![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGpMPcsIM4B6lJPXGjwT3H7iwNAncHvVQebWUZqGUJG6i4xuJeKhivaYd9l_QOBSmaxlOQpvF1HTW5Z7wEnuJHSsGySM04tzJY6qjSAcQfvM8PnIsER4-hTOuy7i36yNNBCSc83MzdJk/s400/bl_mersea4961.jpg) |
We had checked the tide timetable before driving over the Strood to Mersea Island ... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9obutjB4DOS1efhl2Kwh7EijWndpNmDFC0IGGwGTO26LiNUUWix5AHM8quBLcCZQ9XjQvtnwb8cA0z6QImzVcpElHmKlRZOiELZGOWcpVD5icTWhc_mb_nHo_1HXpa4x8FUtS4ZyX3xs/s320/bl_mersea+brant+brent4931.jpg) |
The weather was bitter and blustery and it was hard to steady the camera ... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3nQSY5Cqrf9Mkwue0Ax62TE8GEloNjsswPs5FayS_HVJZ8GlyOO4Qz-SbqO_Myoy1WnykJXniiGH-NjiFfME6gzbEE87NCqVBLWE6SJekX2j6kPD2O1dKx8XRl71ldInnH2Tq2kBSbA/s320/bl_mersea+brent+brant4921_edited-1.jpg) |
... I was determined, however, to try to capture these geese. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbZlHqsAbag11ER0ifSERVNbIG6OnQ6a-Q_WwMfJvHqtDshtc1nY9RpvlkLe3sSUHm8DnCzzIrbWO9NSilDL48Ds1fQXRNJKNtlNjUo_IgcoW7sn0XHnt7ALAb9EgOQU1fPVyMM0d5TU/s400/bl_mersea+bretn+brant4931.jpg) |
I suspect these are all Brent (rather than Brant) Geese ... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibh9vFfnFBc7RzCZppYZpMTQwztnNyGSRxt9O6rG4hMExNzLhLQ23_7aNibMpwyOgaDo_c2bKni6_MGxrACgzs2ZF2cI8mhpRzF8YgPvWVJTRaQQZ4Zuwm1zMBgujBXtxSRlvykLKCoM/s640/bl_mersea4901.jpg) |
They were foraging in the tidal mud. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNw5rDdmCdeMRthQYbeid6LaOX4dD4HKS-B_ljjPuiAe3Yw09OBhDtoP7SthkZgS-BtxrpBKeOc58uMT0fC1FXvtAoN5R5daA4v_XYCqLChGvQfAPhUYL5dOWvmY99fYi_PJksIKdib8/s400/bl_mersea4931.jpg) |
The one at the back looks as if it has a white collar that goes (almost?) all the way round. |
West Mersea is an extraordinary place, with an unusual mix of wild, windswept coastal regions and small settled communities. We even noticed a Tesco! You can read about the history of the island
here.
I checked the geese against the goose photos on the
Mersea Wildlife blog, and am pretty sure that they are probably Dark-bellied Brent Geese (and not
Black Brant Geese). It's a shame my record shots are just that due to the adverse weather conditions, but I was struck by the white collar on the goose at the back of the top photo. We must go back and explore the island further in better weather conditions.
I was intrigued to learn that the Reverend Sabine Baring Gould (who wrote the words of 'Onward Christian Soldiers') spent a decade on the island as Rector of East Mersea. His book,
Mehalah - A Story of the Salt Marshes, a best-selling Gothic Victorian tale, was based upon some of his island experiences. One of his other works was a biography of the eccentric Cornish clergyman, the Reverend Stephen Hawker of Morwenstow, who wrote ballads and kept an eye out for mermaids and shipwrecks from his cliffside hut.