Whilst showing members of Canvey Wildlife Group around Wat Tyler Country Park yesterday evening. A male peregrine was seen sitting on top of the nearest pylon from the marina, while we were watching him, he dropped from his vantage point, flew low and fast along the opposite hedgerow, flushing the starlings. He then rapidly gained height, folded back his wings and stooped at a lone starling over the creek. At the last moment the starling took evasive action and the peregrine missed this time. It all happened so fast! We then watched the peregrine circling in front of us, before returning to it's pylon, a cracking few minutes!
Seen recently at Wat Tyler, a bearded tit in front of the scrape hide, while out on the scrape the pair of mute swans now have two cygnets. The spoonbill was last seen on Tuesday. Reed warblers are still singing from the reedbeds, while a cuckoo can be heard nearby. Blackcaps, whitethroats and chiffchaff can still be heard around the park, while a grass snake has been seen on more than one occasion in the pond beside our discovery zone. The pair of kestrels have young in their nestbox, the male has been seen bringing in prey items to the female, she can be seen tearing off pieces and feeding her chicks, who remain tantalisingly out of sight!
On Vange Marsh the drake Garganey was again in the north-west corner and a nightingale continues to sing on the former county tip. Four green sandpipers were on the saline lagoon, along with redshank and avocet. A common tern was present on Wednesday, while a single drake wigeon is summering on the brackish lagoon.