Today i have been sampling the delights of the Essex Coast,from Maldon to East Mersea,which is known as the Blackwater Estuary,while not as famous as other esturies around britain it certainly isn't in the shadow when it comes to birds.Unfortunately though for us this morning it was in the shadow,well the mist to be precise but this soon cleared after about half hour or so at our first port of call,Goldhanger!!
Its quite a strange place,you go down a little pathway,past a kids playing field and suddenly out into an Estuary,the tide was out but what with the mist it certainly was an eerie place,i doubt i would of felt too comfortable on my own in that mist,would of felt like something out of the "hounds of the baskervilles" the minute a stray poodle started sniffing up my leg.
We had some good numbers of Waders,your usual Essex wader fare to be honest,a few Know,Plenty of Dunlin,Bar & black tailed Godwits,curlew,plenty of Brent Geese but it wasn't too easy in the light.We had 40-50 Skylarks with around 6 Red Legged Partridge in the field behind,plus a couple of Reed Buntings.We decided to head to West Mersea for grebes etc and we wasn't dissapointed with Slavonian Grebes a plenty,1 red necked grebe,which i didn't see,plenty of mergansers,1 Red throated Diver,some sanderling and the usual duck,geese etc,Golden plover were very obliging with one just in front of us.From there we headed down to Cudmore Grove on East Mersea,one of my favourite places but today it was very quiet,a few waders,the fields not holding any Brents,a few grebes,mergansers but very little.After there we had lunch,then headed to Copt Hall for Tree Sparrows,me feeling tired decided to have a kip while they went fot the Sparrows,but beforehand a Barn Owl came flying out the Barn we was parked next to,giving those fortunate enough a cracking day tick.As i say,i didn't go on the walk at Copt hall,got my head down and missed a few raptors.
(below,some Dunlin on Mersea,towards brightlinsea)
Egyptian Goose at Abberton
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