CONFIDING KESTREL

A very confiding male kestrel perched beside Cross Lane watching the many walkers pass below it and happy to have its picture taken, on Wednesday 7th. At the top end of Cross Lane two female blackcaps and three redwings were seen in a hedgerow. Three Mediterranean gulls were in a nearby field. 

A black-tailed godwit was feeding in a pond in Waldegraves caravan park on Wednesday, two green woodpeckers and a great spotted woodpecker in the poplar trees here too. 

The pair of stonechat was still in the long grassy field to the west of Waldegraves, also two skylarks and two meadow pipits here. In a nearby field 23 golden plover and 8 stock doves were feeding and a buzzard was mobbed in flight by some crows.

A little owl was enjoying the winter sunshine in a bush on the south side of the Youth Camp on Wednesday. Fifteen fieldfares were also in the nearby bushes.

A flock of thirty sanderling was feeding along the water's edge between the Youth Camp and Waldegraves just before the high tide on Wednesday.

A ringed plover was also on the beach near the Youth Camp on Wednesday.

At the side-lake near the East Mersea boating lake a wintering greenshank had been seen feeding before flying off to the north-west on Wednesday.

Amongst the waders roosting on the side-lake on Wednesday were ten grey plover, 20 ringed plover, 50 dunlin, 30 turnstone, 30 redshank, 60 curlew and four bar-tailed godwits. Ten little grebes were in the water.

One of the 15 fieldfares seen at the Youth Camp on Wednesday, a redwing was with them too.

One of the three redwing seen at the top end of Cross Lane on Wednesday.

Carrie Horwood also visited the boating lake area at East Mersea on Wednesday and reported 2 ringed plover, 4 little grebes, 7 curlew, 6 grey plover, 25 redshank, 22 sanderling, 8 dunlin, 12 turnstone, 3 little egret, 27 mallard, 230 brent geese, 30 lapwing, 2 kestrel, sparrowhawk, 12 redwing, 15 fieldfares, 20 linnets and 4 reed buntings.

Michael Thorley visited the Golfhouse end of East Mersea on Wednesday and saw 320 wigeon, 20 teal, 16 shoveler, 3 avocets, 200 dunlin, redshank, mallard, 8 black-tailed godwits, four brent geese and 7 curlew.

This sparrowhawk was photographed by Rob Lee on Wednesday in his garden at Barrow Hill. In the afternoon a ringtail hen harrier and a Chinese Water Deer were seen by Rob on the Bower Hall /Maydays area.

A great spotted woodpecker perched in a tree by the Firs Chase caravan park, also twenty goldfinches twittering away on Tuesday 6th. In the fields by the Strood there were 50 linnets, 70 golden plover and ten stock doves while a grey heron flew over. Twelve ringed plovers were by the Hard and in Firs Chase the ring-necked parakeet was heard squawking and a blackcap at the garden feeder.

At East Mersea a spotted redshank was heard calling by Martin Cock by the Golfhouse pools, also six snipe seen on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday Steve Entwistle saw two redwings in Shop Lane, 12 Mediterranean gulls and 8 common gulls at Bocking Hall, while at Maydays there were 20 fieldfares, long-tailed tit and two more redwing in Meeting Lane.

A male marsh harrier quartered the field in the Weir Lane area next to Michael Thorley's house on Tuesday.

Jonathan Norgate was shown a picture of a stunning black fox that someone had photographed in East Mersea. Jack Hoy reported a grey squirrel at Cudmore Grove and two in Shop Lane near Manwood Grove.

A very chilly but sunny morning along the Strood seawall on Monday 5th where there was this frozen borrowdyke covered with a thin layer of snow.

Birds of note seen during the bracing seawall walk included a merlin perched on a tree on Ray Island that was only spotted after a marsh harrier flushed it. The merlin flew a short distance and then landed on the saltmarsh. Two other marsh harriers and a buzzard were also seen.

Four rock pipits were feeding along the side of the Strood seawall and also on the saltmarsh on Monday. In the channel were 200 brent geese, 100 wigeon, 100 teal, female shoveler, while in the field were 80 golden plover, snipe flying over, two stonechats and 12 stock doves. Three red-breasted mergansers were in the Mersea Quarters near Packing Marsh.

Carrie Horwood also visited the Strood on Monday and noted two marsh harriers, sparrowhawk over the weedy fields, redshank, linnets, lapwing, black-tailed godwit, rock pipits, reed bunting, curlew, brent geese and skylark. At the end of the day a barn owl was watched for half an hour quartering the fields near the Strood fishing lakes.

Andy Field walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Monday and reported two water rails - one at the park and another by the Golfhouse, also two snipe flew over the seawall and onto the grazing field, four sanderling at the Point and a marsh harrier over the Golfhouse pools.

Three marsh harriers were seen by Rob Lee on Monday, sitting on the sunny side of the Bower Hall seawall.

Graham Ekins reported three goldeneye offshore from West Mersea on Monday.

Three meadow pipits perched on wires near the Firs Chase caravan park on Sunday 4th and five rock pipits were seen along the Strood seawall. In the Strood Channel were 200 wigeon, 100 teal, 30 avocets, while in the fields were 170 golden plover, 30 lapwing, 100 linnets and two stonechats. Three marsh harriers were seen in the area and 700 brent geese were over the Ray Channel.

The ring-necked parakeet was heard loudly in flight as it passed over Firs Chase on Sunday, one was also photographed earlier in the day at a feeder in East Mersea, so quite likely a different bird. A pair of blackcaps also seen in the Firs Chase garden.

Martin Cock saw a ringtail hen harrier at Maydays on Sunday, also five marsh harriers and two pintail.

Rob Lee saw five snipe at the paramotor field by the Strood.

Steve Grimwade saw a great northern diver, two red-throated divers and four Mediterranean gulls from the Esplanade, and also a blackcap at Feldy View but no sign of the glossy ibis on Ray Island.

Carrie Horwood saw the great northern diver also on Sunday from the Esplanade as well as some sanderling, turnstone, ringed plover, five curlew, 6 oystercatchers, two Mediterranean gulls and 55 great crested grebes.

At Cudmore Grove on Sunday, Michael Thorley counted 51 curlew in a grazing field, 6 west of the Golfhouse and 24 in the paddock north of the park pond. On the Golfhouse pools were 20 wigeon, two teal and some mallard.

A pair of stonechat was feeding out of the cold wind along the side of the Maydays seawall on Saturday 3rd. Birds noted during a quick visit in the cold were 800 brent geese, two marsh harriers, ten avocets, great crested grebe, 12 fieldfares, Cetti's warbler and a yellowhammer.