Birds at Erwarton Bay |
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| Welcome to the birds page on MyShotley.com. Here we: | |
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Mark Nowers and Rod Plowman counting birds at Erwarton Bay |
| Erwarton Bay forms part of the Stour Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest which is a national designation, and is also part of the Stour and Orwell Estuaries Special Protection Area which is an international designation. | |
| Between August and April, once a month at low water, an RSPB Warden and volunteers walk from the Bristol Arms to Ness Point counting all the waders and wildfowl feeding / roosting on the mud - a vital habitat for these birds whilst they overwinter or pass through on migration north /south. | |
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Over the same calendar period, one Sunday a month the entire estuary is counted at high water (by RSPB staff and volunteers [the majority]). This is part of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), a national scheme that has been running in various guises for over 40 years. This is an incredibly important data set, showing long term trends. |
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At high water, most birds are concentrated on saltmarsh roosts. When the mud is covered, birds congregate here for for safety and shelter. The saltmarsh at Erwarton Bay is a very important refuge for anything up to 7000 birds at peak times. And in addition to this, the RSPB staff and volunteers conduct a separate monthly roost count of the saltmarsh at Erwarton on a high tide below 3.9 metres (higher than this and the roost is flooded and the birds move elsewhere). |
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Click here for the low and high water counts since December 2005 |
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Birds that use the estuary, be it feeding on the mudflats or roosting on the important areas of saltmarsh are susceptible to disturbance from a range of activities: low-flying aircraft, speeding boats, baitdiggers, fisherman, even birdwatchers! However, a recent study on the Stour and Orwell Estuaries showed that walkers and dogwalkers accounted for the most incidences of disturbance. To reduce the effect of this, particularly in the critical winter period, people can help by keeping to the designated rights of way and not straying on to the shore or any area of saltmarsh. |
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| Ad hoc sightings / reports | |
New Years Day 2008 saw the the Thames Sailing Barge 'Victor' motor down the estuary from Mistley towards Harwich in a clinging fog. However, despair about missing out on a great spectacle was alleviated by some great birds on the water, the list reads like a good days birdwatching on the north Norfolk coast:
Plus dozens of Red-breasted Mergansers and well over 100 goldeneye, not forgetting all the 'usual' ducks, geese and waders. Phenomenal! Best wishes Mark |
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| 16 August 2006: a red backed shrike has been spotted on the estuary, a little on the Shotley side of Ness Point, near some poplars | |
| (c) MyShotley.com . Page last updated: 12-01-08 | |
