FIRST SNOW BUNTINGS

The first snow buntings of the winter were at the East Mersea Point during all of Sunday 6th. On such a dull day with a cold wind from the north, the three snow buntings added a typical winter's feel to the day. The birds fed along the various strandlines on the beach, picking at various seeds washed up amongst the debris. Their brownish markings blended perfectly with the beach and they seemed happier crouching down to remain camouflaged rather than fly up in the air. Neil Harvey found the birds first thing in the morning and also saw a common scoter fly up river and 9 red-breasted mergansers.

Also seen from the Point were 2 rock pipits, male goldeneye flying upriver, marsh harrier flying out of the river, while 3 shelduck flocks totalling 30 birds appeared to be new arrivals from the continent. Fourteen sanderling, 300 knot and 40 avocets and a common seal were also noted.



There was no sign of the jack snipe over the weekend although a dozen snipe were still present at the pools in the park's grazing fields. The brent geese flock flew onto the fields late in the morning and the pale-bellied brent was seen amongst the 400 dark-bellied brent geese but no sign of the black brant.

At the park pond 25 siskin flew around with some goldfinches and a least one lesser redpoll, settling back down on some of the nearby trees. Earlier in the morning 3 lesser redpolls flew over the car park and a brambling sat atop one of the rowan trees in the car park calling. A chiffchaff called from the willow trees at the back of the pond and at least two redwings were seen.

The day before on Saturday 5th, a water rail having showed fleetingly on the pond's edge, walked into full view on the muddy cattle pathway and nervously crossed over it to the nearby hedgerow. Fifteen redwings were also feeding on the same bit of muddy track.
A yellowhammer flew over the seawall calling near Ivy Dock on Saturday morning and 1000 golden plover were on the mud near the Point.


The moth trap was put out on both Friday night and Saturday night with roughly the same sort of moths noted on both sessions although 40 moths of 8 species on Friday was the slightly better night. This neatly marked satellite moth pictured above, was one of two noted on the Friday night.
Other moths noted were large wainscot, yellow-line quaker, green-brindled crescent, dark chestnut, November sp, feathered thorn as well as a late square-spot rustic. The very tiny migrant micro-moth, the diamond-back was also noted on the Friday session.

Two streak moths were amongst the 30 moths found after the Saturday night's trapping session. Slightly fewer moths than the previous night but then the breeze had switched to a northerly direction.
During Friday a red admiral butterfly was flying around in the afternoon sunshine.

BRENT RACES COME TOGETHER

There were lots of ducks on the country park pond on Thursday 3rd with about a hundred present. Around 80 mallard, 10 teal, 10 shoveler and 6 gadwall along with a few little grebes, mute swans, coots and moorhens.

A dozen siskin were flying around the tree-tops near the pond feeding on some poplar trees but especially some of the alders. Two goldcrests foraged with a mixed tit flock through the car park bushes.


It was nice and sunny on Tuesday 1st with lots of geese on the park's grazing fields. Amongst the 600 dark-bellied brent geese were found a black brant goose and also a pale-bellied brent goose. The black brant stood out clearly amongst the other geese and was first spotted in the morning without having binoculars with me. At one point in the afternoon all three brent races were together in the same field of view. The black brant was still present the next day on Wednesday. Twelve greylag geese have also been in the fields around the pools.

The pools in the fields have been holding 1000+ birds in the last few days with most being the wigeon and teal. The jack snipe was seen on both Tuesday and Wednesday along with 15+ common snipe. More waders gather during the high tide with 50+ redshank and 20 black-tailed godwits as well as 50 lapwing and 100 golden plover on the fields too.

George Brown watched the glossy ibis feeding for about ten minutes in the Pyefleet Channel on Tuesday morning before it flew across to Pewit Island. Andy Field saw the bird again in the Pyefleet at Reeveshall on Wednesday.


The moth trap got a bit wet during the early hours of Thursday morning but this feathered thorn was one of about 20 moths of 7 species found shortly after daybreak. Others noted included yellow-line quaker, large wainscot, green brindled crescent, dark chestnut, November sp and barred sallow.

There were two mallow moths noted, one pictured above, a fairly typical autumn moth here.

ISLAND IBIS

Walked the seawall at Maydays farm on Sunday 30th following a call from Martin Cock who had just seen the glossy ibis flying over the fields and landing at the back of Maydays. I managed to see the bird for myself which is the first time I've been able to catch up with one of these ibises on the Island. Although two birds were seen a few times about 3 weeks ago, there's only a single glossy ibis still being seen infrequently on the north side of the Island. The bird was last seen four days ago when it flew onto Reeveshall.



A ringtail hen harrier was seen quartering this corner of game cover crop at Maydays. Martin had seen the bird a couple of hours earlier - the first hen harrier sighting of this winter period on the Island. There was also a flypast of a female merlin as it headed west over the Maydays saltings. Only one marsh harrier was seen over Reeveshall with a further three birds over Langenhoe marsh to the north.

The tide was low along the Pyefleet with the usual variety of waders scattered along the mud. Three green sandpipers were seen at the back of Maydays, while other birds noted included 25 linnets, 3 yellowhammers and a flock of 20 collared doves. A common seal swam up the Pyefleet as the tide came in.

Andy Field and Richard Hull during their visit to the Langenhoe ranges on Sunday noted 3 stonechats, 3 Cetti's warblers and a peregrine.

A walk along the Strood seawall on Saturday 29th proved more productive than expected. At least three lapland buntings were seen flying around the fields calling as they flew from one field to another. Along with up to 20 skylarks and one or two meadow pipits, the laplands circled in the air before landing back down and disappearing either in the winter wheat crop or in the rape crop. There's no weedy field for them to enjoy this year so it will be interesting to see how long they stay around this winter.

Other small birds noted on the walk were corn bunting, 3 reed bunting with a yellowhammer flying over as were 6 siskin and lesser redpoll. A marsh harrier quartered the fields for prey before crossing the channel to Ray Island. A sparrowhawk was seen near the Strood Hill, while 2 kestrels were also noted.

The main birds in the Strood Channel were 400 brent geese waiting for the right moment to return to grazing the winter wheat crop nearby. Thirty knot, 100 grey plover, 100 dunlin, 200 golden plover as well as 2 greenshank were some of the waders noted. Ten little grebes were amongst the boat moorings.

TWITE DELIGHT

Andy Field was certainly delighted when he found five twite feeding amongst 25 linnets at the East Mersea Point on Friday 28th. The birds were obliging enough that he was able to take this photo of one of the birds, as well as seeing coloured rings on the legs of another of the twite. Previous colour-ringed birds in past winters on Mersea have shown the birds originated in the Pennine moors of Yorkshire / Lancashire.

I met up with Andy on the Saturday to see if we could re-locate the birds but without any luck.
Twite used to be a regular winter sight at the Point twenty years ago but numbers dwindled here and then gradually from the Pyefleet too so that last winter was the first one when no twite wintered on the Island.


A big high tide early in the afternoon seemed a good time to check the saltmarsh for twite as the water rose up to cover the plants. The small flock of 25 linnets were still feeding in the area but no twite. Two rock pipits flew past calling, 5 reed buntings at the Point, a wheatear flew from the seawall onto the field and a late common tern was flying over the water. A nice group of 21 eider drifted to the mouth of the Colne with 9 neatly marked adult males showing up well. Another male eider was close to the saltmarsh by Ivy Farm as was a great crested grebe and a common seal was seen in the Colne too. A male marsh harrier flew down-river towards Colne Point.

On the fields the jack snipe was bobbing nicely as it walked across one of the pools. There was the familiar gathering of 500+ waders and wildfowl on the pools during the high tide with teal, wigeon, snipe, black-tailed godwits, redshank being the main birds.
In conifers by the clifftop 2 goldcrests flitted through the branches while a small white butterfly by the car park was a late sighting and a silver Y moth was noted on the seawall.

For the last hour of daylight a quick visit was made to the Shop Lane seawall on Saturday. Four marsh harriers were seen gathering over Langenhoe, one of the birds crossing from Reeveshall.
By Langenhoe Point 100 avocets were feeding around the mud while the most numerous wader scattered along the Pyefleet were several hundred dunlin.

Only two mute swans and a brent goose were on the Reeveshall pool although 300 brent fed in the nearby grass field. A goldcrest and a grey partridge were heard calling by the Shop Lane wood.



This giant puffball was seen on Friday in the rape field looking down on the Strood Channel in the background in the photo above. Birds noted during a brief visit to the Strood seawall were 15+ skylarks flying around the fields, 200 brent geese feeding in the winter wheat field and 4 little egrets noted on the Ray Island.

AUTUMN SQUALLS

There were several rainbows seen at the park on a squally Wednesday 26th. The Island seemed to be in the firing line for a variety of weather during the day with hail, thunder, rain, sun and blustery wind. The squalls were brief but torrential with everything getting a good soaking.

On the pools in the park fields at least one jack snipe was still present, and a female pintail early on while a green sandpiper flew west over the pools and pond. At high tide a good roost of 250+ redshank was one of the largest seen here, along with the usual 25+ black-tailed godwits and 15+ snipe.
A chiffchaff called from bushes above the path near the pond, a goldcrest was also heard and a sparrowhawk was seen over a nearby field. Along the hedgerows 300 noisy starlings fed on many of the berries and a fieldfare perched up in a tree. In the morning a male marsh harrier flew up river to Langenhoe while 3 red-breasted mergansers were seen flying out of the estuary later in the day.

Martin Cock saw a great skua fly east over the sea from West Mersea on Wednesday but not much else noted offshore. The glossy ibis was also seen flying onto Reeveshall, so at least one is still around. Two had also been reported being seen by wildfowlers over Maydays four days earlier. Martin saw a peregrine and buzzard during his visit to Maydays farm. David Nicholls has seen the goldfinch flock in his West Mersea garden increase in recent days to 24 birds.


The moth trap operated during Tuesday night with 20 moths of 7 species seen including this species of November moth - one of a handful of individuals.

The chestnut moth slightly paler than the dark chestnut moth, is an annual visitor to the trap in the autumn but only one or two individuals.
Other moths included streak, yellow-line quaker, large wainscot, green-brindled crescent and dark chestnut.

SAKER DISPLAY

A big juvenile female saker falcon dropped into the country park on the morning of 24th October and terrorised the local birds for about an hour and a half. This big buzzard-sized falcon was first seen from the hide by the pond as it flew low over the nearby pools in the grazing field. After a few minutes of watching the bird flying around and perching on a tree, the bird was obviously hanging around the area. Andy Field, Martin Cock and Adrian Kettle all managed to dash to the hide and see the bird continue to put on a display.
Tim Mendham who just happened to be on site, took these two photos above and below. The picture above shows it amongst the pools where the grey phalarope and many other waders and wildfowl had been present first thing in the morning.


Several times the bird perched on an oak tree looking over the pools, towering over the much smaller magpies and carrion crows trying to mob it. Even a male sparrowhawk passing nearby seemed tiny in comparison. The bird made one low pass over the pond, nearly snatching a mallard and certainly frightening the wits out of the other ducks, cowering close to the bushes.
Several sorties by the bird above the pond saw it hang in the wind for a few seconds eyeing up the wildfowl below. Another memorable flight saw the bird heading hide-height towards us and then banking away just 15 metres from us.


Andy Field took these two digiscoped photos above and below of the saker, taken from the hide. The only view of the bird on the ground was this occasion captured by Andy above and by Tim from a different angle in the first photo above.
It appears that this bird is the same bird matching a description of one seen at Abberton reservoir five days earlier, which was also photographed.


The big debate concerning saker falcons in the UK is that none seen here have been proved to be wild birds, having flown from their breeding grounds in Eastern Europe stretching eastwards into Russia. Many sakers are kept in this country by falconers and some of these birds escape into the wild. It appears that in recent years roughly one saker a year is spotted in the wild in Essex and each year as in the rest of the UK, its origin whether captive-bred or wild remains unproven.
There is some fascinating research currently being carried out in Hungary with radio-tracking saker falcons. See http://www.sakerlife.mme.hu/intro.html;
Whilst watching this bird perform in front of us, we couldn't see any rings, jesses, or wires from transmitters, so it didn't show features of an escaped bird.
It would be great to think that we were watching a wild bird and not an escapee but we will never know. Either way it was an impressive display by a hugely powerful bird of prey.

Most birds had long departed the pools in the grazing fields except for just one or two common snipe. One jack snipe was seen flying away while the saker was flying about and then later one was seen feeding and bobbing on the spot by one of the pools. A swallow flew past the pond and 30 chaffinches were also feeding near here.

Bird news from the park for Tuesday included no sightings of the grey phalarope although a jack snipe was still present along with 10+ common snipe and a high tide roost of 150 redshank. A red-throated diver and a male red-breasted merganser flew out of the Colne in the morning. A lapland bunting was reported over some mudflat pools while brambling, a few siskins and a redwing were seen, while 40 goldfinches flew over the car park. Martin Cock saw four redwings near the Golfhouse and a pale bellied brent goose with a brent flock near Shop Lane.


The moth trap operated through a windy Sunday night and out of the small catch of six species noted, this dark chestnut was one of them. Others noted included silver Y, November moth sp, brick and lunar underwing.

Eleven green-brindled crescents were noted with one of them being the dark form capucina, on the right in the above photo, which hasn't been seen here before but apparently is more frequent in built up areas.

MORE PHALAROPE ENJOYMENT

Birders were still coming to see the grey phalarope on the pools in the grazing fields over the weekend. The phalarope has now been present for ten days and feeding well although it's starting to show signs of slowing down its rate of spinning on the water. On Saturday it was lucky to escape the attentions of a peregrine which stooped down on another part of the pools scattering all the other waders and wildfowl in the process.


Two jack snipe were watched on both Saturday and the Sunday on the same pools and at times providing good views in the sunshine. Richard Brown took both these photos of a jack snipe feeding along the muddy edge. At times this bird did the characteristic bobbing up and down, which was a bit of a contrast to the phalarope going round and round!


This jack snipe (next to a male teal), at times walked into the marshy vegetation where it was tricky to see. Also around the pools were 15+ common snipe which helped to confuse the situation.
Although there are good numbers of common snipe in these fields each winter, these are the first records of jack snipe here.

Amongst the 220 brent geese in the fields on Sunday afternoon were 40 juvenile brent geese and also a pale-bellied brent goose seen by Andy Field. There was the usual mix over the weekend on the pools of wigeon, teal, mallard, shoveler, greylag geese, black-tailed godwit, redshank, lapwing and little egret with a green sandpiper noted only on Saturday. Also seen nearby were 20 fieldfares, sparrowhawk and a swallow flying west on Sunday morning. At the park pond a water rail briefly fed around the base of a reedmace clump and a rock pipit at the Point where 10 sanderling were also seen on Saturday.
Andy Field noted 50 corn buntings by the Strood on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday was the warmer day of the weekend and a small white and red admiral butterfly were seen at the park.


Richard Brown passed me these two photos he managed to take of the glossy ibis that was at the park pond last Sunday 16th. The last sighting on the Island was on Tuesday 18th when two were seen flying over the pond and the grazing fields as they headed east.