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02-06-2006, 06:57 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,686
| | | Reserves or sites in Essex
I used to live in Essex - in fact I worked for the wildlife trust. At that time Hanningfield was probably my favourite reserve, with fringinghoe a close second. I notice we have a fair few people from essex on here and I was wondering where is considered good now ?
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02-06-2006, 07:13 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Laindon, Basildon, Essex.
Posts: 2,383
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Hi eeyore
I live in south Essex and I can recommend these.
Hanningfield Reservoir
Abberton Reservoir
Fingringhoe Wick
Wat Tyler Country Park and Vange Marsh .... my local patch .... see my blog.
All of the estuaries and marshes, particularly in winter for their ducks, geese, waders and raptors.
And probably all of these! .... Essex Wildlife Trust reserves
Richard |
02-06-2006, 07:22 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sunny Doncaster
Posts: 4,328
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
I recently saw a girl from Billericay and went to Hanningfield reservoir with her. A really nice place but there was alot of midgies when I went so the picnic was not the best. there were alot of birders there. Not sure what they were looking for or at but they seemed quite excited. Its a nice place though |
02-06-2006, 07:31 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,627
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
I like Fringringhoe too. I have spent quite a lot of time there really recently!! |
02-06-2006, 07:52 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,686
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Boddie I recently saw a girl from Billericay and went to Hanningfield reservoir with her. A really nice place but there was alot of midgies when I went so the picnic was not the best. there were alot of birders there. Not sure what they were looking for or at but they seemed quite excited. Its a nice place though | You should have taken some romantic candles mate - that would have kept the midges away - so long as you didnt inadvertently set fire to the picnic rug with them - like I did once - probably not what is meant by flames of passion  Quote: |
Originally Posted by Gill Catton I like fringinghoe too, been there quite a lot recently | best keep your eyes open then gill, I'm going over again in the not too distant, of course if I had a WAB T shirt I would be much easier to spot 
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02-06-2006, 08:33 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 5,689
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
My Mrs family all live around Haningtree and I have to say the countryside is beautiful around there. Having said that Essex is not one of my favourite birding counties. I tried to bird there quite a bit more once I had met my Mrs but I found so many roads leading towards the sea are private with no access possible.
I have been to every county throughout Britain and have not come across anywhere else that has such lack of access as Essex. Sure you can get to a fair few places but if you were to consider the whole coast line of Essex much of it is off limits.
A few areas have been mentioned by others but other areas I have been to that have been quite useful are:
1. The River Crouch near South Woodham Ferrers. There are some interesting walks around there and I once had a quick glimpse of a small Heron as it flew by then landed in one of the channels. It never came out again so I never had a chance to firm up an ID.
2. Tollesbury, approx 5 miles N.East of Maldon. Some excellent walks here and some major birds have been seen also.There was a Forsters Tern there for a while a few years ago (which I missed) and a Black Stork,(which I did see).
3. Walton on the Naze is worth looking at as is Mersea Island
4. Lee Valley Country park
5. The soon to be excellent reserve at Rainham Marshes.
There are bound to be many more and I would think my mate Pete would know them as he lives in that county. Come on Pete let us know a few more mate.
John |
02-06-2006, 08:40 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sunny Doncaster
Posts: 4,328
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
It was a daytime picnic. The candles would not really have worked. It was not a romantic day anyway as she had her daughter with her. It was a pleasant picnic though. Some fantastic cheeses. I do like cheese. I like cheese on digestives, cream crackers and rivita. Also we had some nice pate, celery, fresh, home-made, bread and lovely soup. Actually it was a really nice picnic and a lovely day. Perhaps I will get involved again |
02-06-2006, 08:50 PM
|  | Dame Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Kent
Posts: 6,099
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
I like a mouth-blistering cheddar in a crusty brown roll when i go out on a reserve. Just weird me. ww |
02-06-2006, 08:54 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,686
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
I love cheese, just had a cheese and cheese saandwich in fact, no bread involved just two processed cheese slices and a layer of phillidelphia - mmmmmm
cheese is my favourite thing in the world - except for beer, and women, and football, and photography, and WAB, erm what was my point again 
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02-06-2006, 08:58 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,627
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Mum's eaten the last of the cheese!!!!!!!!
Disaster.....
Jam sandwich for me then....
they're good on a picnic too!!!! |
02-06-2006, 09:35 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex
Posts: 449
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
There are loads of great sites in Essex (lol I could be being a little biased there ). If your interested in sites in Essex eeyore theres a great book out called wild essex http://www.lopinga.com/htdocs/ISBN%200-9530362-2-7.html. I bet Richard has it
I live on the Essex/ east London border and one of my fav sites is Epping forest, full of amazing history and plenty of old trees
The Lee Valley is another of my personal favs.
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02-06-2006, 09:37 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,627
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole T
I live on the Essex/ east London border and one of my fav sites is Epping forest, full of amazing history and plenty of old trees | Yeh they have stag beetles there don't they I think? |
02-06-2006, 09:44 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,686
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole I live on the Essex/ east London border and one of my fav sites is Epping forest, full of amazing history and plenty of old trees
The Lee Valley is another of my personal favs. | I went to college with the NT warden for Epping - he moved to bath a few years back though - I was second for his job when they interviewed for replacements - gutted. Its a brilliant site , i've been there quite a bit.
I like lee valley too, one of my volunteers got a job there before moving to hornchurch - so Ive been there a lot too, many frustrating hours trying to photograph bitterns. If you see a figure hunched in a hide shivering and muttering profanities into a 20D and 500mm lens on a winters morning it is probably me - so come and say hello before I die of frostbite or hypothermia.
So do you work for thurrock then, I know a lot of their staff quite well, as I used to be based at laindon when i worked for EWT.
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02-06-2006, 09:45 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex
Posts: 449
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Gill Catton Yeh they have stag beetles there don't they I think? | They sure do Gill. There are also some at the site where I work. We actually had one fly in the house one year (a female).....it totally freaked my sis out heehe
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02-06-2006, 09:55 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex
Posts: 449
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by eeyore I went to college with the NT warden for Epping - he moved to bath a few years back though - I was second for his job when they interviewed for replacements - gutted. Its a brilliant site , i've been there quite a bit.
I like lee valley too, one of my volunteers got a job there before moving to hornchurch - so Ive been there a lot too, many frustrating hours trying to photograph bitterns. If you see a figure hunched in a hide shivering and muttering profanities into a 20D and 500mm lens on a winters morning it is probably me - so come and say hello before I die of frostbite or hypothermia.
So do you work for thurrock then, I know a lot of their staff quite well, as I used to be based at laindon when i worked for EWT. | No I work on a site called Hainault Forest, the site is split between Essex County Council and the London Borough of Redbridge. I would love to work for the corporation at Epping Forest though....now that would be a dream come true
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02-06-2006, 09:59 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,627
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole They sure do Gill. There are also some at the site where I work. We actually had one fly in the house one year (a female).....it totally freaked my sis out heehe |
I'd love to see a stag beetle!!! Sigh..... One day!!! |
02-06-2006, 10:02 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,686
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole No I work on a site called Hainault Forest, the site is split between Essex County Council and the London Borough of Redbridge. I would love to work for the corporation at Epping Forest though....now that would be a dream come true | I had a very strong chance of a job with the corp at "three commons" surrey once, but we had some serious ill health on the team here and I pulled my resignation so as not to leave them in the lurch, wish i hadnt now 
I think I know hainault but I'm not sure , I see so many sites that it all becomes one big blur - and thats before i start drinking what is there there thats special, apart from you obviously, - donkeys ?
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02-06-2006, 10:04 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex
Posts: 449
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Gill Catton I'd love to see a stag beetle!!! Sigh..... One day!!! |
aww im sure u will do one day hun...where theres a will theres a way! Mind you having said that...I still haven't seen a Hawfinch yet!! Big Sigh... 
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02-06-2006, 10:04 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chilterns
Posts: 7,686
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Bury a bucket of woodchips in the garden ! or some such
If you ever go to Kew gardens, check out their loggery - stags everywhere and twogiant chainsaw carved ones. Theres an idea for a WAB day out, I have a mate who works there who might get us in for nowt (may be)
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02-06-2006, 10:08 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,627
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole I still haven't seen a Hawfinch yet!! Big Sigh... |
They don't exist I tell you.......
clever trickery
smoke mirrors
etc.....
mumble mumble...... |
02-06-2006, 10:15 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex
Posts: 449
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by eeyore I had a very strong chance of a job with the corp at "three commons" surrey once, but we had some serious ill health on the team here and I pulled my resignation so as not to leave them in the lurch, wish i hadnt now
I think I know hainault but I'm not sure , I see so many sites that it all becomes one big blur - and thats before i start drinking what is there there thats special, apart from you obviously, - donkeys ? | Well its a SSSI and it is a remnant of the Great Forest of Essex which covered much of the county (Hatfield and Epping being the major remaining fragments) In-fact you can pick up the Three Forests Way at Hainault and walk to Epping and Hatfield. The site is basically like a mini version of Epping Forest consisting of many ancient Hornbeam pollards (see my 2 pics in the gallery)
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02-06-2006, 10:19 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Essex
Posts: 449
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Gill Catton They don't exist I tell you.......
clever trickery
smoke mirrors
etc.....
mumble mumble...... | I think your right Gill. I think Richard and John get some kind of kick from sending us on a wild-goose chase heehee
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02-06-2006, 10:35 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 5,689
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole I think your right Gill. I think Richard and John get some kind of kick from sending us on a wild-goose chase heehee | Me!! never. |
02-06-2006, 10:38 PM
|  | Frozen | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.E. Lincolnshire
Posts: 4,130
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nicole I think your right Gill. I think Richard and John get some kind of kick from sending us on a wild-goose chase heehee | That's a thought....there is a Bempton meet isn't there John? |
02-06-2006, 10:56 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 5,689
| | | Re: Reserves or sites in Essex
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Alan | | |
