8.
of rain, and the waves lapped noisily on the
sea wall. I immediately felt a lot happier.
In with the tide came the Terns, several
small parties amounting to about twenty
birds. Their yellow bills identified them
as Little Terns. By no means common, they
nest in small colonies further up the Essex
coast. Screaming excitedly they would
suddenly plunge into the water, and emerge,
sometimes, with a silver fish.
Meadow Pipets were on the move, but
going where I'm not sure, and once we spied
the white rumps of a pair of Wheatears.
(Among the first of the summer migrants to
arrive, they were already leaving us.)
Elegant Yellow Wagtails searched for insects
in the crevices of the exposed parts of the
sea-wall, and Oystercatchers flew fast over-
head, piping shrilly.
As we rounded a bend we put up seven
Wigeon now in their dark eclipse plumage.
Two Shellduck, immense by comparison, rose
from a dyke. Waders would flash by,
Redshank, Turnstones and Common Sandpipers,
following the river upstream to seek exposed
areas of mud.
After several miles of walking we reached
the North Sea. Here the wind was quite strong
and the insects did not like it. The
butterflies were trying to lose themselves in
the long grass and humble bees clung to the
stems of the tall Cocksfoot grass. Showers
of salty rain made flesh tingle as it touched
my face. We sat for a while enjoying the sea
and the wind, and with our senses saturated
with the beauty of nature, we were both glad
we had come.
I. P. Misselbrook