And a Nightingale sang... at Fingringhoe

'Meeter and Greeter' at the reserve

We took a trip to Essex Wildlife Trust's reserve at Fingringhoe Wick yesterday - to hear the magical nightingale song and to enjoy the ambience of this tidal site on the banks of the Roman River, a tributary of the Colne.

We had a good look in the water channels and were pleased to see this Caddisfly larva (do look at more pictures here) moving about in the bits of twig and reed. These creatures fascinate us: this insect gains high marks for recycling!

There were a few Peacock butterflies fluttering hither and thither in the burst of sunshine and resting on the sandy ground.

This is one of two Tern Islands, specially created for these pelagic birds. It would be good to see it is use another time...

What a lovely position for the new hide. As you can see, the tide was pretty high when we reached the intertidal zone.

Can you spot the singer in the leaves?




There were Nightingales, Cetti's warbler, Chiffchaff and a few Blackcaps about.

This squirrel has a choice perch, overlooking the estuary and the stretch of marsh and water that divides Mersea Island from the mainland. A solitary Goldfinch was making the most of the seeds.

This bit of recycling was done by humans: I love the way in which the feeders and old plough all sit together.

View... with sails

Insects were well provided for: this was a pretty impressive insect hotel. There were some colourful and beautifully decorated (small) ones in the shop. I know birds are better with plain houses, but does anyone know if insect ones can safely be painted? Mine are a little the worse for wear and could do with a lick of something bright.

One of the residents - and there were also two lambs skittering about.

I watched this little fellow having a good preen up in the branches

The site has 300 species of wild flower!

Wild Pansy (tiny)

There were some lovely new signs about - and more seats than I remember, which I always think is an excellent thing to find in a reserve. Some benches had glorious views over the estuary.

There has been some discussion as to the species of these birds. A reserve staff member, with RSPB book to hand, said he thought they were Godwits. A person in the hide suggested Sanderling.

I am drawn to Bar-tailed Godwits for the majority of the birds (Oystercatchers, apart). Male Godwits in breeding plumage develop a russet colour during the breeding season. As the tide came in, we watched the island disappear.  

I believe the word 'murmuration' only applies to Starlings! What would we call these wader spectacles?

A view of the watery landscape, complete with ship making headway upstream.

Not so little 'Little Egret'...

And a final note on the name. 'Hoe' refers in Old English to a spur of land. We find it in 'Sutton Hoo', 'Wivenhoe' and 'Grimshoe (Mound)', to name but three examples of its use. 'Wick' meant a trading place or farm to Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. The word sometimes appears as 'wich' (as in Sandwich or Norwich). I understand it may mean 'bay' in Nordic languages: 'wick' and 'Vik'(ing) are not a million miles apart. 

Heard but not Seen - at EWT Fingringhoe Wick and SWT Redgrave and Lopham Fen

I am, I confess, a very visual person. My art tutor taught me to 'see' - to love art - in terms of colour and shape. I have a passion for vibrant colour.

It is a source of sadness to me, however, that (sense of rhythm apart) I am not more musical. Music and mathematics often go hand in hand, and I am absolutely dreadful at mathematics!

I enjoy singing, largely by ear, and I listen to a variety of musical styles for pleasure. However, when it comes to birdsong, I have great difficulty in distinguishing one bird's call from another, with the exception of a few distinctive species such as the Robin, Blackbird, Pheasant, Curlew, Bittern etc.

I am doing my best - little by little - to rectify this situation. Naturally there are bird songs that are practically impossible to miss, and we have been privileged on recent nature reserve visits to enjoy two of these from the iconic songsters of British springtime, the Cuckoo and the Nightingale.

The Cuckoo

I once heard the Cuckoo from my study here in our Suffolk home. I particularly crave Cuckoo song when I am in Scotland and the two note call reverberates like a pebble across the unbroken surface of a loch or a sound. Last year we heard Cuckoo song in an Essex bluebell wood. Only yesterday we experienced it ringing out, woodwind style, across the wide expanses of Redgrave and Lopham Fen, home of the rare Fen-Raft Spider. We thought we saw two Cuckoos as they darted around the fen, but the Cuckoo is generally a bird for the ear rather than for the eye, and it is only the male of the species who utters the distinctive song.

Reed Bunting at Redgrave and Lopham Fen, Suffolk Wildlife Trust

A Fen Raft Spider pool at Redgrave and Lopham Fen

The Nightingale

We visited Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve, in the care of Essex Wildlife Trust, some weeks ago. The site is surrounded by superb estuarine views. There are trees, shrubs and gorse for cover. We were told that the Nightingales were singing. We were asked whether we had heard their song before, to which we answered that we were not aware of having done so. The warden tried to describe the song, but said he was sure we could not fail to hear it. He was right! We had hardly reached the first viewpoint when the air filled with the exquisite notes of the bird in question. I think there is little doubt that we shall know it at once on our next encounter.

The entrance to the reserve at Fingringhoe, Essex Wildlife Trust

Did we see the Adders or the the other star species? Well, no - but we came away with the sound of nightingale music in our ears.