WET AND WINDY

A number of waders were enjoying the very wet ground, helping them find worms near the surface. This regular curlew was feeding in front of the bird-hide by the pond at the country park on Sunday 3rd.

Another group of curlew was also feeding in the fields beside Bromans Lane with at least fifty noted.

Members of the local Colchester RSPB members group made their annual visit to the park on Sunday which sadly had to be curtailed after two hours because of the rain. The strong wind didn't help matters either, especially trying to walk along the top of the seawall.  

In the car park the song thrush sang despite the wind and rain while later in early afternoon a kestrel perched on a telegraph pole.

From the comforts of the hide, the most notable bird was a fleeting glimpse of a water rail being chased back into the rushes by a moorhen. On the pond 6 tufted duck, 3 little grebes, 25+ shoveler, 8 gadwall, 30+ mallard and a couple of teal. A couple of goldfinches was feeding in the alders.

On the nearby grazing fields the main bird flocks were 1000+ wigeon, 50+ greylag geese, 400+ black-tailed godwits, 100+ teal as well as 700+ golden plover that moved off the mudflats. Also present here were several lapwing, curlew and a little egret.

The covey of seven red-legged partridge was feeding in the wheat-field close to Bromans Lane on Sunday. As well as the 50 curlew mentioned earlier, also noted were 100 lapwing and a brown hare.

This red-legged partridge covey has been feeding in these Bromans Lane fields for over a fortnight now.

In fields near Weir Farm / Rewsalls Lane, 400 lapwings were standing in the driving rain whilst 500+ starlings fed nearby, here in the foreground. In a nearby field 50 fieldfares, 6 stock doves and 4 mistle thrushes were also feeding in the rain.

At West Mersea the black brant was seen close in by the Hard on Sunday morning by Neil Mortimer. 

Feeding on the grass at Reeveshall on Saturday 2nd were 800+ brent geese, pictured here flying off.

Also noted here during a walk along the Maydays seawall was one marsh harrier and10  mute swans.

Around Maydays, kestrel, sparrowhawk, common buzzard were seen near the farm, while smaller birds included 80+ linnet, 40+ chaffinch, 25 fieldfare and a yellowhammer.

Along the Pyefleet, 70+ avocets, 50 knot, 300+ dunlin, 100 oystercatchers were noted while 5 red-breasted mergansers, one great crested grebe and a common seal were in the channel.

Two other marsh harriers were seen flying about on Langenhoe ranges.

In the garden at Firs Chase the red squirrel made one brief appearance at some bird-feeders first thing on Saturday. Also noted during the day, two goldcrests, song thrush and the pied blackbird.

EARLY MORNING VISITOR

Happy New Year to everyone.
First creature of 2016 spotted in our Firs Chase garden was this red squirrel, seen back again on the nut feeder. It scampered along the roof of our house, to the other end of the garden where it ran along the top of a wicker fence to check out the second feeder. Sadly it was a bit empty thanks to a hungry wood-mouse. Later in the day we saw this wood-mouse jump into the nut-filled feeder over a dozen times, stealing the food away for itself.
The red squirrel was seen briefly in the garden again in the middle of the day.

A new year means a new list of birds to be seen around the Island. Last year I managed to see 150 species from and on the Island, as did Martin Cock, while Andy Field saw 147 and Steve Entwistle saw 145 species. In total about 160 species of bird were logged for the Island during the year, generally a lower count than some years. One of the best recent years was 2011 when a combined tally of 173 species were noted on the Island.

After a frosty start to Friday 1st, the sun faded away and it turned cloudy and breezy. Decided to walk along the muddy Strood seawall, checking out the farm reservoirs by the Strood, pictured above. After the mornings walk, fifty-five species were logged - a third of last year's total in just half a day!

Birds on the reservoir included 18 tufted duck, 40 mallard, 50 teal, little grebe as well as coot and moorhen. Along the Strood Channel ten species of wader including 500+ lapwing, 50 knot, bar-tailed godwit and black-tailed godwit. A marsh harrier was seen to the east of the Strood causeway.

Small birds around the fields were 10 reed buntings, 10 skylarks, 20 linnets, rock pipit and 5 meadow pipits. Five little egrets were along ditches and a kingfisher was heard in flight. Two fieldfares were feeding near the Nothe.

Big flocks of birds rose into the air over the Feldy marshes / Peldon side with 1000 brent geese, 1000 lapwing and 500 golden plover.

A merlin flew fast and low over Coast Road and over the Mersea Quarters where it perched on a post on the saltings. Three marsh harriers were flying around over Old Hall Marshes.

At East Mersea two siskin were seen near the Youth Camp, 150 fieldfare along the Youth Camp Lane and 7 red-legged partridge by Bromans Lane by Steve Entwistle.

GOING NUTS

Pleased to see the red squirrel returned to our feeder in our Firs Chase garden at lunchtime on Tuesday 29th. It stayed for about five minutes sticking its head inside the feeder half a dozen times to grab some peanuts. It was last seen at this feeder about three weeks ago.

After the red squirrel had had enough, it climbed back up the cedar tree and then appeared to cross high over the Firs Chase road. I also heard our neighbours Stephen and Josie Marshall had seen it briefly passing through their garden a couple of days earlier.

There was plenty of sunshine throughout the last day of the year Thursday 31st. Waders and wildfowl enjoyed the grazing fields, made wetter by more rain during the previous night.

An unusual wader on the fields was a ruff which was seen in flight and then walking about near some wigeon. A couple of ruff had also been seen here a fortnight ago but normally they are scarce visitors.

Other birds seen mid morning in the fields were 500+ black-tailed godwits, 130+ lapwing, 300 brent geese, 80 greylag geese, 1000 wigeon and 400+ teal. On the nearby mudflats were 300+ golden plover.

This oystercatcher in the field on Thursday was struggling with its balance and looked very poorly as it kept toppling backwards when it tried to feed. It looked similar to those birds that have suffered from botulism.

This colour-ringed lapwing was first seen and photographed by Andy Field in the grazing fields in late November. We've just found out that this was ringed as a chick on the Berney Marshes RSPB reserve in the Broads near Great Yarmouth, on 26th April 2011. Other than being seen still on Berney 28 days after it was first ringed, it hasn't been seen anywhere else. Here at Cudmore it has been several times during December in the middle of the first grazing field nearest the park.  

There are plenty of catkins on the alder trees along from the park pond but this tree seems to be ahead of the game. The mild weather has led to some of the catkins already getting ready to flower turning yellow and opening up.
Two siskin and ten goldfinches were in the alders on Tuesday 29th.

A great tit joined the early spring chorus with its "teacher-teacher" song ringing across the car park on Wednesday. On Thursday a rabbit at the park was suffering from myxomatosis, which seems very unseasonal.

The Sandwich tern was seen at the Strood causeway on Monday by Martin Cock, the third day running it's been seen during the high tide here. Also a barn owl crossed from the island to the mainland near the causeway that afternoon.

ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE

A bright and breezy Monday 28th certainly brought the holiday crowds out to the country park, enjoying a day of winter sunshine.

The most colourful bird at the park pond almost sneaked in without being noticed when the kingfisher announced its arrival late morning with a couple of loud whistles. It appeared to have come from the direction of the car park and quickly disappeared into the bushes having perched up initially.

Five little egrets, grey heron, forty shoveler, fifty mallard and three tufted duck were the main birds of note on the pond late morning. A sparrowhawk flew into the nearby copse at dusk.

Five siskins were seen in the nearby alders by Andy Field in the morning.

At the pond on Sunday 27th the kingfisher was seen flitting inside various bushes in the morning while the day before the water rail preened itself while standing on some reeds at the back of the pond.

A distant flock of forty avocets were standing on the mud off Langenhoe Point, digiscoped from about 400 metres away on Monday. This group were part of about 70 avocets at the entrance to the Pyefleet Channel.

Also seen in the river were 2 red-breasted mergansers, 8 great crested grebes. A peregrine was on Rat Island, a marsh harrier flew around Langenhoe and a Canada goose was on Langenhoe Point.

Around 1000 wigeon were on the park's grazing fields, one male pictured above, as were 700+ brent geese including the pale-bellied brent goose and 100 greylags. A sparrowhawk flew low over the fields in the morning near the Golfhouse. The usual gathering of waders on the fields as high tide approached with 400+ black-tailed godwits along with redshank and lapwing being the main ones. The previous day 400+ golden plover dropped into the fields for high tide.

A pair of yellowhammers were by Ivy Dock and a couple of rock pipits were heard over the saltmarsh on Monday.

The covey of seven red-legged partridge was seen near Bromans Farm by Andy on Monday morning, also a common buzzard by Bocking Hall. Just after night-fall a barn owl was perched on a roadside-bush by Bocking Hall.

At dusk on Sunday near the park entrance a little owl perched on a telegraph pole while two pipistrelle bats enjoyed the mild winter evening hawking insects beside the car park.

The first ever over-wintering Sandwich tern around Mersea was reported again at the Strood on Sunday by Sven Wair and there again the previous day by Chris Poole.

In alders near the Youth Camp 2 lesser redpolls and eight goldfinches were seen by Steve Entwistle on Sunday.

FESTIVE FARE

Merry Xmas to the followers of Mersea Wildlife!

The incoming tide was already on the beach at the East Mersea Point by mid-morning on Xmas Day with this pair of oystercatchers resting alongside some of the 30+ turnstones.

The breeze was picking up during the morning with waves breaking past some of the waders beside the Point.

A female marsh harrier flew west from Point Clear across the river and passing the Mersea coastline well out to sea as it continued heading westwards. In the river a couple of great crested grebes and 70 shelduck were seen.

Five reed buntings were feeding amongst the sea-blite bushes at the Point including this female,  and where rock pipit and 3 skylarks were also present.

Brent geese numbers were building up during the morning with this pale-bellied brent seen amongst the 400+ dark-bellied in the grazing fields.

Also noted in the fields were 700+ wigeon, 500+ black-tailed godwits and 130 lapwing.

Small flocks of brent geese were feeding on the algae on the foreshore first thing in the morning before the tide came in.

On the park pond ten gadwall were feeding in separate pairs, a sparrowhawk flew to the back of the pond and at least five siskin flew off the alders as did several goldfinches.

During Thursday 24th the sparrowhawk was seen flying past the pond and over the grazing fields a couple of times. Also on the pond was a pair of tufted duck.

A covey of seven red-legged partridge was feeding in the field to the north of Bromans Lane on Xmas Day. The previous day they were seen in the field on the south side, as were 110 curlew.

As Xmas Day was dawning a woodcock was seen in the car headlights standing briefly on the East Mersea road near Meeting Lane. It quickly rose vertically into the air with the dark silhouette of the broad wings and a long bill soon disappearing over the roadside hedge near the old PYO field.

The common buzzard was also on a roadside pole as it began to get light near Bocking Hall.

The regular pied blackbird was seen on our patio in Firs Chase during the middle of Xmas Day, and a song thrush was also seen too.

RESPITE FROM THE RAIN

Some respite from the recent days of wind and rain, with the sun shining throughout most of Wednesday 23rd. Lots of blue sky above the wet grazing fields at the country park.

Waders and wildfowl arrived on the fields during the morning for the high tide roost. Up to 800 brent geese and 90 greylag geese were gathered while ducks were spread out with 500 teal and 1000+ wigeon noted.

The black-tailed godwits huddled together on one of the little pools in the fields with 500 birds present. As the morning progressed the godwits spread across the fields to feed.

Smaller wader flocks were 50+ redshank, 70+ lapwing, 15 golden plover and 20 turnstone.

A water rail was seen calling at the back of the pools by Andy Field, with a second water rail answering. At the end of the day a water rail was seen at the pond feeding along the edge of the reeds.

At the Point 20+ sanderling were seen flying around just after high tide. Two great crested grebes were in the river and a rock pipit flew around calling.

The kingfisher returned to the park pond just before dusk to roost, where 40 shoveler were the main ducks present. A barn owl hunted over the fields to the north of the pond, at one point flying past the hide and across the middle of the pond late afternoon on Wednesday.

At the beginning of the day a common buzzard was seen alongside the East Mersea road near Bocking Hall while a sparrowhawk flew over Chapmans Lane early on Wednesday morning.

Two ruff were seen in the park's grazing fields on Monday by Andy Field, who also noted 16 siskin in the alders by the pond. Later that day by the Oyster Fishery a short-eared owl and a barn owl were seen while on Langenhoe only four marsh harriers were seen going to roost by Andy.

A peacock butterfly was seen by Andy during Wednesday in his West Mersea garden while the sunny weather brought out a bumble bee at the park.

SEALS SIDE BY SIDE

A grey seal was in the Pyefleet Channel by the entrance to Maydays creek on Monday 14th, seen along with a couple of common seals, here photographed by Andy Field.

One of the last times a grey seal was seen in this area where common seals normally gather, was back in February. The head shape and nostril shape, is different from a common seal as pictured below.

Two common seals were also seen in the Pyefleet on Monday.
Andy took this short video of the two seals side-by-side - https://youtu.be/VWf_vFMfiU8

During Andy's walk along the Pyefleet on Monday with Glyn Evans, 2 short-eared owls, 2 red breasted mergansers, 3 yellowhammers, 5 redwings and 20 fieldfares were noted.

The black brant was seen again by the West Mersea Hard on Wednesday 16th by Andy Field who also saw a great northern diver offshore from Kingsland Road.
At the country park 8 siskin were again in alders by the pond with some goldfinches, also 500 brent geese and 300 black-tailed godwits in the fields.

On Tuesday 15th there was a flock of 30 fieldfares, 20 blackbirds and at least one redwing by the East Mersea church. Earlier as daybroke a barn owl was seen sitting on a fence by Bromans Farm.

A common buzzard was again in the field by Weir Farm at the beginning of Thursday 17th as it was on Monday 14th.

A barn owl was seen mid afternoon on Sunday 13th by the West Mersea allotments by Ian Black, while a Mediterranean gull was seen by Waldegraves Lane.