Trip reports
Car outing to Bradwell, Essex
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Bradwell is probably best known for the Saxon chapel of St. Peter-on-the-Wall, built by St Cedd on the foundations of a Roman fort in 654AD.
The area mainly consists of saltmarsh and mudflats with a seawall protecting the farmland and is typical of the Essex coastline. There is a reserve run jointly by Essex Wildlife Trust and the Essex Birdwatching Society who also operate Bradwell Bird Observatory.
Highlights:
Bird species recorded during the outing included a peregrine, spotted flycatcher, little egrets and several wheatears. A group of old barges sunk just offshore at Bradwell Cockle Spit to protect the saltmarsh and seawall from erosion, provide a refuge for a variety of waders at high tide. Here we saw small groups of sanderling, redshank, turnstone and one or two grey plover, along with good numbers of herring gulls.
50 Bird species were recorded:
Great crested grebe, cormorant, grey heron, little egret, sparrowhawk, kestrel, peregrine, red-legged partridge, pheasant, oystercatcher, ringed plover, golden plover, grey plover, lapwing, sanderling, dunlin, redshank, turnstone, black-headed gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gull, stock dove, woodpigeon, collared dove, great spotted woodpecker, swallow, meadow pipit, pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, stonechat, wheatear, blackbird, willow warbler, spotted flycatcher, great tit, magpie, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, jay, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet and reed bunting.
Our thanks to Mike Oakland for leading our first trip of the new season.