Birds at Rye Harbour nature reserve on 28th February 2025

Our coach left London on a drizzly morning and stopped off at Castle Water so that we could walk along a muddy path to the viewing platform there.  

It was still overcast when a male Marsh Harrier flew above the water and in front of sheep in a field

We then drove to Rye Harbour, where a Stonechat was sitting in brambles near the Visitor Centre

A Redshank was standing on the edge of grass in front of four sheep

Oystercatcher searching for food in the wet mud at low tide

Redshank refused to turn round for a photograph

A Turnstone was searching for food on the ground near the edge of the river Rother

Group of Golden Plovers on a spit of land in the lagoon near the Visitor Centre

Group of Avocet standing together in another part of the lagoon

Flocks of birds were spooked by something as I sat in one of the bird hides in the centre of the lagoons

Lapwings took to the sky

Shelduck striking an usual pose

Lapwings were standing on a small island in a lagoon with the old Lifeguard building at the back

Just caught a couple of ducks before they flew out of sight!

Male Kestrel sitting at the top of a tree

Group of Wigeon and a few Redshank near the water with the Visitor Centre in the background

Walking Wigeon with a couple of Redshank at the edge of the water

At the end of my walk, I took a photo of the famous black tin shed with red roof at the edge of the river

 

Walks with birds, houses and coastal erosion from East to West Mersea on Mersea Island - mid-March 2025

I spent a week on Mersea Island in the middle of March, staying at Cooper's Beach Holiday Park in East Mersea.

  

From there I walked through a couple of fields on the way to the beach during walks to West Mersea.

View of the coast and windswept trees from the public footpath through fields on an overcast day

There was a lot of coastal erosion and that is why I had to walk on the footpath through the fields instead of along the beach from the holiday park

Bradwell nuclear Power Station across the estuary - this is no longer being used

Sanderlings on the beach

and Brent Geese

One of the large beach-front houses during a sunny spell

Large modern beach-front house

Very old house in the old part of West Mersea

Redshank on the beach at low tide

Two Shelducks

Two Shelducks in flight

Early evening walk towards East Mersea along the coast at low tide

Tree roots growing through the eroded cliff at Cudmore Grove Country Park

Brent Geese in flight

Turnstone on pebbles at the edge of the water - seen during another walk towards West Mersea

The famous pastel-coloured beach huts on West Mersea beach

Large houseboat in West Mersea harbour

Lone tree viewed from the footpath along The Strood

Cars driving across the causeway when the tide was quite high

Views from the public footpath through the fields as I walked back from West Mersea to the holiday park in East Mersea

Snow Bunting-less walk along the cliffs from Weybourne to Sheringham - 8th March 2024

On 8th March I went on the bus to Weybourne and walked along the cliff path to the area where Snow Buntings had recently been seen.  A few other people with scopes were there, but none of us found the elusive little birds!  I eventually gave up looking and decided to walk along the path to Sheringham.

View of the Coastguard cottage on the cliffs at Weybourne

It was very windy - no wonder the Snow Buntings were hiding!

I encountered this steep hill along the edge of the cliff

I then had to climb an even steeper cliff before reaching Sheringham

I managed to see a large fish on the beach!

The usual Turnstones were running around on the promenade - this one posed for me on a wall

Group of Turnstones sheltering from the wind on a large rock

In fact, I really wanted to see the Purple Sandpipers that had been spotted in Sheringham only that morning and which had apparently disappeared between the rocks, but it was so windy along the sea front at Sheringham that I decided to give up altogether.  I ended up spending the afternoon at Cley Marshes nature reserve instead.