SUNBATHING SEAL

A common seal was enjoying a bit of sunbathing on the beach at East Mersea Point on Tuesday 4th.

The common seal came ashore when the Point was virtually deserted and for a while, no dogs to chase it back into the water! It was left to enjoy the peace for itself!

A muntjac deer was seen walking across a field just north of the the country park on Tuesday.

The buck muntjac had casually walked over the fields late morning and didn't seemed too fazed at who was watching.

The first adder of the spring was seen at Cudmore Grove on Tuesday, catching some of the sun's rays from under a bramble bush.

Five little egrets were roosting at the country park pond on Tuesday, also five pochard and three gadwall here. A goldcrest was seen in trees at the park while in the skies above seven buzzards were noted, including two that came north-west over the river from Colne Point.

A common snipe revealed itself among the dense stand of clubrush on the park's grazing fields on Tuesday. Wildfowl noted in the fields included 400 wigeon, 50 teal and ten shoveler, while 8 tufted ducks were in the dyke.

The brent geese were seen along the water's edge in front of the park seawall on Tuesday, before flying onto the nearby field.

Two ringed plovers were on the mud beside the East Mersea Point on Tuesday. In the Colne were nine red-breasted mergansers and two great crested grebes. A siskin flew east over the Point calling.

A little owl enjoyed the midday sunshine by the Golfhouse on Tuesday. A peacock butterfly was seen flying near the park seawall.

Andy Field walked the Strood seawall on Tuesday and reported a kingfisher by the sluice, also two stonechats, two chiffchaffs with one singing, 40 meadow pipits, buzzard and 300 knot.

At Maydays four ravens, three red kites, six marsh harriers and eight buzzards were seen by Martin Cock on Tuesday.

A comma butterfly was photographed by Jack Hoy in his West Mersea garden on Monday 3rd.

At Maydays on Monday, Martin Cock reported two red kites, at least ten buzzards, six marsh harriers and a Chinese Water Deer.

A raven was seen by the Langenhoe solar farm by Rob Lee on Monday.

A chiffchaff was singing from the old pear tree along the Strood seawall on Monday 3rd.

At the same time a male hen harrier was quartering the rough grassland on Ray Island, also a marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk seen too. Three snipe were seen in the air over Ray Island, presumed flushed by the hen harrier.

Two kingfishers were seen by the Strood sluice on Monday - one by the inflow and one by the outflow.

Along the Strood channel were 260 knot, 100 wigeon and 100 teal, while in the Strood fields were a stonechat, ten meadow pipits and a pair of linnets. A goldcrest was in trees by the caravan park.

A silhouette of a merlin perched in a tree at Maydays on Sunday 2nd. The merlin had earlier perched on a gate by the seawall, then flew to this tree where it stayed for at least an hour. In the spring sunshine there were lots of birds of prey around with three red kites over Langenhoe, 12 marsh harriers including a couple of displaying males, 15 buzzards and two peregrines over the Colne. Three ravens were calling as they flew high west over the Pyefleet.

Four pintail, six shoveler, 100 knot and the leucistic redshank were in the Pyefleet, a stonechat and rock pipit and red-legged partridge were seen at Maydays.

On Saturday 1st, Martin Cock visited Shop Lane and saw blackcap and two goldcrests in the wood, then later peregrine and three marsh harriers.

The black brant was feeding amongst the saltmarsh by the Firs Chase caravan park during the high tide on Friday 28th. The broad white neck collar shows up well here. Also seen during a walk along the Strood seawall were 300 brent geese, 2 shoveler, 80 shelduck, marsh harrier, red kite over Feldy View, buzzard, kingfisher flew across to the Ray, four stonechats and two rock pipits. Two male blackcaps were seen by the Firs caravan park with one singing, also a female in the Firs Chase garden.

A redshank was seen by the Strood seawall on Friday as the tide receded.

Andy Field photographed a ringed plover at East Mersea Point on Friday, also 12 sanderling at the Point too. Elsewhere at the park a goldcrest and chiffchaff were noted, 3 pochard, buzzard, marsh harrier, while two pairs of jackdaws were seen going in and out of the barn owl box by the pond.

Martin Cock visited Maydays on Friday and reported two red kites, four marsh harriers, four buzzards, a little owl heard calling from Langenhoe, and two red-legged partridges at Maydays.

A kingfisher was seen along the central ditch by the Strood seawall on Thursday 27th. A couple of months ago, a kingfisher was seen whacking a small tiddler it had caught, on a branch along this ditch. Other birds of note were buzzard, two kestrels, Cetti's warbler, four meadow pipits, rock pipits and two reed buntings.

A male hen harrier was seen by Rob Lee on Thursday flying north over Barrow Hill.

A record shot of a male hen harrier flying low over Ray Island on Wednesday 26th. The black brant was feeding in the Strood channel beside the Ray saltmarsh, 150 brent geese there too, marsh harrier over Ray Island. The wintering chiffchaff was again by the Firs Caravan park, stonechat, ten meadow pipits and two linnets by the seawall. A pair of blackcap was in the Firs Chase garden.