Friday 10 November 2017

PARK PIPITS

Half a dozen meadow pipits were on the park beach on Friday 10th with another five in the long grass on the main part of the park. Two rock pipits flew around calling over the saltmarsh by the Point and the male stonechat perched on a bush by the old fort. A lesser redpoll flew west over the car park on Friday morning.


Also seen from the Point on Friday were a female common scoter in the river Colne, as well as four great crested grebes. On the mud were 90 shelduck, 100 avocets and 200 golden plover.

Among a flock of 100 adult brent geese feeding on the algae on the mud was just the one juvenile brent. Three others were seen among another flock of 100 brent in the park's grazing fields on Friday.
On Thursday 500 brent geese were feeding in the fields.


Also on Thursday a kingfisher flew along the park dyke, a female marsh harrier flew north over the fields, a common buzzard flew into the copse at the back of the pond, the pair of stonechat was in the fields and four grey partridge flew onto the fields late afternoon. Grazing the fields were 500 brent geese and 400 wigeon.
A common buzzard was seen in the fields by Chapmans Lane on Thursday morning.


At the park on Wednesday the kingfisher made a brief but noisy show at the park pond, also 22 little egrets here while 22 chaffinches were feeding in the car park. A big flock of 600+ cormorants was gathered along the edge of the Mersea Flats, some feeding in the shallow waters as the tide came in while others packed onto small shingle islands.
David Low counted 530 dark-bellied brent geese and one pale-bellied brent geese on the park fields on Wednesday.


At Maydays farm on Wednesday a flighty ring ouzel was seen perching briefly with a fieldfare by Martin Cock and Andrew Tilsley. Offshore from the Esplanade a great northern diver and a red-throated diver were seen by Andy Field.

A female pintail paid the park pond a rare visit on Tuesday 7th, spending most of the time asleep other than when a grey heron passed overhead. Sixty mallard and seven shoveler were also on the pond. The Cetti's warbler and the water rail were heard calling while four siskin were seen landing in nearby alder trees. A sparrowhawk landed in the car park trees before being mobbed by a magpie. Feeding in the grazing fields were 500 brent geese.

Five redwing flew over Firs Chase in West Mersea just after daybreak on Tuesday 7th.

A black brant was seen on Packing Shed Island on Sunday 5th by Steve Grimwade's Swallow Birding boat trip
Three brambling continued to feed on the rowan berries in the Cudmore Grove car park on Saturday 4th.

At West Mersea on Friday 3rd in the area of the Firs Chase caravan site a brambling flew west, fifty redwing landed in a Firs Chase garden, 20 fieldfare flew west as did a lesser redpoll while 3 green sandpipers flew to the Strood fields.



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