Then there were floods, especially along the Chelmer valley, according to the press and
online news. In our area, both the Mardyke and the Ingrebourne were very full, with the
Mardyke over its banks south of Aveley where water meadows both sides were func-
tioning as intended. A couple of days later the river levels had dropped again dramati-
cally, as both rivers are rather short so they respond fast to rainfall, or lack of.
Over the February half term break we had two of our grandchildren to stay. On a chilly,
cloudy day, 8* February, we went to RSPB Rainham Marshes, well armed with binocu-
lars so the children could see the birds. First, in the Centre, a telescope was trained on a
Sparrowhawk, but Jamie insisted he could only see a duck! Never mind, but we wan-
dered on the main path round most of the public area of the reserve. We saw loads of
birds, but between us we knew rather few of them, and anyway they were all miles away
and it got a bit boring struggling with the binoculars and then seeing very little. As we
returned to the Centre, however, a man and his small boy were staring at something just
over the edge of the boardwalk. They were watching Water Voles. So we stopped, and
the children were thrilled to bits to see four of these most engaging wild animals swim-
ming about, eating grasses at the edge, sitting in a tuft of rushes, and doing the things
Water Voles do, and not bothered by us. One was less than a metre from the children's
noses, just eating some grass, munching along the leaves, sitting hunched on a grassy
tuft, with his tail hanging down into the water behind, and took no notice of us at all.
These children had seen pictures of Water Voles on television, but were totally entranced
by the real things. On returning to the centre for a hot drink and a bun, Sally told one of
the volunteer staff that we had just seen 4 Water Voles, and she got the reply 'Well then,
there are only 5,996 more to see'!!! Thank you, Peter West, for checking this figure for
me. I was as astonished as the children were at the thousands at this reserve, which is
about one tenth of the entire English population of Water Voles.
Saturday 21 February was spring! It was 12.7°C and beautifully sunny without a cloud
in the sky. Everyone was out in their gardens with relief that the long hard winter was
over.
Except, of course, it wasn't! The next day was all cloudy and cooler, and a few days later
we went for a walk in Hornchurch Country Park, well wrapped up against the chilly
wind and the lowering clouds. We met one of the Rangers; we know them well by sight,
but I do not know their names! I asked what is the best time and place to listen to
Nightingales, as I know they have several pairs there regularly. He said May is best, and
they live in the trees near the heronry, at the edge of the Marsh. So we will go there in
May, as I have never knowingly heard a Nightingale and neither has my husband. You
may say that this is amazing, someone out in the countryside such a lot and never heard
a Nightingale? Well, yes, but the emphasis has to be on the word 'knowingly', as we
may well have heard them but not recognised the songsters for what they were.
At the end of February the Met Office told us it had been the coldest winter quarter (Dec
1 - Feb 28) over most of the UK in 13 years. It felt worse, because we have had so many
mild winters recently. Had we remembered what 1947-8 was like, or even 1962-3, we
would not have thought this one was so cold.
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 59, May 2009
5