The Magnificent Trio at East Mersea

29th December 2024

Why do we pay for all this high tech equipment for weather forecasting when the forecast changes overnight? It was supposed to be foggy in the morning but clearing to sunny spells by lunch-time. Well on my way to East Mersea the fog did lift, but it was grey and gloomy when I arrived and grey and gloomy when I left. Thank goodness for ISO!!!

I walked on to the sea wall and had a look at the high tide roost pools and, as on my last visit, numbers were well down on previous winters with just a hand-ful of Dunlin, Grey Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and a lone Knot.

On to The Point and the only passerine on show was a lone female Reed Bunting giving out its rather plaintive call.

It was now high tide and the shoreline was home to about 20 Sanderlings scurrying around at break-neck speed which is not compatitive with poor light, and all photos today were taken with an ISO of 6400.

There were about eight Turnstones today, all in winter plumage and showing off their striking orange legs.

So now on to the "Magnificent Trio". Well the first was a Purple Sandpiper which flew in with the Turnstones. After coming here for 13 years this is the first Purple Sand I have photographed on The Point and only the third on the island, so therefore very special. Normally there are only up to eight birds in the whole of Essex each winter.

The second was this female-type Snow Bunting which as many other Snow  Buntings was very tame and I was able to photograph down to 6 metres.

And finally the third, a superb Shore Lark. This was the rarest for me as the last Shore Lark I photographed was in exactly the same spot six years ago on December 13th 2018.

Well East Mersea never disappoints, and all I have to do now is renew my Visa with bailiffs Dougal  and Andy on the 1st January 2025 with the usual fee of a couple of cans of Fosters each!!!!