Today, I had my first visit to EWT Blue House Farm since my last on 9th August 2023.
EWT Blue House Farm is 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 EWT 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.
The wildlife of EWT Blue House Farm is internationally important, particularly for over-wintering birds (most notably around 2000 Dark-bellied Brent Geese) but also breeding Avocets, Lapwings, Common Redshanks, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Yellow Wagtails. It is also an important site for spring and autumn passage waders plus Water Voles, Brown Hares, butterflies, insects and coastal plants.
EWT Blue House Farm 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.
The main purpose of my visit this morning was to hopefully see the various sandpiper species that had been reported in recent days, namely Pectoral Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper.
Having arrived at North Fambridge railway station, I walked for about a mile down to the entrance to EWT Blue House Farm and then followed the permissive footpath to Round Marsh Hide.
Despite scanning the whole of Round Marsh during my 3 hour stay in the hide, I failed to locate the Pectoral Sandpiper. This was disappointing, given that this North American species was the rarest that had been present at the site (including at 8 a.m. on the morning of my visit!). However, I have recorded Pectoral Sandpiper in the UK on 11 occasions since 1990, including at EWT Blue House Farm on 1st September 2016.
I did manage to locate the single Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Wood Sandpipers, both being additions to my UK 2024 year list and taking it to 183 species.
Unfortunately, I missed the fly-over Osprey which was reported from the next hide along from Round Marsh Hide.
Amongst some very good birds seen, the undoubted highlight was a fledgling Cuckoo being fed regularly by its host Dunnock parent close to the car park. Although, I see Cuckoos every year, albeit with increasing difficulty, I have never seen a fledgling being fed by its host parent so this was an excellent end to my visit.
I recorded the following birds during my visit: Curlew Sandpiper (1), Wood Sandpiper (2), Green Sandpiper (at least 5), Common Sandpiper (3), Greenshank (3), Common Redshank (2), Dunlin (2), Oystercatcher (2), Avocet (at least 10), Black-tailed Godwit (at least 200), Lapwing (at least 20), Spoonbill (8), Little Egret (at least 75 including an odd-looking greyish/blueish bird), Grey Heron (10), Mallard (at least 50), Teal (at least 20), Tufted Duck (2 females each with 7 ducklings), Common Pochard (1), Shelduck (4), Great Crested Grebe (1), Little Grebe (1), Mute Swan (adult and 5 cygnets), Canada Goose (at least 20), Greylag Goose (at least 10), Coot (at least 20), Moorhen (1), Cormorant (5), Common Tern (3), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2), Black-headed Gull (at least 50), Osprey (1 reported flying over hide 2), Red Kite (1), Marsh Harrier (2 females), Kestrel (1 female), Cuckoo (fledgling being fed by host Dunnock parent near the barn), Reed Warbler (male heard singing briefly), Cetti's Warbler (male heard singing briefly), Green Woodpecker (1 flew past the railway station whilst waiting for my return train home)
Whilst not particularly aiming to record butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, I did see the following: Marbled White (1), Small Heath (1), “golden” skippers (at least 20), Ruddy Darter (at least 20 males)
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