SS15 wildlife watching: Trip away from SS15 - EWT Blue House Farm, North Fambridge, Essex

Today I had a visit to EWT Blue House Farm, a 242.8 hectare nature reserve and farm in North Fambridge on the north bank of the River Crouch between Burnham-on-Crouch and South Woodham Ferrers in Essex. It is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.

Most of Blue House Farm was originally saltmarsh until sea walls were constructed to capture land from the sea. It was then used as grazing pasture for cows and sheep and this practice continues today. Some of the higher, drier fields were used for crops but have now reverted to grassland. The site includes marshland, ponds, creeks and ditches, reedbeds and a 20 hectare field is flooded during the winter to provide feeding grounds for large numbers of wildfowl and wading birds.

Its wildlife is internationally important, particularly over-wintering birds and most notably around 2000 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. It also has important breeding populations of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Yellow Wagtails and Avocets, spring and autumn passage waders plus Water Voles, Brown Hares, butterflies, insects and coastal plants.

It is a working farm, managed by maintaining high water levels and balancing livestock farming with wildlife conservation.

Access is only available via a permissive footpath through the farm, which has 3 bird hides along it, or along the sea wall.

Having arrived at North Fambridge railway station, I walked for about a mile down to the historic Ferry Boat Inn which was established in the 16th century.

After an excellent home-made chicken and mushroom pie and 2 pints of one of my favourite real ales, Woodforde Wherry, I took the footpath from the rear of the pub towards Blue House Farm and the entrance to the reserve.

However, access to the reserve via the permissive footpath was still closed despite the Essex Wildlife Trust website saying that it would re-open at the end of 2022 following the completion of "ongoing conservation work".

Therefore, I was forced to return the way that I had come and carry on to the seawall which forms the perimeter of the reserve.

Despite these access difficulties, I still had an excellent visit and added 12 species to my 2023 UK year list: Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Fieldfare, Stonechat, Corn Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Stock Dove, Rook

The most notable sightings from my visit were as follows: Dark-bellied Brent Goose (c.1000+ at least on grazing marsh), Canada Goose (c.100 at least on grazing marsh), Greylag Goose (c.20 at least on grazing marsh), Cormorant (2 on River Crouch), Grey Heron (1 flying over River Crouch and 2 on grazing marsh), Little Grebe (2 on River Crouch), Shelduck (c.50 at least on River Crouch estuary), Wigeon (c.15 at least on saltmarsh), Dunlin (50 at least on River Crouch estuary), Common Redshank (30 at least on River Crouch estuary), Grey Plover (10 at least on River Crouch estuary), Black-tailed Godwit (2 on River Crouch estuary), Oystercatcher (2 on River Crouch estuary), Avocet (1 on River Crouch estuary), Ringed Plover (1 on River Crouch estuary), Lapwing (100 at least on grazing marsh), Curlew (10 at least on grazing marsh), Peregrine Falcon (1 distantly on grazing marsh), Common Buzzard (1 distantly on grazing marsh), Marsh Harrier (1 male distantly over grazing marsh), Red Kite (1 possible very distantly flying towards village), Stock Dove (single bird perched on one of the nest-boxes), Green Woodpecker (single bird near the farm), Rook (100 at least on grazing marsh), Fieldfare (20 at least), Stonechat (male and female together in bushes along borrow dyke), Corn Bunting (1 in bush along borrow dyke), Meadow Pipit (10 at least along borrow dykes), Greenfinch (single bird near the farm)