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THE BIRDS OF THE STOUR VALLEY
(ESSEX ONLY) IN 1924 AND 1925.
By WILLIAM E. GLEGG, F.Z.S., M.P.O.U.
THE completion of my observations on the birds of the
Stour Valley carries me a step nearer the realisation of
my intention to make a survey of the birds of the Essex rivers,
or, to be strictly correct, the Essex estuarial rivers. Notes on
the birds of the Crouch and Blackwater have already been
printed, so that this constitutes the third of the series.
Some consideration of the physical features of the river
is necessary. From the scenic point of view the Stour is very
much ahead of the other Essex estuaries, in fact, if a coined word
may be permitted, it may be described as "UnEssex." The
fact that the reaches towards Dedham comprise what has been
made famous as the "Constable country," would alone, in
this respect, place this river in a prominent position ; leaving
the Constable country out of the question, however, the
scenery of the Stour would still take first place, although to the
writer, the remoteness and seclusion of the bare marshes of
the Crouch and Blackwater are preferable and never without
beauty. It would be out of place to attempt a description of
the river above Manningtree, but the pleasure of a tramp from
there to Dedham by the field-paths through the meadows on
an April morning, is very real. The river from Manningtree
to Parkeston is picturesque. One associates with the Essex
rivers miles of sea-wall and wide stretches of marshy meadows
and saltings, broken up by a labyrinth of dykes or fleets, but
within the confines of the river these features are absent from
the Stour and it is with this in my mind that I coin the word
"UnEssex." The waters of the Stour are mainly bounded by
its own contours, which rise and fall in a series of undulations.
At different points the erosive action of the water on the higher
ground has produced sharp cliffs, especially at Wrabness, where
they may rise as high as 80 to 100 feet. At several points the
woods overhang the river, as at Mistley, Stour Wood, and the
Admiralty ground, and long stretches of the shore are covered
with bright shingle. With the water reaching to the edge
of the cultivated ground the river does not offer much oppor-
tunity for nesting. It is only when we leave the river behind