple of great crested grebes.

At East Mersea Point a snow bunting was found feeding on the beach on Thursday morning by Martin Cock, also a pair of stonechat and three rock pipits near there.

Later at the West Mersea Esplanade Martin watched an unidentified skua, maybe a Pomarine or Arctic skua flying in the Blackwater before circling high and back out east again.

On Wednesday 1st there was a red-throated diver seen offshore from Kingsland Road, also a great northern diver and two great crested grebes off St Peters. On Cobmarsh at high tide were 60 oystercatchers and 12 sanderling while on St Peters marsh were two little egrets, two rock pipits and two reed buntings.

Later on Wednesday a great northern diver was seen offshore from the Esplanade by Steve Entwistle.

Liz Huxley saw the black-throated diver in the Strood channel on Wednesday morning, also 500 brent geese, 40 avocets, six little grebes as well as 300+ cormorants leaving the estuary heading north to Abberton.

At Maydays a redwing and 100 chaffinch were the only things of note seen by Martin Cock on a windy Wednesday. Later Steve Entwistle saw six red-legged partridge in Haycocks Lane.