RSPB Old Hall Marshes 24th November 2002 |
A beautiful November day which allowed your Web Author to finally complete the long walk at our nearest RSPB Reserve, Old Hall Marshes. Great views of Mergansers, Harriers and Short-eared Owls were the highlights of this very enjoyable day.
Old Hall Marshes
This reserve can be entered from a minor road to Salcott from Tollesbury. After 1km a track on the right is a public footpath leading to the seawall coastal footpath. This path round the marshes is more than 12km in length and as the area is very exposed adequate clothing is essential in winter.
Old Hall Marshes are composed of a large area of grazing marsh almost completely surrounded by intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh, together with more restricted habitats such as sea wall and brackish dykes. The rich mosaic of habitat types, which also includes hedges, ponds and small areas of neglected ruderal vegetation, together with the coastal location results in a site which is used by many species of birds including passage waders and rare vagrants. A total of 219 species of bird have been recorded on the site to date. The site is has NNR, SSSI, SPA, and cSAC designations.
The site supports internationally important numbers of wintering Dark-bellied Brent Geese (typically around 2% of the total world population), and of migrating Ringed Plover. A further seven species of wildfowl and wader reach nationally important numbers in winter: Curlew, Dunlin, Goldeneye, Grey Plover, Shelduck, Teal and Wigeon. Great Cob Island is one of a number of well established roosting areas within the site. The central area of grazing marsh is a locally important wintering area for Hen Harriers.
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