BRENT AND BRANTS

The high tide on Monday 2nd was covering all of the saltmarsh in front of the Firs Chase caravan park allowing 70 brent geese to feed over the submerged saltings. A lone Egyptian goose flew up the Strood channel.

The regular great white egret was back again stalking the weedy fields along the Strood on Monday. It's been visiting on and off for the last fortnight. Two little egrets and a grey heron were also noted.

Two pairs of stonechats were seen and two green woodpeckers were feeding in a paddock. On the wires and nearby trees were 150 linnets, while on the opposite seawall of Feldy Marsh, there was a large flock of 1000 linnets flying about. There have been big linnets flocks seen rising over this seawall over the last month, but this is the biggest gathering seen yet.

In the Firs Chase garden two blackcaps and a sparrowhawk were of interest while a song thrush was singing nearby.

At East Mersea Andy Field found a purple sandpiper with turnstones and dunlin on the scrape by the boating lake on Monday morning. It was eventually pushed off by the incoming high tide. Birds noted were 100 turnstones, 50 redshank, 30 dunlin, 10 ringed plover, also 32 Mediterranean gulls west of the Youth Camp, 12 sanderling, a male stonechat west of the Youth Camp and four fieldfares over, while 200 great crested grebes were offshore.

Mark Thomson took this picture of a knot on the island on Monday.

Michael Thorley visited Coopers Beach on Monday and noted 2 pied wagtails, 35 wood pigeons, 28 curlew, 12 redshank, 40 oystercatchers and 4 common gulls.

On a drizzly Sunday 1st, a flock of 800 brent geese was seen feeding in a wheat field between Coopers Beach and Fen Farm. At the front of the flock was this black brant seen standing upright in the picture, next to a gas gun bird-scarer that must've run out of gas!

A further scan of the brent goose flock on Sunday revealed a second black brant about 80m away from the other individual. It was a bit harder to watch as it fed further away and hid amongst the feeding brent geese. Also in the fields were 85 curlew, buzzard, little egret and two song thrushes in a game crop.

Offshore were 350+ great crested grebes on the water around the Molliette marker. Two shoveler and two rock pipits were on the flooded Rewsalls marsh at high tide and a kestrel by East Mersea church.

A black brant was seen on Saturday 31st on the side lake by the East Mersea boating lake. It flew onto the water with a flock of 50 brent geese - the white flank of the brant showing up nicely compared with the darker flanks of the dark-bellied brent.

The black brant showed off its main features - the whiter flank beside the blacker wings and body, along with the broader white neck collar that reaches almost all round the neck. Also here on Saturday were 11 shoveler, 15 teal, 50 turnstones, little egret and a Cetti's warbler nearby.

A grey wagtail flew away north from the boating lake car park where it had been feeding, while a male siskin was seen feeding in the alders by the Vineyard alongside 30 goldfinches. A male stonechat was still in the grassy field west of the Youth Camp but no sign of the female for three weeks now.

Seventy sanderling were feeding along the beach between the Youth Camp and Waldegraves on Saturday, as were 80 turnstones.

The sanderling arrived just after the high tide on Saturday as the first bit of mud started showing. Offshore a red-throated diver flew past and a great northern diver was feeding off Cross Lane. A large flock of 100 cormorants was feeding offshore.

A green woodpecker perched beside Cross Lane on Saturday, also four redwing flew over and a greenfinch singing. A buzzard perched on a tree and forty curlew were in a field by Waldegraves.

One of three male blackcaps that appeared beside the fatballs in the Firs Chase garden on Saturday. All three were present at the same time, although there was no sign of the resident female on this occasion.

On Friday 30th a male great spotted woodpecker was heard drumming on a poplar tree along the top of the Firs Chase caravan park. 

A little egret was feeding in a small saltpan in front of the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday. Its larger cousin, the great white egret was feeding in the weedy field and alongside the dyke too. Other birds noted included a marsh harrier, two sparrowhawks, 70 avocets, two shoveler, Mediterranean gull, while a great crested grebe was near the Hard.

A female reed bunting perched in the favoured seawall bushes along from the Firs Chase caravan park on Friday. Also fifty linnets, rock pipit, four meadow pipits and the pair of stonechats in the nearby mustard crop.

Rob Lee reported seeing the black brant on the West Mersea Hard before it flew off on Friday. Rob also reported an influx of blackbirds into his garden with ten seen on Barrow Hill. Mark Thomson reported lots of song thrushes singing.

The borrowdyke alongside the Strood seawall was completely full of water after recent heavy rains and overspilling onto the grass path below the seawall on Friday.

The regular pair of stonechat was beside the Strood seawall on Thursday 29th, the male perched up here. Along the Strood channel were 250 teal, 150 wigeon, 10 shoveler, 400 dunlin, 300 knot, 40 avocets, 35 black-tailed godwits, 24 little grebes, 14 mute swans flying past and one bar-tailed godwit.

Four marsh harriers, two kestrels and a sparrowhawk were seen by the Strood on Thursday. In Feldy View 12 linnets and 12 goldfinches were in the birch trees.

Andy Field photographed through his kitchen window, this female blackcap in the front of his house in High Street North on Thursday.

Mark Thomson photographed this female/ immature merlin perched on the Golfhouse saltmarsh on Thursday. 

Peter Marchington saw multiple flocks of cormorants heading west into the estuary on Thursday while Shaun Bater had seen 100 early morning flying south heading out to sea.

A redwing was in Martin Cock's garden on Thursday.