Birding at Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea - 4th October 2024

I arrived in Leigh-on-Sea by bus as the train did not go further than Pitsea due to an incident there.  I had to walk down lots of steps from the top of the town down to the station and Thames estuary.

There was a Cricket resting on one of the steps

Two Little Egrets flew away when I approached them on Two Tree Island

A few Ringed Plovers were resting on a tiny island in the lagoon

There were lots of Black-tailed Godwits and some Avocets in the lagoon

The ruins of Hadleigh castle viewed from the bird hide on Two Tree Island

I came across a Firebug on the path along the edge of the island

A Little Egret was wading in the low water in Benfleet Creek

The tide was out in Old Leigh in the late afternoon

A Pied Wagtail was hopping around at the edge of the harbour

Sunset viewed from Old Leigh

 

Black-tailed Godwit wading in the lagoon on Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea

On Monday my camera and I went on a birding visit to Two Tree Island, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.  We had a great time and saw many wading birds as it was low tide, but most of them were a long way off in the distance.

After spending some time watching the birds in the lagoon, this obliging Black-tailed Godwit came quite close to where I was perched behind some shrubbery.

As it waded towards me, it's feathers were blowing in the wind on one side.

It spent some time with it's beak down in the water.  Here it has managed to catch a tasty morsel, which is balanced in it's beak.

Searching for snacks in the lagoon

Wading through the water

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Godwit as it searched for lunch!

Avocets at Two Tree Island, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Yesterday I went for a group walk along the estuary from Benfleet to Leigh-on-Sea.  My camera and I stopped off briefly at Two Tree Island where we encountered a group of Avocets in the lagoon.

Here a few of the Avocets are standing in the shallow water, while a large group of Redshanks are roosting at the edge one of the small islands that are scattered across the area.

A large aeroplane went overhead while I was watching the Avocets, frightening the birds.

After flying above the lagoon for a few minutes, the Avocets landed back in the water.  The Redshanks did not move!

Two small creatures at Two Tree Island nature reserve, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

On Tuesday this week my camera and I decided to go on a trip to Two Tree Island nature reserve, near Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.  

It was a hot and sunny day and, as I walked through the woodland, I came across this beautiful Peacock butterfly sunning it's wings on the path.

Further round the island, on a footpath overlooking the estuary, I came across this not-so-beautiful creature - a large green caterpillar - that was making its way to the other side of the path.  It was very large - I would say over 3" long!  Later I discovered that it was a Privet Hawk-Moth Caterpillar.

Wading birds, ducks and boats at Two Tree nature reserve, Essex

In the middle of September my camera took me on a train journey to Leigh-on Sea in Essex.  I had decided, on a lovely sunny day, to visit the Two Tree Island nature reserve that is on the outskirts of the town.

When I arrived it was low tide in the estuary and the boats were all grounded.

I walked along a ridge along the side of the estuary to the end of the reserve, where there was a bird hide that overlooked a lagoon.  To my delight, standing in the lagoon were a large number of mainly sleepy redshanks.  A group of them were standing in the water in front of one of the islands in the lagoon.

There were redshanks and lapwings on another little island in the lagoon. 

In the distance on the other side of the estuary there were six Little Egrets.  Unfortunately they were too far away for the zoom lens on my camera and appear as tiny white blobs.

When I walked away from the hide and back along the ridge above the edge of the estuary I saw a curlew digging away in the mud in front of one of the grounded boats.

After a little while the curlew headed over to a pool of water on the mud and had a bath.  In the photograph below it is scratching it's head with it's foot.

I then went for a walk into Leigh-on-Sea and had fish and chips while sitting outside in the sunshine.  I decided to go back to Two Tree Island for another look round.  The tide was in by this time and, when I walked down the jetty, I found a black-tailed godwit.  In this photo is on the right near the edge of the estuary.

I took rather a lot of photos of the godwit and managed to get some close-ups.  In this photo, the black-tailed godwit has caught a small something that it is holding at the very end of it's beak.

I had another walk along the ridge above the estuary from where I saw what appears to be a juvenile lapwing.

There was also a little egret wading in the river.

A redshank was fishing.

Before I went home I went round the other side of the Two Tree Island nature reserve.  In the late afternoon sunshine, from a hide that was quite high up, I found a large group of teal in the water below.

Further round the island lots of curlews had settled down for the night.

As an added extra, when I was walking back to the road through the nature reserve, I saw this furry caterpillar.  I have no idea what it is - any comments?

I had a great day out at this nature reserve and wish I lived nearer so that I could visit it more often.