Reports 2009-
Abberton Reservoir & Fingringhoe Wick -
Disappointingly we only had eight people on this outing to Essex.
Our first stop was on the causeway of Abberton Reservoir. What a great place this is to see winter ducks. There were many male & female goldeneye, a pair of smew, a scaup, male and female goosander plus the usual wigeon, teal, & shoveler.
A single Egyptian goose was present, as were a few turnstone.
We then went to the next causeway nearest to the visitor centre. As we pulled up
a red-
We did not go to the visitor centre as the water board are raising the level of the reservoir and all the hides are now closed.
Our main stop of the day was at Fingringhoe Wick. What pleasant and helpful people the centre manager and staff were.
Birds seen here were spoonbill, many Brent geese and approx eight hundred avocet.
From the visitor centre a barn owl was seen quartering the salt marsh.
As the tide receded, on the mud were many waders, knot, dunlin, oystercatcher, grey
plover, bar-
A group of red-
There were not many small birds to be seen although the total species for the day was over sixty five.
This was an excellent days birding, enjoyed by us all and on top of all that another barn owl flew across the road in front of us on the way home.
Dave Jones (photographs -
Red-
River Colne at Fingringhoe