SLEEPY SQUIRREL

A red squirrel was watched having a little snooze in an ivy covered tree beside the footpath along the top side of the Firs Caravan park on Friday 13th.

The red squirrel had its eyes closed at times, as it enjoyed the late morning sunshine in a sheltered spot out of the strong wind.

In the sunshine the dark red coat of the red squirrel seemed to have a healthy shine to it. It also looks like one of last year's youngsters.

After taking a few photographs, the red squirrel was left to continue resting amongst the clump of ivy.

A female blackcap made a brief appearance in the Firs Chase garden on Friday 13th, also a song thrush.

A mistle thrush was in the poplar trees by the Firs Chase caravan park, while late morning a peacock butterfly was fluttering in the sunshine around Coast Road near the Company Shed

A curlew was feeding along the Strood Channel on Friday as were fifty shelduck, 60 avocets and forty grey plover. Two peregrines were tussling with each other over Ray Island and the Strood channel, scattering the other birds as the smaller male peregrine chased after the bigger female. At one point the female lunged at an avocet in the water, missing it due to being distracted by the chasing male peregrine. A buzzard was flying along the Peldon seawall.

A flock of 1000 golden plovers roosted on the flooded Strood field on Friday, later they flew off to land beside the Strood causeway along with 100 lapwing.

Fourteen meadow pipits were feeding in one of the grass fields by the Strood.

Martin Cock visited Maydays farm on Friday in the blustery conditions and saw a kingfisher, buzzard, marsh harrier and two Egyptian geese flying over.

A sub-adult grey heron has been a regular recently feeding in the grass field by the Strood and on Thursday two adults were seen again nearby resting out of the wind behind a hedge. Nine meadow pipits were in the grass field. 

In the flooded Strood field on Thursday were 800 golden plovers, 100 ringed plovers, also a male marsh harrier flew low over, then a female later flew over the Ray saltmarsh. In the channel were forty avocets and fifteen black-tailed godwits of note, with 700 brent geese flying off the Feldy Marsh.

The mistle thrush was seen high up in the poplar trees beside the mistletoe clumps along the top of the Firs Caravan park on Wednesday 11th.

In the flooded field by the Strood seawall on Wednesday were 1000 golden plover, 100 lapwing, 75 ringed plover, 200 dunlin, five Mediterranean gulls, with ten linnets, stonechat and 70 skylarks nearby.

Along the Strood channel were 55 shelduck, 61 avocets, ten black-tailed godwits, and a passing marsh harrier.

At Cudmore Grove on Wednesday morning Andy Field reported a song thrush and a red squirrel near the park entrance, 300 wigeon, 50 teal, 400 brent geese on the fields, stonechat pair, kingfisher along dyke, 1000 dunlin, two knot, forty golden plover on mud, water rail near Ivy Dock, two marsh harriers on Langenhoe including a wing-tagged bird. 

Near Rewsalls Lane 100 fieldfares and a few redwings were in a field to the west of the lane.

The middle grass field inside the Strood seawall has become waterlogged in recent days following lots of rain recently - including heavy rain in the morning of Tuesday 10th. There were plenty of birds enjoying the wet and muddy conditions during the afternoon high tide.

On the flooded Strood field on Tuesday afternoon were 500 dunlin, 800 golden plover, 70 lapwing, 90 black-headed gulls, 100 ringed plover, 30 redshank, 65 grey plover and five common gulls. A marsh harrier passed over, 3 grey herons, little egret, kestrel, 12 meadow pipits, two rock pipits and a buzzard were seen in the area.

A mistle thrush was seen by the Firs Chase caravan park and a song thrush was seen in the Firs Chase garden on Tuesday.

Shaun Bater saw a stock dove, jay and a red squirrel in his Estuary Park Road garden on Tuesday morning.

On the flooded Strood field on Monday 9th were 100+ black-headed gulls enjoying the wet and muddy conditions. 

A flock of 100 ringed plovers was in the Strood field on Monday, also 800 golden plover. In the Strood channel were 200 lapwing, forty avocets, ten black-tailed godwits and also a flock of thirty greylag geese flying over. There was lots of marsh harrier activity with at least six individuals seen passing along the Channel in both directions but just one buzzard seen. A thousand brent geese flew off Feldy marsh and into the Ray Channel, two mute swans also here.

A mistle thrush in the Firs Chase caravan park poplar trees.

A turnstone was feeding close to the West Mersea Hard car park on Monday.

The snow bunting was seen on the Reeveshall seawall on Monday by Martin Cock, also seen in the Maydays/ Reeveshall area were ten pintail, three marsh harriers, four Canada geese, a corn bunting and two common seals in the Pyefleet.

A marsh harrier was seen hunting low over the Bower Hall saltmarsh on Sunday 8th. A male hen harrier was seen flying low over the west end of Langenhoe before flying towards the nearby Langenhoehall marsh. In the Pyfleet were 12 pintail, red-breasted merganser, although there was no sign of the snow bunting on the Reeveshall seawall. On Reeveshall 44 stock doves, 200 starlings and 300 brent geese were feeding.

A kingfisher was seen by the Shop Lane seawall on Sunday and later another kingfisher perched on the Maydays sluice. A stonechat was on a bush at Bower Hall near the paramotor field.

A flock of 40 avocet was resting on a muddy island along the Strood as the tide began to recede on Sunday. In the fields were 100 ringed plovers, 30 golden plover and a stonechat. A marsh harrier flew over the channel and 700 brent geese were on the Peldon side.

John Ward walked the Cudmore Grove circuit on Sunday photographing this mistle thrush near the Golfhouse turning circle.

Another of Jon's picture of the East Mersea mistle thrush.

An early Monday morning visit to Kingsland Road by Jon saw some of six red-breasted mergansers being photographed.

This red-breasted merganser pair photographed by Jon as it headed west. Also 100 brent geese seen heading east.

On Saturday 7th the snow bunting was still along the Reeveshall seawall, while in the Pyefleet were 12 pintail, six red-breasted mergansers, fifty avocets, nine shoveler, one knot with seventy golden plover flying over. Two marsh harriers were seen on Langenhoe, while fifty chaffinches were feeding near game cover crops in Haycocks Lane.

Later on Saturday Steve Entwistle noted nine yellowhammers, five corn buntings and ten chaffinches at Maydays.

Oliver Cottis was interested in seeing a summer plumaged black-headed gull from the West Mersea Esplanade on Saturday.

At East Mersea a record count of eighty moorhens by the Golfhouse was reported by Ashley Gooding with his group of Suffolk birdwatchers.

FLIGHTY GOLDENEYE

A male goldeneye was spotted by Shaun Bater near the East Mersea Point on Friday 6th as we walked the Cudmore circuit together. The goldeneye didn't hang about and flew off up the river Colne. Sadly goldeneye have become a rarity to the waters around Mersea in recent years. 

A female common scoter also made a brief appearance landing in the river near Ivy Dock, then drifted back into the middle of the river, before flying back out of the Colne past the Point. Two red-breasted mergansers were also in the river. Another chance sighting further up the river Colne whilst scanning for ducks, was a male hen harrier crossing east over from Langenhoe to the Brightlingsea marshes.

A flock of 700 brent geese was feeding in the park fields along with 500 wigeon on Friday. A black brant was also seen amongst the brent geese, later being seen in the Colne opposite the Golfhouse. 

A female pochard was on the park pond along with six gadwall, several mallard and twenty shoveler in total were seen at the pond and on the saltmarsh pools.

 

At least eight black-tailed godwits were feeding in the park fields on Friday. On the nearby saltmarsh a summer plumaged bar-tailed godwit stood out among the grey winter plumage of the other waders at roost. Thirty knot flew past the Point at high tide and eight sanderling were with thirty turnstone on the beach. 

A mistle thrush was feeding in a horse paddock to the north of the park and later on, a presumed second mistle thrush was in a poplar tree with mistletoe by the Golfhouse track. A redwing was in a berry bush by the turning circle, a song thrush was singing by the park entrance and a goldcrest was in trees by the pond. A male sparrowhawk perched in the trees behind the pond.

At Coopers Beach on Friday Steve Entwistle reported seeing fifty great crested grebes, eight common gulls, while in a Rewsalls field near the boating lake were 50 fieldfare, ten redwing, song thrush, 5 skylarks and a small flock of chaffinches.

Jon Ward photographed the snow bunting along the Reeveshall seawall on Friday morning, also seen by Glen Moore as well. Jon also saw a great northern diver off Coast Road.

On Thursday 5th the black brant along with some of the 700 brent geese in the Rewsalls area, flew off a wheat field and landed on the East Mersea boating lake, where it swam about and had a preen. Earlier a pale-bellied brent goose was seen with the main brent flock by Andy Field.

Offshore from the boating lake Andy saw 12 red-throated divers including a group of nine feeding in the sea together, Slavonian grebe and 200+ great crested grebes. 

A greenshank flew off the side lake and headed north-west, 30+ black-tailed godwits, 150 turnstone, 100 dunlin were also noted, as was a buzzard, Cetti's warbler, stonechat, rock pipit and 28 linnets.

Five redwing were seen at the Vineyard and another flock of twenty in the Waldegraves Holiday park, also a song thrush here, while 42 curlew and 200 brent geese were in a wheat field by Cross Lane.

On Wednesday 4th a confiding female stonechat was seen feeding along the bank of the East Mersea boating lake. A Cetti's warbler was heard, four meadow pipits, twenty linnets and six reed buntings also noted.

A greenshank was feeding on the side-lake at Rewsalls on Wednesday.

The greenshank, on the right here, was seen feeding with a black-tailed godwit towards the back of the side-lake. It then flew off and fed along the mud on the inside of the old collapsed Rewsalls seawall.

A grey plover was roosting on the side-lake at high tide on Wednesday.

Seven sanderling were seen flying along the beach.

Other birds seen at the Rewsalls marshes on Wednesday were 200 dunlin, 30 black-tailed godwits, nine shelduck, four shoveler, In the nearby fields were the black brant with 1000 brent geese, fifty curlew, buzzard, sparrowhawk, kestrel, song thrush and a flock of 100 fieldfares near Rewsalls farm.

A ringtail hen harrier was seen from the West Mersea Hard on Wednesday afternoon by Steve Entwistle as it flew over the Old Hall saltmarshes opposite Packing Shed Island. Paul Rowe was on hand on Old Hall helping to guide Steve successfully onto the bird via text messages! Fifty greylag geese also seen by Steve as they flew onto Feldy Marsh.

On Tuesday 3rd the black brant was seen through a hedge near Coopers Beach feeding on the wheat field with 1000 brent geese, also 65 curlew in this field at high tide.

Two kingfishers flashed low and fast over the eastern edge of the Rewsalls marshes as they headed past the Coopers clubhouse eastwards. Two little egrets, two shelduck and two singing Cetti's warblers also noted.

At Reeveshall the snow bunting was seen by Jonathan Norgate on Tuesday, also 30 knot and two greylag geese, while a grey squirrel in Fishponds Wood was not a welcome sighting.

PERCHED-UP KESTREL

A kestrel perched high on a dead tree to scan the area beside the Strood dyke on Monday 2nd.

A buzzard was seen near Strood Hill, a second bird perched on Ray Island and a third one very high up drifting north-west off the island. A marsh harrier was seen flying over the Ray saltmarsh.

A corn bunting also perched beside the Strood dyke on Monday and 16 meadow pipits flew out of a nearby grass field.

Along the Strood channel on Monday morning were 70 avocets, 150 golden plover, 100 lapwing, 20 shelduck, ten little grebes, twenty black-tailed godwits and a knot. The large flock of 700 brent geese was feeding on the Peldon fields.

A mistle thrush was seen again on Monday high up in the poplar trees feeding on the mistletoe berries above the Firs Caravan park. A goldcrest was seen feeding in a holly bush in the Firs Chase garden.

Andy Field photographed the male snow bunting along the Reeveshall seawall on Monday. Also seen during his walk from Shop Lane were ten marsh harriers (including an orange wing-tagged bird), three buzzards, four red-breasted mergansers, 30 greylag geese, 100 avocets while in Fishponds Wood were three goldcrests and a grey squirrel.

A water rail was seen by Martin Cock near the Oyster Fishery on Monday. Later at West Mersea a peacock butterfly was seen in his garden in the afternoon sunshine.

Shaun Bater visited Cudmore Grove on Monday and photographed this wigeon with a black-tailed godwit feeding in the grazing field. Also noted were six curlew in a horse paddock, song thrush, on the pond were three gadwall pairs and a shoveler, 200 brent geese and 200 wigeon, 35 curlew and four black-tailed godwits in the fields, little grebe in the dyke, four shoveler on the Golfhouse pools, 25 sanderling on the beach. Later beside West Mersea 80 brent geese and ten pied wagtails were in Cross Lane.

Michael Thorley saw 55 ringed plover at East Mersea Point on Monday, while seen from his East Mersea house near Meeting Lane were 800 brent geese, kestrel, marsh harrier and a buzzard.

This red squirrel was photographed by Shaun Bater at Cudmore Grove on Monday. It wasn't seen moving to begin with and Shaun was worried if it was poorly. However after Shaun made a squeaky noise at it, the red squirrel then woke up from its snooze, although it continued to remain motionless in the branches.

Two red squirrels were seen together in the Firs Chase garden on Monday early afternoon.

One red squirrel was having to wait its turn at the feeder for at least five minutes, while the other one tucked into the nut mix.

After the two red squirrels were seen heading through the trees to the neighbours, it was a surprise to see a red squirrel so quickly back at the feeder. It may've been a third different individual, or maybe just one of the Reds that quickly returned from the neighbours.

Earlier on Monday morning a red squirrel was also seen in the ivy trees along the top-end of the Firs Caravan park.

Happy New Year to everyone!

The Reeveshall snow bunting was the highlight of the New Year's Day walk from Shop Lane back along the north side of the Island to West Mersea.

Shaun Bater also visited Reeveshall on New Year's Day to see the snow bunting and took this photograph.

A flock of 500 brent geese was seen flying onto the wheat crop at Maydays farm on Sunday.

As well as the brent geese at Maydays, a fieldfare and a stonechat were seen on hedgelines, while at Reeveshall there was another stonechat pair, 500 starlings, 42 curlew, 20 golden plover flying over and ten stock doves. A goldcrest was in a garden beside Fishponds Wood in Shop Lane, possibly a second bird seen earlier by Steve Entwistle by the layby.

Along the Pyefleet were 70+ avocets, four red-breasted mergansers, great crested grebe, 82 shelduck, bar-tailed godwit, while on Langenhoe there were five marsh harriers and two buzzards.

A juvenile brent goose was still standing on the Reeveshall seawall and although it appears to be poorly, it keeps flying away when it is approached.

On the Bower Hall seawall on Sunday, a marsh harrier, rock pipit and six meadow pipits were seen. On the Strood there were 1000 golden plover, 60 avocets, one knot, 1000 brent geese on the Peldon side and a Cetti's warbler calling beside the Firs Caravan park.

Michael Thorley reported a noisy water rail in the borrowdyke by the East Mersea Oyster Fishery on Sunday. A buzzard was seen in Chapmans Lane by Steve Entwistle and 150 brent geese were seen in fields near Cross Lane by Shaun Bater.

REEVESHALL SNOW BUNTING

The snow bunting was still along the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday 31st, making a couple of short flights while it was being watched.

Also at Reeveshall ten stock doves, 500 starlings and 42 curlew in the fields, 100 lapwing on Pewit Island, while in the Pyefleet were five red-breasted mergansers, four little grebes, 100 avocets, 80 shelduck, great crested grebe, bar-tailed godwit, four knot and also 30 golden plover flying over. Six marsh harriers had been seen during the two hours over Langenhoe, Reeveshall and Maydays. 

A stonechat was on a fenceline at Maydays, 500 brent geese in a wheat field and a sparrowhawk flew down Haycocks Lane.

A mistle thrush was seen feeding on the mistletoe berries high up in the poplar trees at the top-end of the Firs Caravan park on Friday 30th. A redwing flew over the caravan park in the afternoon, while at the end of the day thirty goldfinches were flying over Firs Chase gardens.

A flock of 1000 golden plover was roosting in one of the Strood fields on Friday.

When a grey heron flew off from the edge of the field on Friday, all the golden plovers took to the air, circled round a few times before dropping back down again. Twenty ringed plovers were also feeding near the large pools of water in the field, 30 skylarks, 300 starlings, ten linnets, corn bunting and buzzard were also seen on or over the various fields.

In the Strood channel were 50 avocets, 100 teal, 50 shelduck and four knot.

A brief look at the Strood near the Dabchicks on Wednesday 28th saw a marsh harrier along the Feldy seawall, four little grebes, while a sparrowhawk was near Feldy View and there was a goldcrest in the Firs Chase garden.

On Tuesday 27th twelve avocets were feeding near the West Mersea Hard, a marsh harrier flew over Ray Island, a Cetti's warbler was beside the Firs Caravan park while in the Strood fields were 50 skylarks, 20 lapwing and five golden plover.

On Reeveshall on Tuesday the snow bunting was seen on the seawall by Martin Cock and also four marsh harriers seen too.