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We are spending a few days in Essex en route to a week’s holiday in Suffolk Today we visited two nature reserves run by Essex Wildlife Trust.

Old barges on the Blackwater Estuary at Maldon where we are staying at the excellent B&B 32 The Hythe right on the harbour http://www.thehythemaldon.co.uk/

The first was the vast expanse of Abberton Reservoir. We didn’t spend very long here as it was very exposed and very windy but we did have very good views of birds we have not seen this year – swifts and common terns. There were plenty of other birds but they were quite distant and the light wasn’t great for photography.

Common tern at Abberton Reservoir

Tufted ducks at Abberton Reservoir

Egyptian geese at Abberton Reservoir

Greylag  geese at Abberton Reservoir

Pochard at Abberton Reservoir

Cormorant at Abberton Reservoir

Great crested grebe at Abberton Reservoir

The second reserve was Fingringhoe Wick which was more intimate and much more rewarding. As the light wasn’t good throughout the day the standout moment was not visual but aural – a nightingale singing in a bush right at the beginning of our walk.  It is the first time we have heard a nightingale in the UK.

There were lots of hides but the best was one which looked out on to the Colne Estuary, where we saw oystercatchers, black-headed gulls, shelduck, common tern and lots of little egrets.

The excellent Margaret hide looking out on to the Colne Estuary

Oystercatcher at Fingringhoe Wick

Common tern at Fingringhoe Wick

Black-headed gull and delicacy at Fingringhoe Wick

Little egret

On a small pool at the Kingfisher hide we saw a little grebe and a redshank.

Redshank

Little grebe

Shelduck orchestrating a mute swan

We didn’t see swifts here but there were swallows and house martins.

It’s not been the best of weather but we had a great day out.