Sunday 16 October 2016

PINTAIL ON POND

The first stonechat at the park this autumn was seen over the weekend, first being seen on Saturday 15th in the grazing fields, and still present on Sunday too.
Also in the fields were 250 wigeon and 30 greylag geese grazing.

An unusual sight on the park pond on Sunday morning were eleven pintail, pictured here along with a male mallard. A rather dull image taken on a wet morning in the rain. Most of the birds were still in their eclipse moult plumage, appearing as brown females. Only one bird had the start of a whitish chest of a male. The pintail didn't stay for long and were gone by mid morning.

At the end of the afternoon 2 siskin flew away from the alders with a handful of goldfinches, one grey wagtail flew over the pond twice in ten minutes, calling as it headed northwards, 2 redpolls flew over calling earlier in the day, while the kingfisher appeared noisily at the end of  the day.

On Saturday a pair of bearded tits flew along the seawall near the Golfhouse calling their distinctive pinging sounds, before climbing higher and higher to cross over the Colne to Brightlingsea.
Also on Saturday a swallow flew over the Point, two rock pipits over the saltmarsh, 2 redpolls, sparrowhawk and a clouded yellow by the Golfhouse while a grey wagtail was seen over the bus turning circle by Martin Cock.

At the park pond 56 little egrets were seen at the roost while 130 wigeon were feeding in the fields.
In bushes by the pond two blackcaps, 3 chiffchaffs and two goldcrests were noted.

A dozen fieldfares were in trees in Bromans Lane first thing on Friday 14th, this one perched high up above the park entrance along with a redwing. A fieldfare flew over the car park on Saturday 15th.
Thirty little egrets roosted by the pond and 50 greylags were in the fields.

There are good numbers of turnstone along the beach with this one seen near the Point.

On Wednesday 12th four swallows passed over the park, also blackcap and 3 chiffchaffs seen. In the grazing fields a marsh harrier flew low over in the afternoon, 110 curlew, 2 snipe, 8 skylarks, 50 linnets, 15 goldfinches and 30 greylag geese also in the fields.
A white wagtail was seen by the Golfhouse by Andy Field and a pintail was reported at the park pond.
Two redwings flew out of the bushes at the Spar shop in West Mersea just after daybreak on Wednesday 12th.

A yellowhammer was seen briefly perched in the park on Tuesday, also 2 blackcaps and a clouded yellow near the hide. On the pond were 3 shoveler and a tufted duck.

An interesting bit of interaction at the park on Saturday 15th between a group of 15 magpies and a weasel - the latter just visible in the middle of the picture. It seemed that the weasel was trying to extract a mouse or vole from the ground, which the magpies also wanted too! The weasel spent a couple of minutes trying to ward off the magpies in every direction by charging at each bird who came too close! In the end the weasel disappeared and a magpie seemed to pluck something from a hole in the ground, which presumably was a small mammal, and ate it.

A red squirrel was in the trees behind the park buildings first thing on Saturday morning. This is the first sighting / report of one at the park since early September.
The Bowring family were welcomed into their new house opposite the old East Mersea PYO by the sight of a red squirrel scampering across their front garden on Thursday 13th.

One or two brown rats are feasting on the glut of blackberries in the bushes at the park.

A rainbow appeared to the west of Cudmore Grove, as the park was being opened up at the beginning of Sunday 16th.

Autumnal tints at the park provided by some wild cherry trees.

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