Friday 1 December 2017

MORNING BASKER

The little owl was making the most of the morning sunshine at the park as it basked in a hedgerow tree along from the park pond. It has been seen in the same section of hedge - on Friday 1st, Monday 27th and Sunday 26th.

There wasn't quite the wind-chill blowing over the park on Friday, compared with the previous couple of days. Amongst the waders roosting at high tide on the saltmarsh lagoons near the Point were these dunlin and grey plover. A dense flock of 100 knot was squeezed onto one of the other islands.
Two sanderling were on the beach while a male red-breasted merganser flew up river and 7 great crested grebes were on the water.

Also on Friday a pair of stonechat, rock pipit, reed bunting and 6 linnets were seen along the seawall to the Point.
A common buzzard was mobbed by crows as it flew into the trees by the pond on Friday morning.


A pair of stock doves was enjoying the winter sunshine on the nextbox by the park pond.

This green woodpecker clung to the tree at the back of the park pond as it watched another green woodpecker fly past it on Wednesday 29th.
A sparrowhawk flew low past the pond on Tuesday 28th, 6 gadwall and 80 teal were also present here. A Cetti's warbler was heard singing from a thick bramble bush in the main car park.

Six little egrets were at the pond at high tide on Monday 27th and 50 goldfinches were feeding in the alders nearby.

Up to 500 wigeon have been feeding in the park's fields, at times flying onto the nearby borrowdyke, also eight shoveler too. Eight greylag geese were feeding in the fields on Thursday 30th and Friday 1st.
A peregrine flew over the Point and crossed the river towards Point Clear and a flock of 100 knot flew onto the mudflats to feed on Sunday 26th.

The thick stand of reedmace was cut back along one edge of the park pond on Monday 27th to provide shallow marshy conditions for waders and wildfowl and especially water rails. The cut reeds were raked up by David Wallace, sparing some time to help from his BeachCare project.

At West Mersea two great northern divers and three common scoters were seen from the Esplanade by Martin Cock on Monday 27th.

On Wednesday 29th a flock of 400 brent geese was feeding in a wheat field behind Rewsalls Marsh.
A red squirrel was feeding beside the East Mersea road near Manwood Grove by Shop Lane, first thing on Thursday 30th. 

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