KITE OVER STROOD

A red kite flying over the Strood fields on Monday 6th was a nice surprise as it passed quite close.

The red kite was first seen late morning flying south-west along the back of the Strood fields, before turning north and heading over the Strood channel. It was then seen soaring with a couple of buzzards over Copt Hall Grove and then it drifted north towards Abberton reservoir.

Earlier a male hen harrier was watched for several minutes hunting low down over the saltmarsh near the top end of the Ray Channel. It was last seen dropping down into the long grass on Ray Island. Two sparrowhawks were also noted, one on Ray Island and another flying low near Salcott Creek.

The water in the Strood channel was flat calm on Monday in the bright sunshine with no wind. This brent goose family with the four young still staying close to their two parents. Waders noted as the tide covered the mud were 500 golden plover, 58 avocets and 30 black-tailed godwits, also two mute swans flew over the seawall.

A female reed bunting was feeding with a couple of others along the bottom of the Strood seawall on Monday. The female stonechat was beside the borrowdyke at the eastern end.

Along the top of the Firs Caravan park were a mistle thrush, a blackcap heard calling, also four redwings briefly in Feldy View.

At East Mersea on Monday morning, Martin Cock saw 510 great crested grebes and Slavonian grebe off Coopers Beach, while a merlin was seen flying over the boating lake. A hundred fieldfares were near the entrance to the Youth Camp.

The male snow bunting was still along the Reeveshall seawall on Sunday 5th. A flock of 78 stock doves were of interest on Reeveshall while just one red-breasted merganser was in the Pyefleet. Not much else of note along the back of the Island during the high tide period in the middle of the day.

A small flock of 12 goldfinches and ten reed buntings were seen along the Bower Hall seawall.

In Shop Lane a red squirrel was seen in Fishponds Wood.

A flock of dunlin gathered on the edge of the Strood saltmarsh on Sunday afternoon, waiting for the tide to recede. A stonechat, 20 avocets and a buzzard were noted from the seawall.

A lesser black-backed gull perched obligingly on a post beside the Strood seawall on Sunday.

Two red-legged partridge were seen in Haycocks Lane on Sunday morning by Steve Entwistle, also a great spotted woodpecker seen too.

Two blackcaps were reported near the Cudmore Grove entrance on Sunday by the McDonnoughs.

On Saturday 4th there were five red-legged partridge seen at Maydays farm, with two in Haycocks Lane and another three along the track to the seawall where this individual was seen.

A great white egret was feeding on the saltmarsh in front of Bower Hall farm, then later one was also seen in the distance on the Geedon saltings beside the Fingringhoe nature reserve.

Joining Andy Field on the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday there was a black brant feeding in a flock of 700 brent geese, also 80 stock doves in the field, two Canada geese, 48 greylag geese and the snow bunting still beside the seawall. Seven marsh harriers, three buzzards, male merlin and a sparrowhawk were noted during the walk. In the Pyefleet of interest were four shoveler, 30 avocets and 15 knot.

A distant seal was seen at the top end of the Pyefleet Channel on Saturday and could either be a youngish grey seal, or maybe just a very pale common seal. A second seal was also seen on the saltmarsh earlier before being disturbed by a boat.

A male kestrel perched on a dead branch at the top end of Cross Lane on Friday 3rd.

A dozen Mediterranean gulls were feeding in a field beside Cross Lane on Friday, also forty curlews in the field too. In Waldegraves Holiday park a female yellowhammer, four redwing, 40 mallard and 30 moorhens were noted, while on the beach were 20 sanderling.

A flock of dunlin and turnstone came into land on the island on the Rewsalls marshes on Friday with about 100 of each and ten ringed plover roosting here during the high tide.

Some of the 105 curlew and 38 black-tailed godwits also roosted on the side-lake at the Rewsalls marshes on Friday.

A distant black brant showing its white flank patch was feeding on the Rewsalls marsh at high tide with 200 brent geese on Friday, while offshore were 150 great crested grebes.

On the trees by the entrance to the Youth Camp were 100 fieldfares and at least five redwing, also a Cetti's warbler was heard singing and a muntjac deer seen feeding.

One of the early signs of spring on Friday was some flowers of cherry plum near Cross Lane on Friday. A pipistrelle bat was hunting around the tree tops in the middle of the day near the sewage works in Cross Lane which is unusual being in broad daylight in mid-winter.

At Maydays on Friday the snow bunting, four pintail, three red-breasted mergansers and a marsh harrier were noted by Martin Cock during his walk to Reeveshall.

Michael Thorley reported on Friday visiting Cudmore Grove and seeing eight tufted duck, gadwall pair, four teal, two wigeon and twenty mallard on the park pond. On the shore were 16 ringed plover, two golden plovers, ten oystercatcher, ten dunlin, 18 shelduck and a huge gull roost off Ivy Dock. In the park fields were brent geese, wigeon, curlew and 33 greylag geese flew in, while a song thrush was singing in the park.

Andy Harding reported via eBird seeing a shag at Cudmore Grove on Friday, also four red-breasted mergansers and six great crested grebes in the Colne.

COLOURFUL KINGFISHER

A colourful kingfisher spent over half an hour feeding in a reed-lined ditch beside the East Mersea boating lake on Thursday 2nd.

The kingfisher was seen diving down into the water and then flying back to its perch.

For once the view of the kingfisher wasn't obscured by the reeds in the line of sight.

A marsh harrier flew low over the Rewsalls marshes where roosting waders included 90 curlew, 100 turnstones, 100 dunlin, 45 black-tailed godwits, ten ringed plover. Also in the area were 20 teal, sparrowhawk, ten fieldfares, two little egrets, 30 linnets, 30 skylarks and offshore were 120 great crested grebes.

A nice display of winter aconites in front of East Mersea church was buzzing with over a dozen honey bees on Thursday.

At Cudmore Grove on Thursday morning Steve Entwistle reported seeing a song thrush, six sanderling, four greylag geese, fifty dunlin, 390 wigeon, 25 ringed plover, six tufted ducks, pair of mute swans and eight gadwall.

A redwing was feeding with two mistle thrushes in the horse paddock by the East Mersea Golfhouse on Wednesday 1st. Also here were four rock pipits, meadow pipit and two linnets.

Some of the 100 wigeon in the park's grazing field were resting beside the borrowdyke on Wednesday, another 100 were on the nearby saltmarsh and 15 shoveler also seen.

In the grazing fields were a snipe, 12 black-tailed godwit, four greylag geese and 40 curlew.

A pair of mute swans was on the park dyke on Wednesday - first ones seen here for many months.

On the mud near East Mersea Point were 180+ oystercatcher, while in the river were a pair of red-breasted merganser and three great crested grebes.

On the mud behind East Mersea Point were 800 dunlin and 26 shelduck.

Twenty-five ringed plover were on the mud by the Point as the tide ebbed with two sanderling seen too.

A female pochard was on the park pond on Wednesday with a female gadwall waiting nearby for any food disturbed by the diving pochard.

Six tufted duck were also on the park pond.

A dozen gadwall were feeding in the middle of the pond, following the diving pochard and tufted ducks. Twenty mallard were resting around the edge of the water.

A buck muntjac was seen beside the park pond before it disappeared inside a bramble bush.

A buzzard perched in a tree at the back of Bromans Farm.

On Tuesday 31st a great white egret was seen flying over Ray Island then dropping behind and out of view. Other birds noted along the Strood Channel were two grey herons, little egret, 300 brent geese, 70 lapwing, 50 avocets, 68 grey plover and 24 black-tailed godwits. Three redwings flew over Feldy View.

A red squirrel paused on a branch beside the footpath near the Firs Caravan park on Monday.

A mistle thrush was high up in the poplar trees near the Firs Caravan park, also a redwing here on Monday.

A flock of 500 brent geese was feeding and having a bathe in the Strood fields on Monday.

When a peregrine flew high over the brent in the fields, the geese quickly flew off and landed in the Strood Channel. A marsh harrier was seen flying along the Peldon seawall.

Along the Strood channel on Monday were 58 avocets, also 59 shelduck.

Also along the Strood on Monday were 100 wigeon and 100 teal as well as 200 golden plover.

The pair of shoveler was still feeding along the bottom of the Strood channel at low tide.

The snow bunting was seen on the Reeveshall seawall on Monday morning by Martin Cock.

The male snow bunting was still on the Reeveshall seawall on Sunday 29th.

Also on Reeveshall were 1500 brent geese, 200 lapwing, ten golden plover, 30 stock doves and a sparrowhawk was in Shop Lane.

In the Pyefleet were 6 red-breasted mergansers, 70 avocets, with six marsh harriers on Langenhoe.

A stonechat and 12 reed buntings were near the Bower Hall seawall while birds of note along the Strood channel were a marsh harrier, buzzard, 200 golden plover and ten black-tailed godwits.

Shaun Bater photographed this group of geese with a hybrid barnacle goose feeding with some of the fifty greylag geese in the country park grazing fields on Sunday 29th. Also in the fields were 300 wigeon, 30 curlew and 50 lapwing, while on the park pond were four tufted ducks, six gadwall and a little grebe. Shoveler were on the Golfhouse saltmarsh pools and a great spotted woodpecker by the bus turning circle.

A flock of 100 fieldfares was seen in a field near the East Mersea road by Rewsalls Lane on Sunday by Shaun.

A little egret perched on the Reeveshall seawall sluice on Saturday 28th. At Maydays there was a stonechat, buzzard, two song thrushes, fifty chaffinches with at least one yellowhammer. In the Pyefleet were 150 shelduck, fifty avocets, 16 black-tailed godwits and eight little grebes. 

On Langenhoe two short-eared owls were seen flying about and one perched on a fence-post, also two marsh harriers there.

Jonathan Norgate photographed this great northern diver on the sea with a herring gull near to it, from the Esplanade on Saturday.

This ringed Mediterranean gull was photographed at the Esplanade on Saturday by Oliver Cottis who also saw an eider, three great northern divers, six red-breasted mergansers in perfect viewing conditions with no wind or waves in the Blackwater river. Three Mediterranean gulls were seen here later by Steve Entwistle.

Shaun Bater saw fieldfare at East Mersea Youth Camp.

STROOD GREAT WHITE

A great white egret dropped onto one of the Strood fields providing close views before it went stalking along the edge of the nearby borrowdyke on Friday 27nd. 

The great white egret at one point flew off to the west end of the fields, before returning to the area near the seawall sluice. After half an hour or so, it then flew over to the side of the Ray saltmarsh.

For comparison in size, there were two smaller little egrets with black bills briefly beside the great white egret on the Strood field.

The great white egret was seen beside this waterlogged field by the Strood on Friday. Also seen were a buzzard on a hedge, pair of mute swans, and a marsh harrier flying over Ray Island.

A large flock of 1000 golden plover was in the wet field, as were 70 lapwing and at least one Mediterranean gull in the group of roosting gulls.

A pair of shoveler was an unusual sight in the Strood channel on Friday after three were seen the day before - the first in this area for at least a year.

Also along the channel were fifty avocets, bar-tailed godwit and fifteen ringed plover.

Jonathan Norgate saw two great northern divers and eight great crested grebes from the Esplanade on Friday.

A red squirrel was seen gathering bark from a lime tree beside Firs Chase on Friday. It paused in a holly tree as it was heading away with its mouthful of nest material for its drey somewhere in the direction of The Lane. 

The red squirrel spent several minutes stripping bark off a branch.

It rolled the bark into a tight ball before running off.

The red squirrel had paused on a branch high over Firs Chase before stripping the bark off.

Up to four stock doves have been feeding in the Firs Chase garden in recent days along with up to twenty collared doves and a handful of wood pigeons.

Birds seen along the Strood seawall on Thursday 20th included a distant great white egret landing beside the Peldon seawall, a peregrine flew over the Strood clutching prey, marsh harrier also seen and a buzzard. Along the Channel were 60 avocets, 54 shelduck, 150 wigeon, 150 teal, three shoveler, 800 golden plover, 15 ringed plovers, and a bar-tailed godwit. A mistle thrush was in the poplar trees at the Firs Caravan park and 15 redwings flew over Firs Chase.

Martin Cock saw the eider on Thursday from the Esplanade and then later Steve Entwistle, Matt Turner and Steve Grimwade also saw two great northern divers and a Mediterranean gull. The peregrine was sitting on the nestbox on the Bradwell power station and 500 knot over Sales Point at Bradwell. 

Graham Ekins and Mark O'Rourke visited West Mersea on Thursday morning and saw eider, three great northern divers, red-throated diver, four red-breasted mergansers, two Slavonian grebes offshore from the Esplanade, also a kingfisher at the south-east end of the Strood, red kite over Strood and a marsh harrier over Old Hall Marshes.

Ten redwings were along the top of the Firs Caravan park and a single one feeding with blackbirds in Feldy View on Wednesday 25th. Two mistle thrushes, two song thrushes and two great spotted woodpeckers were also in the area.

In the Strood Channel near the caravan park were a bar-tailed godwit, 15 black-tailed godwits while in a field were fifty golden plover and fifty lapwing.

Andy Field managed this photo of the distant eider in the Blackwater, opposite Kingsland Road on Wednesday, also two great northern divers and two Mediterranean gulls.