13
BIRDWATCHING ON THE THAMES
I wonder how many of you know how good East
Tilbury is for birding, particularly in the
Autumn? We do very well for sea-birds like
Skuas, Fulmars, Gannets, Terns, sometimes the
odd Shearwater, Auks, Scoters, Petrels, Divers,
Avocets, Little Gulls, Kittiwakes and Eiders in
December.
A glance at the map of the Thames Estuary will
show you why. It all looks and acts like a
giant funnel, and it narrows between Lower Hope
Point in Kent and Mucking Flats near where we
watch from. Pick any tide between 12 noon and
3.00 p.m. (Southend pier time) and add about
half-an-hour for East Tilbury, in September,
October and early November, look out for gale
force winds from the east, or north-west and
you're in business. In fact, any gale force
winds from any easterly direction will do.
There's plenty of room to park your vehicle in
the Coalhouse Fort car park there and you will
not need rubber boots for the sea-wall is a
concrete walk-way and no problem.
I'll give you a recent example. On Sunday,
September 10th at East Tilbury, from early
morning on there were 4 Fulmars, 66 Gannets, 4
Wigeons, ca. 300 Ringed Plovers, 5 Oyster-
catchers, 2 Greenshanks, 54 Arctic Skuas, 2
Pomerine Skuas, 32 Great Skuas, 22 Little
Gulls, 34 Kittiwakes, 95 Sandwich Terns, 15
Black Terns, 3 Auks (Guillemots), 4 Ruff and 2
Bar-Tailed Godwits. On this occasion the tide
was B.09 p.m. and with a strong N.E. wind.