Friday 11 November 2016

SCAUP STOP-OFF

An unusual sight of two female / imm scaup close to the East Mersea Point on Thursday 10th. They were almost overlooked as there were several wigeon and brent geese on the water too.

The two scaup looked a bit wary and after a couple of minutes, they took off and flew round the Point and into the river Colne. It's been quite a few years since scaup have been seen from here.
Two common scoter were also noted in the mouth of the Colne.

Fifty avocets were waiting inside the muddy bay at the Point for the tide to recede, as were 100 knot among the dunlin. A peregrine flashed low over the saltmarsh, hurtling west over the grazing fields and scattering all the ducks off the fields, after which it headed back north to the Colne.

A pair of stonechats was feeding among the sea-blite bushes at the Point but no sign of the snow buntings.

A grey wagtail was present for the second day running on the main pool in the park's grazing fields first thing on Thursday. However it wasn't seen mid morning onwards, probably due to the peregrine flying over the fields.

The four white-fronted geese were still present in the fields as were 1500 wigeon and 80+ greylag geese.
At the park pond four gadwall were noted and 12 stock doves gathered at the end of the day to roost. A brambling was heard briefly at the start of Thursday in the car park.

On Wednesday 9th there seemed an influx of thrushes with 30+ blackbirds, 5 song thrushes and 10 robins seen around the park.
Offshore from the park on Tuesday 8th two goldeneye, 2 common scoter and 14 great crested grebes were seen on the sea.

At West Mersea a pale-bellied brent goose, black brant, water rail and a Mediterranean gull were seen by Richard Allen from St Peters on Thursday 10th. A velvet scoter was seen flying east on Tuesday 8th by Martin Cock while two laplands bunting were seen in the field by the Strood by Andy Field.

In the Firs Chase garden the red squirrel returned to the nut feeder on Thursday 10th after an absence of over three weeks. A red admiral fluttered round the outside of the house on the sunny Monday 7th. 

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