Friday, 19 September 2025

Trip away from SS15 - EWT Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex - 19th September 2025

This morning I had a visit to EWT Two Tree Island, a site that I can easily reach from home by public transport.

EWT Two Tree Island is situated adjacent to the internationally protected Thames Estuary and it is a winter refuge for a huge diversity and abundance of winter wildfowl (most notably Dark-bellied Brent Geese) and waders plus a wide range of breeding and migrant birds during the rest of the year.

EWT Two Tree Island was reclaimed from the sea in the 18th century when a seawall was built around the saltmarsh and it was originally used for farming. It is now managed as a nature reserve.

Approximately 4 miles of trails, which are a mixture of gravel and grass paths, provide access through the grasslands and scrub areas. At the end of the western section of the reserve is a bird hide which overlooks a lagoon which provides a valuable habitat for roosting and breeding water birds. The eastern section is part of Leigh National Nature Reserve where the saltmarsh is one of the best surviving in the Thames Estuary. 

There are excellent views of Hadleigh Castle from the western end of EWT Two Tree Island.

I arrived at EWT Two Tree Island at 10:30 a.m. after walking down to the bridge over Leigh Creek from Leigh-on-Sea railway station.

I initially walked down to the slipway overlooking the marshes and Hadleigh Ray before then walking along the seawall to the westernmost point of the island and "Monty's Lookout", the hide overlooking the lagoon.

I timed my visit so that I was in the hide for more than an hour before high tide when the lagoon normally becomes packed with roosting waders.

As I arrived at "Monty's Lookout", there were already large numbers of birds on the lagoon either roosting or feeding.
































It proved to be a very productive 3 hour visit to EWT Two Tree Island with 12 species of waders recorded.

The highlights from my visit, including the walk from Leigh-on-Sea railway station to the entrance to EWT Two Tree Island were as follows: Black-tailed Godwit (at least 300 on the lagoon), Avocet (at least 100 on the lagoon), Ringed Plover (at least 100 on the lagoon), Common Redshank (at least 100 on the lagoon), Dunlin (at least 50 on the lagoon), Lapwing (at least 15 on the lagoon), Knot (5 on the lagoon), Greenshank (4 on the lagoon), Common Snipe (4 together on a pool between the railway station and Two Tree Island), Oystercatcher (2 on the lagoon), Grey Plover (2 on the lagoon including a summer plumaged bird), Sanderling (1 on the lagoon), Little Egret (c.100 on the saltmarsh outside the railway station, c.50 more distantly at the east end of Two Tree Island and at least 3 on the lagoon), Grey Heron (2 between the railway station and Two Tree Island and 2 on the lagoon), Wigeon (200 flew over heading west), Teal (c.30 on a pool between the railway station and Two Tree Island and c.10 on the lagoon), Shelduck (5 on the lagoon), Common Gull (4 on the river), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 on the lagoon), Cormorant (3 on the river), Swallow (3 flying south), Chiffchaff (3) Cetti's Warbler (3 singing males, none seen) 

Here are some other photos from my visit ....
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwit

Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Avocet
















Photo: Avocet
















Photo: Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshanks and Grey Plover
















Photo: Grey Plover
















Photo: Grey Plover
















Photo: Grey Plover and Ringed Plovers
















Photo: Grey Plover and Common Redshank
















Photo: Grey Plover and Ringed Plover















Photo: Lapwing
















Photo: Little Egret
















Photo: Little Egret, Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Little Egret















Photo: Little Egret
















Photo: Grey Heron

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