Abberton Reservoir & Fingringhoe Wick 09th April 2005

There were thirteen of us in four cars for this trip. We left Hemel at approx 07.30 on a cold & frosty morning. 

Our first stop was on the Layer Breton causeway just after 09.00. It was very cold and there was a strong wind blowing across the causeway. There were many Swallows, Sand & House Martins skimming the surface feeding. Also from here we made out a pair of Smew sheltering near the reedbed; the drake Smew was so still and the scopes were shaking so much in the wind that at first we thought it was a plastic bag. Two female Goosanders were seen in the same area. As it was extremely cold, we soon moved on to the Layer de la Haye causeway which was sheltered from the wind. From here we saw a pair of Black Necked Grebe, many Ruddy Duck & Goldeneye and a handfull of Yellow Wagtails.

Abberton Reservoir from the Visitor Centre

We then went to the Abberton nature reserve. From the warmth of the observation room, our `bird of the day’ a Nightingale was seen feeding on the ground in full view about twenty five feet away. It flitted in out of the nearby undergrowth several times while we watched. We went to various hides and saw & heard, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler & many more birds. As it had warmed up by this time, we had lunch in the picnic area before setting off to Fingringhoe Wick. 

There was shooting on the marshes, which did not stop a pair of Marsh Harriers quartering the marsh. One, being harried by gulls and other birds, came very close to our viewpoint in the car park.  We had very close views of summer-plumage Black Tailed Godwits, Redshank & Grey Plover. Across the river there were some 170 more Black-Tailed Godwits.

This turned out to be a very good trip with about seventy species being seen.

Dave Jones  (photographs copyright Dave Jennings)

Our group looking over the saltmarsh at Fingringhoe	And here it is, the saltmarsh at Fingringhoe

Species List for the day (both destinations)