My first visit to East Mersea this year on a very cold but sunny day. The flooded grazing fields were frozen over, so for the first time since I have been visiting Cudmore Grove there were no flocks of Black-tailed Godwits or Redshank. So therefore straight on to the sea wall where the Wigeon were making the most of the borrowdyke which was still partially free of ice. Also teasing me along the wall was the resident female Stonechat which always kept a respectable 20 yards ahead.
As high tide was approaching, there was a great deal of movements particularly amongst the Brent Geese and Curlew.
Unusually there were a number of waders on the beach pools including this Grey Plover and a few Dunlin, but a winter visit here would never be complete without some shots of the charismatic Sanderling, one of which insisted on flapping his wings to dry them off after a bath.
But the spectacle today was at the bay by The Point where several hundred waders, predominantly Dunlin, were making the most of the mud before the tide rolled in and covered it, eventually flying to their high tide roost on the salt marsh pools. Who needs to go all the way to Titchwell?
Magic stuff again Alan, yet another location to add to my list of relatively close "places to go"!
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