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Seaside

I took a trip down to Leigh on Sea yesterday. Timing was based on weather and personal committments and, as usual, I ended up being there at the wrong state of the tide. I parked at Two Tree Island and saw teal resting on the creek bank as well as the usual redshank and a few gulls. Walking down to the old town there were quite a few redshank around but I didn't see or hear any other waders, they were probably at the water's edge on the other side of the Leigh Sand.

The first thing that struck me was the absence of turnstones around the cockle sheds. These have been a feature of this location for many years. Unlike my last couple of visits there were no egrets in Leigh Creek either. On the mud there were plenty of gulls, black headed, herring and both lesser and greater black backed. There were no brent geese visible on the mud and talking to locals I was told that they had all left. However, walking towards Chalkwell I saw two parties on the foreshore.

Luch of course meant the excellent Strand Tea Rooms, the only cafe that I know that serves cod roes on toast. And excellent they were served on slices of good quality thick cut crusty bread. Here endeth the restaurant review.

Returning to the car I finally saw a single egret in Leigh Creek by the bridge onto Two Tree Island.

At home I had been worried that I had misidentified a marsh tit as a black cap. After some careful observation I realised that there were two individuals, probably one of each. The marsh tit hadn't read the bird books though and didn't have the clear cheek patches that the guides all show, nor did the cap cover the nape but there was a tiny, but discernable through the spotting scope, black bib. A most inconsiderate animal, the behaviour bullying the other tits on the feeders was the key. We have also had a couple of visits from a bullfinch and a starling as well as the regulars. With colder weather forecast I have put out additional feeders but they haven't attracted any attention so far.

Driving home at midnight last Saturday I had a close encounter with a roe deer. It was in Latimer where she was standing in the road with her head in a garden hedge. Unusually there was no panic, she just looked at me and quietly trotted into the field on the other side of the road.

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