SEASONS GREETINGS

Alan Reynolds visited East Mersea on Sunday 29th and photographed the shorelark on the Point.

The snow bunting was also photographed by Alan on the East Mersea Point on Sunday.

The purple sandpiper showed well for Alan to photograph the bird in the very dull conditions on Sunday.

At Coopers Beach on Sunday morning a marsh harrier was perched at the back of the Rewsalls marsh at high tide. Other birds noted on the marsh were ten shelduck, six teal, wigeon, avocet, two skylarks, rock pipit, while offshore a red-throated diver flew east. Thirty chaffinches were perched in a tree beside Church Lane.

In Shop Lane on Sunday, Michael Thorley reported along the Pyefleet seeing 150 avocets, 120 knot, 100 dunlin, 100 redshank, 200 wigeon, 20 shelduck, shoveler, curlew, ten Brent geese, seven Canada geese on Reeveshall, two lesser black-backed gulls, while in his garden near Meeting Lane a green woodpecker.

In West Mersea the female blackcap was at the garden bird feeder in Firs Chase on Sunday.

On Saturday 28th the shorelark was still showing well on the beach at East Mersea Point.

A snow bunting came and joined the shorelark at East Mersea Point on Saturday. It was first seen flying about and looking very flighty, heading west along the beach first then flew north towards the Pyefleet. When it came back over the Point the shorelark flew up to join it and they both circled around before the two birds dropped back down onto the Point to feed.

Other birds seen on Saturday at the Point included 4 red-breasted mergansers, 500 knot, sanderling, 8 shoveler, while in the grazing fields were 100 wigeon, 75 mallard, 50 teal, ten black-tailed godwits, stonechat, sparrowhawk perched in the central ditch.

A little owl perched in an old hawthorn tree with mistletoe and ivy near the East Mersea Golfhouse on Saturday. A peregrine flew over the bus turning circle as it headed north. Ten meadow pipits were by the Golfhouse in the paddock.

The shorelark was seen on Christmas Day by Michael Thorley, showing well on the East Mersea Point.

On Christmas Day a male hen harrier was seen hunting over the Ray Island saltmarsh, skimming low as it passed quickly over, flushing one snipe in the process. A marsh harrier was noted too, as was a red kite flying slowly along the Feldy seawall on the mainland - where 1000 brent geese were feeding.

Birds noted along the Strood seawall on Xmas Day included 124 shelduck, shoveler, 200 teal, 100 wigeon, 40 avocets, 150 knot and nine bar-tailed godwits. In the fields 22 corn buntings, two stonechat, song thrush and ten skylarks noted. A goldcrest was in the Firs Chase garden.

A raven was seen at Barrow Hill on Christmas Day by Rob Lee at his feeding station.