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The Estuaries of South-east Essex - 9th September 2000 |
Author: Graham Mee
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Date: 9th September 2000
A horrible, wet, start to what was to prove a fantastic value for money three hour boat trip around the local estuaries. We boarded the boat at 7:15 at Wallasea Marina and luckily the rain stopped just after setting off. The boat we were on was the Essex Lady II which normally runs the ferry service between Wallasea and Burnham, in our case this was to be purely a birdwatching trip. This is a new service offered by Trevor Taylor Marine and, at a cost of only £5, provides tremendous value for money.
We set off along the River Crouch turning right (or should I say starboard) into Bankfleet, this took us down between Wallasea and Foulness Island. Navigating the Middleway we were able to get superb views of Potton and Rushley Island which would normally be out of the question due to the nature of the M.O.D land. The trip continued down through Narrow Guts Channel before completing a circle to take us back into the River Roach and then back to our start point.
At one point on our trip we were very pleased to observe a Common Seal come right alongside our boat and to stay in the water to watch us as we sailed by
Trevor Taylor Marine are running one more Birdwatching trip this year on the 14th October and your author has already booked his place on this, my advice would be for you to book as well for a really rewarding trip.
Trevor Taylor Marine can be contacted on: 01702 258600 / 258870. Trips to see the seals of Foulness Island can also be booked and are running on the 16th of September and the 7th, 8th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th of October at a cost of £5.50 for adults and £3.00 for children under ten.
Species Observed
- Cormorant
- Little Egret x5
- Grey Heron
- Mallard
- Marsh-harrier
- Oystercatcher
- Grey Plover
- Common Ringed Plover
- Northern Lapwing
- Curlew
- Common Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Common Sandpiper
- Common Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Herring Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Sandwich Tern
- Wood Pigeon
- Common Kingfisher
- Swallow
- House Martin
- Pied Wagtail
- Yellow Wagtail
- Wheatear
- Carrion Crow
- Starling
Also seen 1 Common Seal
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