Friday 8 April 2022

WIND-BLOWN WHEATEAR

The male wheatear was still on the Strood seawall on Friday 8th, present for its second day after being blown about on its first day. It was sometimes feeding in the fields, sometimes along the top of the seawall, while other times it fed on the saltmarsh side of the seawall, covering a distance of 200 metres along the wall.

Other birds seen along the Strood seawall were a male marsh harrier, pair of Mediterranean gulls, 50 linnets, 300 wood pigeons and a singing corn bunting in the fields, two grey herons, greylag goose, great crested grebe, ten black-tailed godwits and 180 redshank. A  blackcap was singing by the Firs caravan park and another in Firs Chase as was a chiffchaff.

Despite an almost gale-force wind blowing on Thursday 7th, this wheatear was hopping along the top of the Strood seawall. It was a job to stand upright to take a steady picture of the bird. It was found late morning in the area near the seawall sluice and was seen again late afternoon by Steve Entwistle nearer the road-end.

The Strood Channel was devoid of birds in the strong wind with many not bothering to feed on the exposed mud. A single black-tailed godwit, a few redshank and curlew were all that were seen, along with 16 shelduck and a greylag goose in flight. Four little egrets were sheltering behind a hedge while fifty carrion crows and four stock doves fed in the cultivated field.

A male reed bunting was singing beside the Strood seawall on Wednesday 6th. Along the channel were two avocets, eight black-tailed godwits, 15 dunlin and three grey plover. A marsh harrier and a buzzard were seen while in the fields were 30 carrion crows.

At Cudmore Grove Country Park on Wednesday, Andy Field found a very flighty male wheatear at the Point, also six red-breasted mergansers in the Colne, four pochard on the park pond, along with five blackcaps, two Cetti's warblers and two chiffchaffs at the park

On Tuesday 5th along the Strood seawall were two avocets, great crested grebe, 15 black-tailed godwits, 20 dunlin, three teal, grey heron, four little egrets, marsh harrier, two corn buntings and a flock of fifty linnets in one of the fields. The shag was feeding in the Mersea Quarters near Packing Marsh Island. A chiffchaff was in Feldy View and a red squirrel crossed the top end of Firs Chase near Firs Road carrying a walnut.

Shaun Bater watched a male blackcap and a great spotted woodpecker in his Estuary Park Road garden on Tuesday morning. Later Shaun reported at Cudmore seeing two chiffchaffs, song thrush, 14 tufted ducks, two gadwall, six lapwing, wigeon, teal, six shelduck, 25 brent geese, five little grebes in the dyke, a coot on a nest, buzzard, three avocets on the Golfhouse pools.
Two corn buntings were seen singing from the telegraph wires along Dawes Lane by Shaun.

On Tuesday afternoon Steve Entwistle visited Cudmore Grove and reported lots of common species giving good views such as three long-tailed tits, two wrens, 30 teal, 22 wigeon, green woodpecker, skylark, two little grebes, two greylag geese, five lapwing on the fields, pair of gadwall and nine tufted ducks on the pond and a red-throated diver on the sea.

A song thrush has taken up residence in the Firs Chase garden over the last few weeks, singing loudly each morning.
Along the Strood seawall on Monday 4th there was a buzzard, greylag goose, 20 brent geese, 15 shelduck, three teal, 15 black-tailed godwits, 20 dunlin, three grey plover, two meadow pipits and a singing corn bunting.
On Monday afternoon a snipe and kestrel were seen from the Strood causeway by Steve Entwistle.

Lots of broken sunshine on Sunday 3rd whilst walking the north side of the Island. The highlight was a great white egret flying east over Langenhoe before dropping down near the Point. Five marsh harriers, six buzzards, 90 golden plovers, ten lapwing, three red-breasted mergansers, five great crested grebes and eight greylag geese were seen along the Reeveshall section.

Along the Bower hall seawall a Cetti's warbler sang, two red-legged partridges, two teal, 15 wigeon, five little egrets and three buzzards were noted, while along the Strood at high tide were seen a buzzard, kestrel, great crested grebe, four stock doves, as well as twenty turnstones at the Hard.
The chiffchaff, blackcap and song thrush were in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday.

The male adder was basking in its usual spot on the Maydays seawall on Saturday 2nd. Also seen from the Maydays and Reeveshall seawalls were seven marsh harriers, eight buzzards, greenshank, 16 golden plover, nine lapwing, two black-tailed godwits, 15 teal, three red-breasted mergansers, Cetti's warbler, chiffchaff and two meadow pipits.

Andy Field visited East Mersea on Saturday morning and walked from Shop Lane to Gyants Marsh as well as onto the Reeveshall seawall. Highlights were four pairs of marsh harrier, three buzzards, two Canada geese, four greylag geese, 100 golden plover, six pairs of lapwing, six chiffchaffs and a muntjac deer.

Steve Entwistle also visited the Reeveshall seawall from Shop Lane and noted three red-breasted mergansers, two pairs of greylag geese, four marsh harriers, two buzzards and a Canada goose. Earlier a red-legged partridge was seen in Chapmans Lane.

A Dark-edged Bee-fly was photographed by Andy Field on Saturday near Shop Lane.

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