Debbie1905
Well-known member
For anyone who has nothing better than a pair of cheap binoculars, and a bridge camera for those who want photos, you can't beat an afternoon at the Essex Reservoirs: Abberton and Hanningfield.
Being in Southend-on-Sea, Abberton is a two-or-three times a year visit for me, and Hanningfield about twice that. I always drove there by coming off the A12 at Silver End/Rivenhall turnoff and going through Tiptree, but Google maps suggested continuing on the A12 to Jct. 26, the Stanway turnoff, effectively heading for Colchester Zoo then turning off at the little triangle junction just before the zoo, following the B1022. I found this a much more straightforward route, through Birch Park and soon arrived at the visitor centre, for a coffee and a comfort break.
Apart from the fact that you can usually see one or two birds in the car park - I saw Skylark there - I find that binoculars are just not enough to see anything from the visitor centre. If you are lucky, you will see some birds on the causeway by the centre - the Layer de la Haye causeway, and last year I saw my first Little Ringed Plover, and chicks, there in the far corner. So, a short drive from the centre, down to the 'Triangle' junction, turn right to Layer Breton causeway, and the fun begins!
You can park on the causeway, and if someone is there feeding the birds, you will see all the geese and ducks come up onto the pavement! This time, I saw Greylags and Canada geese by the fences, and the ever present single Swan Goose, some Snow geese. I have also previously seen Red-breasted geese here, but mostly I think these are escapees (so not tickable!). I went to Abberton to see Smew, and was quickly put onto them by a nice couple, two males and a female, they were shining white in the sunshine by the NW corner of the causeway, in the trees which have their feet in the water. Within minutes, one male and the female flew off to my right but the other male stayed. Sadly my Canon SX50 just can't do a good quality picture at that distance, but that may be my photographic skills rather than the camera. A very nice chap let me look through his scope at a Bittern he found in the furthest reed bed SE of causeway, which I would never have seen with my cheap binoculars, then later a Kingfisher in the same area as the Smew. There were mostly gulls on the SE side of the causeway, and Shoveler, Coot, Little Grebe, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye on the NW side. Also, on the causeway slope were loads of Pied Wagtail and Chaffinches - last year the place had loads of Yellow Wagtail too.
Another visit to the visitor centre, passing fields full of Lapwing, and a few Kestrel, then back to the A12 for the drive to Hanningfield - jct. 16 is the most straightforward way - head for Stock then follow signs to the Reservoir. I stopped at the causeway first, and couldn't believe the field by the causeway: FULL of Canada geese and Wigeon! Hundreds of each. The best bit was when the Wigeon all took off at once to go for a swim - beautiful. Also in the field were a group of Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls, on the reservoir were more Tufties and my first (female) merganser. In the visitor centre, the feeders through the windows were covered in Blue and Great Tits, a flock of Long Tailed Tits came down, there were Chaffinches, Stock Doves, Moorhens, I saw one Coal Tit come down (the only place I have ever seen them), all fighting with the squirrels who have obviously figured out the squirrel proofing. All the birds were put in the shade by the chap sitting next to me holding a six-week old baby, who he said loves to look out at the birds! There was a heron on the pontoon near the windows.
At neither reservoir did I really get out of the car, other than to walk about 30 metres in any direction, but have walked around both of these before. I find that Abberton, from the visitor centre, is not much use without a scope - it is so big, and the birds are so far away. I think the fields which have been planted up may be good in a few years though. I love Hanningfield though - each of the hides can offer something different, a walk from the visitor centre just to the hides is fabulous, through the woods, and the long walk round in spring, through the bluebell woods is magical, especially on a weekday when there is no-one around, I have seen foxes, muntjac deer, squirrels all on the same day, as well as Wrens, Tits, Chaffinches, Chiffchaffs, thrushes. I have also seen Osprey at Hanningfield AND Abberton.
OK, so this was not the most spectacular day in birding terms, but it was a pretty good day for 'birding with bins'.
Being in Southend-on-Sea, Abberton is a two-or-three times a year visit for me, and Hanningfield about twice that. I always drove there by coming off the A12 at Silver End/Rivenhall turnoff and going through Tiptree, but Google maps suggested continuing on the A12 to Jct. 26, the Stanway turnoff, effectively heading for Colchester Zoo then turning off at the little triangle junction just before the zoo, following the B1022. I found this a much more straightforward route, through Birch Park and soon arrived at the visitor centre, for a coffee and a comfort break.
Apart from the fact that you can usually see one or two birds in the car park - I saw Skylark there - I find that binoculars are just not enough to see anything from the visitor centre. If you are lucky, you will see some birds on the causeway by the centre - the Layer de la Haye causeway, and last year I saw my first Little Ringed Plover, and chicks, there in the far corner. So, a short drive from the centre, down to the 'Triangle' junction, turn right to Layer Breton causeway, and the fun begins!
You can park on the causeway, and if someone is there feeding the birds, you will see all the geese and ducks come up onto the pavement! This time, I saw Greylags and Canada geese by the fences, and the ever present single Swan Goose, some Snow geese. I have also previously seen Red-breasted geese here, but mostly I think these are escapees (so not tickable!). I went to Abberton to see Smew, and was quickly put onto them by a nice couple, two males and a female, they were shining white in the sunshine by the NW corner of the causeway, in the trees which have their feet in the water. Within minutes, one male and the female flew off to my right but the other male stayed. Sadly my Canon SX50 just can't do a good quality picture at that distance, but that may be my photographic skills rather than the camera. A very nice chap let me look through his scope at a Bittern he found in the furthest reed bed SE of causeway, which I would never have seen with my cheap binoculars, then later a Kingfisher in the same area as the Smew. There were mostly gulls on the SE side of the causeway, and Shoveler, Coot, Little Grebe, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye on the NW side. Also, on the causeway slope were loads of Pied Wagtail and Chaffinches - last year the place had loads of Yellow Wagtail too.
Another visit to the visitor centre, passing fields full of Lapwing, and a few Kestrel, then back to the A12 for the drive to Hanningfield - jct. 16 is the most straightforward way - head for Stock then follow signs to the Reservoir. I stopped at the causeway first, and couldn't believe the field by the causeway: FULL of Canada geese and Wigeon! Hundreds of each. The best bit was when the Wigeon all took off at once to go for a swim - beautiful. Also in the field were a group of Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls, on the reservoir were more Tufties and my first (female) merganser. In the visitor centre, the feeders through the windows were covered in Blue and Great Tits, a flock of Long Tailed Tits came down, there were Chaffinches, Stock Doves, Moorhens, I saw one Coal Tit come down (the only place I have ever seen them), all fighting with the squirrels who have obviously figured out the squirrel proofing. All the birds were put in the shade by the chap sitting next to me holding a six-week old baby, who he said loves to look out at the birds! There was a heron on the pontoon near the windows.
At neither reservoir did I really get out of the car, other than to walk about 30 metres in any direction, but have walked around both of these before. I find that Abberton, from the visitor centre, is not much use without a scope - it is so big, and the birds are so far away. I think the fields which have been planted up may be good in a few years though. I love Hanningfield though - each of the hides can offer something different, a walk from the visitor centre just to the hides is fabulous, through the woods, and the long walk round in spring, through the bluebell woods is magical, especially on a weekday when there is no-one around, I have seen foxes, muntjac deer, squirrels all on the same day, as well as Wrens, Tits, Chaffinches, Chiffchaffs, thrushes. I have also seen Osprey at Hanningfield AND Abberton.
OK, so this was not the most spectacular day in birding terms, but it was a pretty good day for 'birding with bins'.
