The Wild Side of Essex: The Colne Estuary (Day Trip)

Winter (Nov-Feb):
Waterbirds feature heavily over winter, with Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets and Brent Geese prominent among a whole host of other wildfowl and waders, and hopefully also Kingfishers and raptors, including Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin and Barn and Short-eared Owls. Mammals could include Harbour and Grey Seals, with an outside chance of an Otter.
Inland waters are likely to have Goosanders, while in the parklands the magnificent trees from all over the world are attractive and interesting at any time of year. Areas of reedbed will hold (but not necessarily reveal!) Cetti’s Warblers, and waterside Alders may have Siskins and Redpolls among the roving bands of tits and other small birds.
If not too frosty, the grassland and heaths will continue to produce fungi and flowers, and even attract a few butterflies and other insects in winter sunshine.

Spring (Mar-May):
As spring progresses, the estuarine waterbirds decline in number, although those that remain begin to assume breeding plumage: Black-tailed Godwits are especially dramatic. Summer migrants return, with Common and Little Terns on the estuary, Sand Martins and Hobbies in the old gravel pits, warblers galore, and the unmistakeable song of Nightingales from several points along any of the routes. The reedbeds become alive with Reed and Sedge Warblers, usually with Cuckoos in close attendance, and by the end of spring a few Turtle Doves may be in residence.
Spring flowers feature in the woods, with magnificent displays of Bluebells and Wood Anemones, and more locally Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage and Town-hall-clock. Birdsong and blooming are an essential backdrop to the first flush of insects, from Emperor Moths and Orange-tips to Green Hairstreaks and the early damselflies.

Summer (Jun-Aug):
This is the time when there is so much to see that the walks may end up being significantly shorter in distance!
The estuarine saltmarshes reveal their botanical riches, with swathes of Sea Pink and Sea Lavender, as the sea walls light up with Salsify, Grass Vetchling and Strawberry Clover. Even the developed water frontage of Wivenhoe has its specialities, including Jersey Cudweed and Four-leaved Allseed. And at the height of summer, the heathland in the restored gravel workings holds one of the best displays of Heather in the county, along with its attendant insects and spiders.
Dragonflies include Emperor and Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers, while the flower-rich grasslands attract burnet moths and brown and skipper butterflies in abundance. Their main nectar sources – Black Knapweed, Field Scabious, Hogweed and Wild Carrot – also support a vast array of other interesting bees, flies, bugs and other invertebrates. The ancient woods should be featuring Purple Hairstreaks and White Admirals, and maybe even Purple Emperors. Wivenhoe is especially renowned for its Stag Beetles, and we may be lucky enough to encounter one of these lumbering giants.
Birds are breeding – Oystercatchers and Common Terns, warblers in the scrub, woods and reedbeds, Buzzards and woodpeckers in the parklands to name but a few – but also the first returning waders, usually in smart summer plumage, start to drift through from early July onwards.

Autumn (Sep-Oct):
Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet numbers in the estuary will be building rapidly, large flocks often viewable on a rising tide, with a host of other water birds, including the first arriving Brent Geese. Striking inland up onto the gravel ridge of the ‘Essex Alps’, there are plenty of scarce plants to occupy us, including the local speciality Lesser Calamint. Being autumn, migrant birds may turn up anywhere – although not guaranteed – and could include chats, warblers and the winter thrushes.
Salt marshes are in the full flush of autumn colour, with several species of Glasswort, and the last flowerings of Sea Aster and Golden Samphire, hopefully attracting butterflies and the rare Sea Aster Mining-bee, while reedbeds and grazing marshes will provide opportunities for birds such as Cetti’s Warblers. Willow Emerald damselflies, Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers are likely to be flying, and wherever there is flowering Ivy, it will be attracting late season butterflies, hoverflies and bees. If the preceding weather has been conducive, we may encounter an array of spectacular fungi, including coral fungi and brackets, Fly Agaric and earth-tongues, and the magnificent trees of the parklands can always be relied upon to provide a dazzling display of leaf colour from around the world.

For anyone wishing to extend their stay in north Essex, Wivenhoe has options for overnight accommodation. Most convenient is the Black Buoy public house, a community pub which has two rooms, and serves excellent food and real ale. It is just 5 minutes’ walk from our meeting point outside Wivenhoe Railway Station. Another option is Wivenhoe House Hotel, with a greater selection of rooms and a top-class restaurant, but a little further away  – 5 minutes’ drive, 10 minutes on the bus, or 30 minutes’ walk to Wivenhoe Station. Chris is happy to recommend either of these options, and indeed to offer suggestions of other places you might like to visit as part of a longer stay.