Wallasea

My eyes are streaming from the wind and the scope wants to take off, just like my coffee flask did a moment ago. I glance over and see it lying in the mud. When I squint the wind's tears away the dazzling light takes over, masking the flooded field in front of me. A huge number of Lapwing are gathered on it but they are little more than softly squeaking silhouettes from my vantage point. Pulling my cap down further to give my eyes some respite, I can make out smaller waders at their feet, the pale forms of Dunlin, heads down and busy feeding in the shallow pool. Then all of a sudden, the shapes merge and rise into the air, into the wintry sunlight, into a vast open sky.

This is Wallasea Island, a spectacular wetland regeneration 'project' on the south east coast of Essex, sandwiched somewhere between the River Crouch and the old school slot machines in Southend on Sea. Epic in size and ambition, it's a fitting place to consider and celebrate World Wetlands Day today.

Wallasea Island, Essex, 1/2/14

World Wetlands Day marks the signing of the Ramsar Convention in Iran in 1971, a treaty that recognises the global importance of wetlands and seeks to maintain their conservation measures and promote sustainable use. In 2014, the theme is 'Wetlands and Agriculture' - two themes clearly on display at Wallasea Island. The intertidal mud flats, lagoons, salt marsh and fields here are part of a huge engineering scheme designed to recreate important habitats lost elsewhere in Britain as well as being an example of what can be achieved through sustainable farming practices and endless determination in the modern mitigation process.

Throughout our visit, a conveyor belt is transporting the spoils of Crossrail off a ship and straight onto the site, where large trucks are rolling it out. Mounds of earth flank new ditches that have been recently excavated. But none of this detracts from the landscape and the wildlife. During the day I thought about the fact that I seem to spend a great deal of time exploring places like this, more than woodlands for example - "traipsing round a marsh" as my girlfriend calls it. But I guess this is where I find myself drawn to the most, wetlands to me are fascinating...and full of birds. Even on a day when strong winds mean anything daring enough to raise a wing would likely end up in Belgium, there was plenty to see. A small flock of Golden plover huddled in a field on the drive in and skylarks frequently catapulted out of the grass as we passed along the sea wall. Large flocks of Brent geese, Shelduck and Teal occupied the mudflats while the quickly rising tide bought a smart Red-throated diver in for good views.

While today there is some basic infrastructure in place for visitors, it will be fascinating to see the site in 2019, when it is scheduled to be completed. In a sense though, it will never be completed because wetlands like this are always changing and they need to be given room to do that.

Kestrel in the grass

Emily in the grass

The BTO Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is a great way to discover the species using these important areas and how populations change over time. Check out the new online webs reports here.

Just Deserts

As I occasionally allude to on here, I am really fond of wheatears. They're great birds; subtle in plumage and character but always striking and pleasing harbingers of seasons. Since I've been away for much of the last two weeks, it was a tad frustrating when I returned to hear that TWO desert wheatears had been found in different locations, both a suitably responsible twitching distance away from home. Luckily, the Desert Wheatear found in the car park of the Essex Wildlife Trust's new visitor centre at Abberton Reservoir has proved a stayer and today, being a convenient day off, I headed over for a look.

Now something of a celebrity bird after the BBC picked the story up for an article this week, hordes of paparazzi were instead represented by a small gaggle of twitchers when I arrived late morning. The female bird, which should be in the vicinity of North Africa by now, some 3000 miles away, had been showing well at close quarters early on but for much of the afternoon relocated to the far end of a roped off causeway undergoing building work adjacent to the reserve. Despite the distance and the workmen stomping up and down nearby, she showed well, darting up and down the recently laid tarmac, preening occasionally, bobbing her tail much like a Redstart and making short flights which showed up the creamy, buff rump and the full, dark rectrices (minus the 'T-shape' characteristic of most other Oenanthe species). On a really cold day, I think a few people shared the thought that the black tarmac she favoured may be having a minimal warming effect as well as providing a bit of food/shelter from the wind. Trust me, a real nice looking bird, even from this far away(!):

View for much of the afternoon

After a coffee and brief walk round the rest of the reserve, which turned up some nice bits including a single Whooper Swan associating with some mutes and half a dozen or so Goldeneye and Wigeon, I went back to see if she had come any closer. Turns out she was slowly on her way back down the causeway towards us, inching along, sometimes flying up onto the builder's sand. Eventually, after an hour or so she came within approx. 30m and showed up really well. I hadn't realised how cold I was at this point so I decided to call it a day and head back to the car park. While sitting in the car on the phone to a work colleague (hey, I'm a pro) I couldn't believe it when a few minutes later a bird flicked across  in front of my windshield, maybe 15ft away and perched on a lamp. I didn't even need bins to see it was our girl! I promptly hung up on work (uh, what was I saying?!) and joined the remainder of the group in the fantastic views.

One confused bird, several happy twitchers

View showing distinct rump patch and (quite short) black tail, also note dark shade of primaries/secondaries

Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti) Abberton Reservoir, Essex, 1/11/12 

So a few slightly better shots to finish off the day at least. To be honest, they might have been better had I not been shaking with cold...just imagine how she must feel! With the odds against her, we'll never know where she'll end up but I am at least thankful for the chance to see such a beautiful bird.