DISPLAYING PEE-WITS

The sun made a brief appearance over the country park during Thursday 28th in the afternoon but generally it was still cloudy with a cold northerly wind. The fresh wind over the last week or so has dried out the ground a bit and the water levels in the park's grazing fields have dropped.

A sign that winter is drawing to a close and spring is round the corner was seeing some lapwings displaying to each other in the fields. The distinctive "pee-wit" calls and the tumbling flights of at least two birds is a real sign of spring. A handful of pairs have bred here in previous years and whether these actual birds will stay or not is difficult to tell. The other 100 lapwing in the fields were resting up.

There haven't been as many waders using the fields over the last week with the water levels dropping. Still lots of wigeon with 500+ and 300 teal feeding or resting up along with 20 snipe, 100 golden plover, 25 redshank, little egret and 30 curlew. Fifteen tufted duck were noted in a variety of water-courses.

The marsh harriers were the main highlight of the day with one male seen flying low over the saltmarsh near the Point in the morning. A second harrier was watched mid morning making the slow crossing from Colne Point, spiralling high above the mudflats by the park and then heading north over the park pond. At the end of the day a male marsh harrier crossed north over the grazing fields.

In the outer part of the river Colne 7 common scoter were busy feeding as were 15 red-breasted mergansers and 6 great crested grebes. Lining the edge of the mudflats in a number of places were 700 brent geese.

In the pond-field a water rail showed for the second time this week walking about the grass five metres away from the hedgeline, which seemed quite bold for a normally shy bird. The rail had also been seen here on Tuesday. Feeding on the ground under some alders were some finches with 10 chaffinches, 6 goldfinches and a brightly marked male siskin. On closer scrutiny four other siskins were feeding in the alders just above the finch flock.

At the end of the day a kestrel hovered high over the car park and a sparrowhawk flew over the pond into the copse, scattering 100 wood pigeons and 30 stock doves out the other side. A water rail fed in the field along the edge of the reeds by the pond and a snipe and curlew were also nearby too. Two green woodpeckers flew over the pond and the roost of ten magpies were also noted. Earlier in the day a pochard was seen on the pond, while to the north a flock of 20 fieldfares were seen with 150 starlings. A water vole swam between clumps of reeds at the pond.

A barn owl was glimpsed in the middle of the afternoon perched on a post amongst some long grass at the East Mersea Pick Your Own field. At the beginning of the day a corn bunting was singing on its regular bush near Bocking Hall farm.

At West Mersea Peter Triston noted 3 great northern divers, 2 Slavonian grebes, 4 common scoters and a shag on Wednesday.

Tucked up in a corner near the ceiling in the park's toilet buildings was this colourful herald moth. This one has probably been here all winter and not been noticed until this week. Whenever the spring arrives and the nights get a bit warmer, then this herald should be back on the wing again.
A dotted border was seen fluttering at a lighted window at the park early on Thursday evening.

COLD WIND BLOWS

The cold wind continued to blow across the park on Sunday 24th and the grey sky made for a very dull end to the day. The only place to shelter from the cold for the last part of the day was in the hide overlooking the pond.

A peregrine glided swiftly high over the pond, passing so quickly that none of the other birds bothered to flee. Earlier a female marsh harrier flapped slowly over the pond north, scattering many of the wildfowl off the pond. At the same time over the grazing fields, a male marsh harrier also headed north, causing a bit of panic amongst the wigeon many fleeing out to sea. Earlier in the day a marsh harrier flew south over the Point towards Colne Point for a day's hunting there.

Lots of pigeons were gathering in the trees behind the pond at dusk with 150 wood pigeons and 50 stock doves nearly settled in, until something spooked them, the sort of response to a sparrowhawk flying into the copse.

On and around the pond were 2 pochard, 2 tufted duck, 15 shoveler, one snipe and a curlew along with a few mallard, wigeon and teal. Usual numbers of duck on the fields with 300 teal and 500+ wigeon with 9 tufted duck noted earlier.

Alan Reynolds noted a Slavonian grebe, spotted redshank, 3 rock pipts and 10 great crested grebes from the park during their visit on Sunday.

Off West Mersea on Sunday 2 shags, 3 Slavonian grebes, 2 Mediterranean gulls,  3 great northern divers, 3 common scoter were noted by Andy Field and Steve Entwistle. Andy also managed to see a jack snipe being flushed a couple of times by a dog at St Peters saltmarsh. One of the shags was also seen off the jetty by the Hard. Adrian Amos reported the sight of a wintering chiffchaff in his East Road garden in West Mersea on Sunday morning.

On Saturday 23rd the shag was seen off the jetty at the Hard by Steve in the morning while Martin Peers noted offshore from West Mersea 6 common scoter, 2 red-breasted merganser, great northern diver, 2 Mediterranean gulls and 12 bar-tailed godwits.

COLD AND QUIET

 

Another cold day on Friday 22nd at the park with occasional flurries of small snow flakes blowing throughout the day. Nothing settled but many of the shallow watercourses had a thin layer of ice all day long.

The wigeon didn't seem to mind with many of them enjoying grazing the inside of the seawall undisturbed by the lack of walkers. This flock of 300+ took off as I walked along late afternoon. Not much else on the fields with 30 lapwing, 5 snipe and 4 tufted duck in the dyke. One male marsh harrier crossed high over the fields on its way to the Langenhoe roost as did a female flying upriver a short while earlier.

On the park pond 36 gadwall, 8 shoveler and 2 tufted duck were present along with a few mallard, wigeon, teal and little grebes. In the trees behind the pond 20 stock doves were waiting to go to roost. On the grass beside the pond a curlew and a snipe were feeding along with lots of moorhens. Two great spotted woodpeckers flew over the car park in the morning, otherwise the park was quiet today.

At the end of Thursday 21st a water rail flew across Bromans Lane as Ian Black was driving towards the park. A pair of kestrels were noted flying round one of the barns at Bromans Farm in the morning.

On Wednesday Andy Field saw one pochard remaining from a group of nine noted earlier in the day at the park pond while also seeing 5 waxwings still by the East Mersea road near Meeting Lane. At West Mersea a harbour porpoise popped into view while Andy was watching a Slavonian grebe offshore, where there was also a great northern diver seen too.

On Tuesday 19th a ruff was on the fields and two pochard were on the park pond with a siskin seen near the park entrance.

HARRIER WATCH

Joined Andy Field and Martin Cock on the Shop Lane seawall for the late afternoon count of harriers going into the Langenhoe roost on Monday 18th. The viewing conditions were good although the temperature quickly dropped as daylight faded.

The final tally of marsh harriers was an impressive 26 birds while the four hen harriers that showed left it till very late and almost dark before making an appearance. Around eleven marsh harriers were noted by about 4.30pm with many resting on top of the seawalls around Langenhoe Point. Other birds slowly appeared from many other directions and although the influx was slow, the final tally was the highest so far this winter.

The first hen harrier seen was a ringtail at about 5.20pm, watched for only five minutes before dropping into the usual spot in the Langenhoe reedbed. Five minutes later a male was glimpsed briefly before it too dropped down , followed by two other males in quick succession, all dropping into the same area.

Also noted was a short-eared owl and a barn owl hunting over the Langenhoe marsh while a second barn owl flew past us heading off the Island towards Langenhoe for the night.

The hen harriers kept us out till well past sunset time, although it ended up being quite a colourful sunset looking westwards across the Reeveshall fields in the picture above.

The tide was coming in and there were good numbers of waders and wildfowl along the Pyefleet Channel with 700 brent geese the noisiest as they flew off a nearby wheat field to land in the water. Around 300 wigeon were along the channel while flocks of waders kept being disturbed by the returning marsh harriers. The flock of 2000 waders mainly of dunlin also had bar-tailed godwit, redshank, grey plover and curlew in it.

The most unexpected sight of the afternoon for Andy and myself as we drove along the East Mersea road was stumbling across 20 waxwings perched on the roadside wires near the top of Meeting Lane. Of course the garden they turned up at was the Thorleys - again! After three birds stopped off at this same garden for a couple of days before Xmas, now another twenty birds stop off two months later!

A mid morning walk along the Strood seawall on Monday saw a marsh harrier quartering the fields and dyke and the near adult Mediterranean gull over the fields at the back again. In the weedy field 50 linnets flew around as did a handful of skylarks and a few reed buntings while a rock pipit was also noted. Along the channel 200 wigeon, 200 teal, 50 knot and 2 bar-tailed godwits were noted amongst the other regular birds.

A shag was spotted by Martin Cock perched on one of the outermost buoys in the Mersea Quarters behind Cobmarsh Island. Amongst the moorings near the Strood Channel were 24 little grebes.

FOG SHROUD

Plenty of sunshine in the morning of Sunday 17th and conditions were looking good for finding some birds at Maydays farm on the north side of the Island - until........

.....a thick bank of sea fog quickly rolled in from the south-east, enveloping everything in about ten minutes, as in the two pictures above of Maydays creek.

Visibility had been really good to start with clear views across Reeveshall and onto Langenhoe too. The temperature quickly dropped and birds soon became scarce and not much to see along the Maydays dyke, before and after pictures here.

The big finch flock was still present in the set-aside corner with 200 linnets and 100 chaffinches flying about. No sign of the bramblings although they could've still been around, but just didn't perch up in a bush for a view. Ten yellowhammers were also seen by the farm track to the farm.

The only bird of prey seen before the fog descended was one marsh harrier over Reeveshall. Not much else on the fields except for one Canada goose and a couple of singing skylarks.

In the Pyefleet there was plenty of mud with the tide out. A good scattering of the usual waders such as redshank and dunlin and wildfowl too, mainly wigeon, teal and shelduck.

Along the East Mersea road a corn bunting was singing from a tree-top by Bocking Hall in the morning, while in West Mersea a flock of 50 greenfinches circled over Firs Chase at the end of the day, preparing to roost.

A walk along the beside the Strood Channel, pictured above, on Saturday 16th provided views of a Mediterranean gull flying over the back fields on the slope, along with several black-headed gulls. Two grey herons flew off the back of the weedy field. Here there were also 25 linnets, 10 reed buntings and 10 skylarks - some of them briefly in song too. A sparrowhawk flew across the fields heading off the Island.

High over the channel hundreds of plovers rose into the air and the distinctive profile of a peregrine was seen amongst the many birds. A quick scan of the many birds unexpectedly revealed a ruff in the air which then flew low along the mud as if to land but then decided otherwise and flew away.

CHEEKY CHAFFINCH

This female chaffinch is a regular visitor to the bird hide at the park, on the scrounge for crumbs on the floor from people's snacks. It's also learned that sometimes one or two seeds get left on the ledge specially for it. If you sit still, the bird hops around inside the hide sometimes for a couple of minutes at a time.

There was the nice sight on Friday 15th of a barn owl hunting over the grass field next to Bromans Farm in late morning. Ian Black had also seen this bird hunting over the same field towards the end of Thursday afternoon, a water rail near the park entrance and a common buzzard near Weir Farm whilst driving along the East Mersea road.

Also on Thursday afternoon three red-legged partridge were seen feeding in a winter wheat field close to the East Mersea road near Bocking Hall. Both species of partridge have become hard to find in recent years on the Island.

Andrew Thompson saw a red-throated diver off the park as well as six common scoter in flight in the outer Colne on Thursday. Fifteen snipe were in the grazing fields and eight tufted duck were still present on the park pond.

Martin Cock and Mick Brewer spent some time on a very cold Wednesday 13th seeing a good selection of coastal birds such as the 4 scaup at Maydays and five species of raptor - marsh harrier, hen harrier, common buzzard, peregrine and a kestrel.
Andy Field braved the cold on Wednesday afternoon to see 18 marsh harriers and 4 hen harriers heading into the Langenhoe roost.

 Enjoyed the spring-like morning on Friday 15th with an hour's walk along the Reeveshall seawall, to check out the pool pictured above. There was plenty of water in it and despite the low tide in the Pyefleet, surprisingly the spotted redshank still present - presumably the same bird seen four days earlier. Also seen were a pair of Canada geese, 70 wigeon, pair of shelduck and a little egret.

On the nearby Reeveshall fields were 500 lapwing and 500 starlings feeding in the pasture while a marsh harrier flew over the reedbed. Along the Pyefleet 14 red-breasted mergansers and 3 male goldeneye were in the water while 3 marsh harriers flew over the Langenhoe Point.

BLACK-NECK SURPRISE

Very surprised to find this black-necked grebe close into the beach near the East Mersea Point on Tuesday 12th. It was so close you could make out the red eye and the distinctive steep forehead, as it bobbed along just twenty metres offshore. It was doing a lot of preening and made me wonder if it was oiled in some way but the bird appeared clean enough.

The grebe swam parallel to the beach towards a bit of stony mudflat becoming uncovered by the ebbing tide, when this digi-binned picture above was taken. Unfortunately a dog came bounding along the beach and the grebe swam back into the water.

As far as I can remember this is the first record of black-necked grebe for the country park in at least thirty years. The last East Mersea record was in the Pyefleet over twenty years ago back in 1991. This current winter, one has been frequenting the channels near Old Hall occasionally venturing into the Mersea Quarters and one was also seen from West Mersea in early 2011.

The only other grebes offshore today were ten great crested grebes, along with one red-throated diver and ten red-breasted mergansers.

Back in the main car park a flock of up to 25 blackbirds have been feeding together for the last few days being joined today by five song thrushes, mistle thrush while two great spotted woodpeckers flew overhead.  Ian Black saw a barn owl flying beside Bromans Lane late on Tuesday afternoon.

The borrowdyke inside the park seawall has continued to fill up with so much run-off from the fields, that the water is now flowing back onto the fields, as in the picture above. This has provided excellent feeding conditions for waders and wildfowl, although more birds were present yesterday Monday.

Yesterday 2 ruff were feeding close to the Golfhouse during the day with one bird being seen in the very muddy horse paddock by the Golfhouse in the afternoon along with several redshank and lapwing. In the main fields Dave Allen counted 650 dunlin in the fields along with 1900 wigeon. Also present were 300 black-tailed godwits, several turnstone and the unusual sight of a knot feeding with the dunlin in the field.

Howard Vaughan and his birdwatching group from Rainham were lucky to see 35 snow buntings flying round the Point in mid afternoon, before the flock flew back to Colne Point. Also seen was a merlin over the fields and 19 marsh harriers over Langenhoe and 1000 brent geese near the mouth of the Pyefleet.

  At the park pond a brightly marked male sparrowhawk perched on a fencepost and a water rail was seen here too.

Andy Field along with fellow WeBS counters Glyn and Martin walked the north side of the Island on Monday and noted 2 brambling at Maydays amongst the finches, a spotted redshank on Reeveshall pool with a few thousand waders feeding on a wet Reeveshall pasture.

On Sunday the water rail showed well by the pond near dusk, a female pochard was with 11 tufted duck and a female pintail flew over. At least ten stock doves gathered in trees and a sparrowhawk flew high over the park at dusk.