BLACK REDSTART HOTSPOT

No time for horse-play when the call arrived from Bromans Farm on Friday 31st. A male black redstart had been spotted by Martin Dence around the farm buildings and in this horse paddock. The bird was actively fly-catching from the top of the wooden fence, making sallies up into the air, as well as dropping down into the grass to pick up an insect.

It was a bit of a surprise to see such a colourful and well marked male at this time of year. The bright orange tail really caught the eye as it fanned it out whilst catching insects. The main body was a dark grey colour with a black face, white under the belly and a couple of clear white patches on each wing.

Over the years, black redstarts have turned up at Bromans Farm more than any other site on the Island with nearly five sightings here. Strangely Martin phoned me the previous day to say there was a female black redstart at the farm. Sadly I couldn't make it but it soon disappeared during the day. Still no sign of the female today but in its place, a nicely marked male instead! One of the previous sightings here was in 1991 on 30th October, so a near identical time of year.

Other birds seen around the farm included one of the regular little owls perched in a hedge, attracting several anxious meadow pipits and chaffinches. A kestrel flew over the farmyard and Martin had said the barn owl was in one of the barns. A mistle thrush stayed close to a hawthorn bush covered in bright red berries. Fifty lapwings kept being disturbed off a recently cultivated field along with starlings, rooks, crows, wood pigeons and one or two curlews, whilst 7 stock doves flew overhead.


Earlier on Friday morning, had a very pleasant walk along the Strood seawall in the bright sunshine. Another very blue day with the water in the creeks, the water in the Channel and the shiny mudflats all reflecting the bright blue colour from the sky. There were plenty of waders and wildfowl dotted along the edge of the water and the mudflats as the tide crept slowly in.

The main sound along the Channel were the familiar calls coming from the 300 brent geese. There has been a noticeable increase in the wigeon and teal numbers too with about 200 of each seen. The incoming tide pushed the waders onto the last areas of mud with 100 knot noted amongst lots of busy dunlin. The other group of waders to catch the eye was a large flock of about 700 golden plover roosting close to the Strood causeway. A sparrowhawk flew off the Island, sending many of the waders into the air as it passed overhead.

A female marsh harrier flying over the Feldy marshes to the west, sent up lots of lapwing and golden plover. A couple of little egrets were seen whilst in the Channel 15 little grebes were counted.

Small birds noted along the seawall included two stonechats, five corn buntings, six reed buntings, 10 greenfinches as well as a few meadow pipits and skylarks. Two fieldfares briefly fed in a field before heading off west off the Island, a third bird was also seen earlier in some bushes.

Ann Cock had good views on Thursday of the kingfisher along the dyke by the Golfhouse in East Mersea. In the country park a fieldfare drank from a puddle in the car park.

CHILL IN THE AIR

The cold northerly breeze of the last few days has made it feel like winter has arrived. The clear skies at night have been near freezing with this frosty scene pictured above, just inside the country park on Tuesday 29th. Despite the chill in the air, there have been some big blue skies. There was a hint of a wintry shower mixed in with the rain on Tuesday afternoon, with a hint of hail briefly.

In some shaded corners of the park, the frost was slow to clear with some of the plants and grasses thickly covered in tiny, spiky ice crystals, as in the picture below.

Unlike many other parts of central and southern England, Mersea didn't have any snow on the Wednesday morning, nor a frost like the previous morning.

Just inside the park entrance on the Wednesday morning was a chiffchaff, calling out occasionally as it fed in a hawthorn bush. This is a late straggler of a migrant and there won't be many other chiffchaff sightings to come this autumn. Along one of the paths a group of small blackbirds flew ahead with at least one redwing heard calling. The group of about ten birds seemed very flighty and had probably arrived from Scandinavia during the night.

On the park pond a female pintail has been present for at least three days since it was first seen flying over the grazing fields on Monday. Despite there being lots of other ducks on the pond, this pintail never seemed totally relaxed.
There has been a good number of ducks and variety of species too with at least 8 species seen in the last few days. Many of the ducks stay hidden amongst the reeds but there could've been up to 150 birds at times. Mostly mallard and teal with 15 shoveler, 6 gadwall, 4 tufted duck, one pochard as well as one or two wigeon from the main group by the nearby grazing fields.

One lone swallow hawked back and forwards along the cliff-top on this sunny Tuesday morning, making the most of the calm conditions for a spot of insect catching. A group of 15 meadow pipits fed in the grassland areas, and at the Point a rock pipit was seen. Eight lesser redpolls passed over the park in two groups, calling as they went. There were also several flocks of about 300 wood pigeons flying high over the Island as they continued their westwards journey from the continent. Later in the morning a couple of red admirals and a common darter were seen on the wing.

On the last corner of mud to get covered in front of the cliff, there was the nice sight of 6 sanderlings feeding with about 50 turnstones.
Further along the beach near the Point, the regular male stonechat was perched on a bush close to the strandline. There were definitely more brent geese around the mouth of the Colne on Tuesday about 300 birds, presumably encouraged westwards from the continent by the chilly nights and the easterly winds. Eighty avocets were seen feeding on their usual section of mud near Ivy Dock, just north of the Point. A sparrowhawk was seen flying into the park on Wednesday afternoon, upsetting a few of the small local birds as it arrived.

STARTED SUNNY

The start of Saturday 27th was the best part of the day with this bright sunrise across the sea from the country park pictured above, just before 8am. However the sunshine and calm conditions only lasted for the first hour, as it soon clouded over and the breeze picked up too.

There were no waders around this section of park beach pictured above, as the tide was coming in and most of the mudflats were already covered. A flock of 400 golden plover headed inland from the Point, as the high tide approached. Four red-breasted mergansers flew up river - the first group in the Colne so far I believe this winter. Five avocets flew past the Point and the last group of waders on the mud were a mixed bunch of 200 birds mainly grey plover and dunlin. Along the beach 35 turnstones fed along the water's edge.

At the park pond 15 shoveler, 4 tufted ducks, 4 gadwall were amongst the regular teal and mallard. Thirty wigeon were to be seen along the dyke but none feeding in the fields.

Near the car park 4 song thrushes were feeding on the rowan berries along with about 10 blackbirds. Five siskin flew over the park calling as they headed east. One red admiral was seen on the flowering ivy clump.

On Friday another Cetti's warbler was discovered on the Island, this time in the bushes by St Peter's by West Mersea, found by Richard Hull. This is now the fourth individual this autumn on the Island, with the other three at the country park, Maydays Farm and alongside the Strood. The bird at the park was heard briefly a fortnight ago and may still be around but there has been no sign of the others. However the site at St Peters looks ideal with sallow, thorn and bramble bushes alongside the reedbed there.

On Thursday night a barn owl was seen perched in a small tree beside the East Mersea road near Bocking Hall.

ADMIRALS ON MIGRATION

It was a frosty start in certain parts of the park on the morning of Wednesday 22nd. This clump of nettles pictured above, covered in some chilly hoar, soon thawed out once the sun got onto them.

Two different groups of red admirals were admired during the day - the residents and the migrants. This clump of late flowering ivy in the car park had a group of 4 local red admirals feeding on it and enjoying the morning sunshine at the same time.

As the morning progressed, the passage of red admirals flying west along the beach and seawall was very noticeable. Whilst showing a group of Writtle College students around the park, we were regularly interrupting ourselves to admire another admiral flying past. The ones that we noticed close-by probably totalled about 20 individuals in the space of a couple of hours. They flew determinedly over the mudflats, low along the beach or adjacent fields without pausing. They'll continue to follow the coastline down to the continent where they will probably spend the winter in Spain or southern France.

Also seen flying around the park were 2 large whites and a couple of small coppers as well as one or two common darters and a southern hawker dragonfly.

The tide was on its way out during the morning and so there was a good selection of a waders to admire early on. Amongst the redshank, oystercatchers and black-tailed godwits were 25 knot. Overhead there was a typical large winter flock of 1000 golden plover high up, with their white underwings flickering against the bright blue sky as they flew west. Later on there was a group of about 200 of these "goldies" which roosted on the mudflats.

Also later in the morning on the mudflats were 100 brent geese feeding on the algae. There has been a noticeable increase in geese numbers in the last few days with a further 100 birds seen in the Colne over by Brightlingsea and Langenhoe.

Many of the waders on the mud by the Point were distant, although a group of about 70 avocet were easy to spot in the bright sunshine. A nice male pintail flew over the Point, which was rather unexpected, while in the bushes 5 reed buntings perched up and two rock pipits were also noted.

The regular stonechat was seen on its favourite bramble bush by the grazing fields. During the morning 5 late swallows passed over the park but in the nice weather, they stayed around, hawking around the trees and fields, one pair perching up on some wires. Siskin and redpoll were also noted flying west over the park.

At the park pond shoveler numbers got boosted when a group of ten joined the five already present. A male pochard was a new arrival too which added to the five other species of duck- gadwall, wigeon, teal and mallard. A little egret stood on some reedmace by the margin. In bushes near the pond a chiffchaff and blackcap were heard calling.

There are several clumps of these sea rocket plants with their delicate lilac coloured flowers, growing just above the strandline on the beach at the Point. Most other plants have finished flowering but this one still provides a bit of colour into the autumn. It's quite common wherever there are suitable sandy and shingle beaches.

A weasel was seen scampering along the path on the top of the seawall, no doubt eager to catch a few of the brown rats that live in the seawall.

PEACEFUL PYEFLEET

Made the most of a fine end to Tuesday 21st, by spending the last hour alongside the Pyefleet Channel. This might be the last opportunity for several months to enjoy an after-work stroll before the clocks are brought forward this coming weekend.

It was one of those memorable visits, taking in about a mile of the Pyefleet, as the sun set below a clear sky. For once there was little wind, the water was calm, no-one else around as far as the eye could see other than the sheep, cows, of course the birds and at least one brown hare. The high tide meant there were no wader activity on the mudflats, so the whole area was unusually quiet and peaceful. It was so still the sound of a squealing and calling water rail could be heard being uttered from across the water on the mainland at Langenhoe.

Despite the water being flat and calm along the Pyefleet, the only birds noted were 3 great crestede grebes. At various points along the saltmarsh were small groups of birds, ten brent geese with 50 oystercatchers at Langenhoe Pt while curlew, redshank, grey plover, lapwing and 50 shelduck gathered on Pewit Island. A greenshank flew up the channel calling loudly and there was also a fly past by a mixed wader flock of dunlin, grey plover and 25 knot.

The Reeveshall pool had 200 teal on it along with a few wigeon, 5 black-tailed godwits, heron, mute swan family and little grebe. The peace of the area disappeared when several groups of noisy greylag geese totalling 150 birds, arrived for their night-time graze amongst the sheep. Overhead small numbers of little egrets headed east along the Channel to their roost.

One barn owl was out hunting along the fields and ditches, while a male and later a female marsh harrier flew over Reeveshall on their way to the Langenhoe roost. Two other marsh harriers were already flying around the reedbed on the Langenhoe Point.

The moth trap was put out on Tuesday night because it wasn't raining and it wasn't windy. However the clear sky dropped the temperature, so the moth haul was low. This mallow pictured above has been noted on a few occasions in the last fortnight and is quite a common moth. Only ten moths of 6 species noted including green-brindled crescent, red-green carpet, yellow-line quaker, barred sallow and November sps.

SILENT SWANSONG

Found this dead mute swan on the ground under some overhead power lines, at the back of the fields along the Strood, on a windy Monday 20th. The swan had been dead for some time and it is possible it could have flown into the wires and sadly died. There is a pond nearby and there were quite a few white feathers scattered about but it would seem unlikely that an adult swan would get caught and killed by a predator such as a fox.

Despite the strong wind which muffled many sounds, there were several small birds flying around and feeding in the mixture of set-aside corners, newly spouting sugar beet and newly cultivated arable fields. Fifty linnets obligingly flew around and perched up the overhead wires, 20 skylarks also called as they got up out of one of the fields. A stonechat and 3 reed buntings were noted along one of the ditches.
The path beside the Firs Chase caravan site provided a bit of shelter from the wind and amongst a foraging tit flock were a couple of goldcrests. There was a small group of blackbirds feeding in an overgrown corner too.

Despite the very low tide and plenty of mud on show along the Strood, there wasn't really anything of note. One brent goose, 7 little grebes, 4 little egrets, small group of wigeon and teal were the main highlights other than the usual spread of redshank, curlew and grey plover. The main wader flock was a roost of 400 golden plover.

A nicely patterned male marsh harrier was seen battling into the wind over the Feldy fields on the mainland.

BRENT BUILDING UP

Sunny weather continued into Saturday 18th, providing nice conditions for a walk along Coast Road in West Mersea. This is the view looking back into the Mersea Quarters from St Peters with the tide coming in.

It was good to see more dark-bellied brent geese gathered along the edge of Cobmarsh Island, since I last looked a fortnight ago when only a dozen were seen. Now there were at least 100 birds back from their breeding grounds in Siberia, ready for the winter here around Mersea. It was great to hear again the familiar calls of the geese - a real winter sound of the Essex coast.

Also on Cobmarsh was a group of 10 little egrets gathered together for a high tide roost. Also seen were the usual oystercatchers, cormorants and various big gulls - herrings and great black-backs.
A common tern flew past some boat moorings, so not all of these have gone yet to Africa and there was a great crested grebe seen too.
In the distance to the west, a couple of marsh harriers could be seen flying over Old Hall Marshes.

The various plants and grasses have been recently mown on the grassy slope of St Peters, helping to preserve the meadow appearance with a variety of plants, whilst preventing the scrub from taking over.

Not many small birds were noted around the bushes or reedbed area during the late morning walk although 4 redpolls flew high overhead calling as they headed off the Island. A rock pipit was the only other bird of note, heard near the houseboats.

The big ivy bushes were still proving popular with various insects including four red admiral butterflies enjoying the sunshine.