Seymour Birdies Diary: A Morning on Mersea Island

13th November 2024

Arrived at The Strood at high tide and managed to get across OK so straight down to East Mersea. We walked down to the sea wall and peered over at the Golf House high tide pools expecting to see hundreds of roosting waders, but was instead confronted by two empty pools, one empty of water and both empty of waders. The only waders present were 200 yards further down towards the Oyster Fishery consisting of 50 Curlew and 30 Redshank on the edge of the saltmarsh, but I suspect there were many more out of sight below the bank.

Fortunately there was some movement amongst the Curlews jostling for position allowing a few flight shots.

The borrowdyke was dominated by Wigeon, all starting to look splendid in their new finery.

Down on the beach there was a great deal of movement from the Brent Geese which were leaving the fields to gather on the shallows of the sea.

Not many waders here either, just a few Redshanks, Turnstones, a few Dunlin and a trio of Oystercatchers,

The Grey Plovers were particularly active providing some action shots.

But now on to Seaview where our target bird was the Mediterranean Gull. Since we were here last a new shingle spit had appeared which has the advantage of us being able to get round the waders with the sun behind us. Here were a few Sanderlings and Dunlin.

The gulls were very widespread and included a couple of distant adult Meds.

The easiest way of bringing them closer is to throw some bread in the air and before you know it there are 50+ gulls flying in from all directions, mainly Black-heads interspersed with a few Meds. The problem is they don't land but swoop down and grab a piece, so you have to be fairly quick on the trigger and make sure you are photographing a Med and not a Black-head.