PACKING MARSH

It was an ideal Monday 4th afternoon to get the dinghy into the water and get into the nearby creeks. After Nolly, Monty and I had tucked into our picnic, I wasn't going to argue with Nolly when she offered to do the rowing. I used my time constructively by scanning the marshes for any interesting birds nesting on the saltmarsh islands.

We visited the Packing Marsh Island and admired the old Packing Shed built in 1887 for packing up the oysters in barrels ready for market. Although oysters are still farmed in the creeks today, the old shed is no longer used.

The very top of the shell ridges were the only parts that are above the high water mark unless there are exceptionally high spring tides. Sitting tight in various places were about ten herring gulls incubating their eggs. Also sitting and prospecting suitable sites were about ten pairs of oystercatchers who seemed rather nervous at setting up home so close to the big predatory gulls.
There was a good vantage point from the steps of the Shed and it was interesting surveying the surrounding gull colonies. The nearby Cobmarsh Island had predominantly herring gulls with up to 70 pairs and several lesser black-backed gulls and a few black-headed gulls, oystercatchers and at least one pair of displaying redshank.

The low lying Sunken Island at the mouth of Salcott Creek had possibly up to 400 pairs of black-headed gulls nesting with only a few herring gulls. If the colony were agitated (as happened when a large coloured beach ball drifted towards them), all the birds would rise in near silence, then flap around for a short while and then there followed a great cacophony of squawking from every bird as they tried to settle back down again. Peace would resume when all the birds were back on the ground.

Although common and little terns were seen hunting along the creeks, there was no indication they were nesting in the near vicinity. The only Mediterranean gull we saw was a smart looking adult that flew almost over our boat, showing off its near translucent white wings. Despite scanning the gull colonies, there was no sign these gulls were nesting near here.

Other birds noted were a pair of yellow wagtails, kestrel passing overhead from West Mersea, lots of starlings feeding on the saltmarshes, a pair of avocets calling loudly as they passed high and in the distance two male marsh harriers were seen with a female over Old Hall Marshes.

It was interesting to find that the main shell banks on Packing Marsh were nearly all comprised of slipper limpet shells. These are alien shells introduced into the UK from America in the 1880's where they soon spread round coastal waters smothering and competing with the native oysters. Huge efforts were made in the past to remove these shells and the evidence of the deliberate dredging can be seen with these thick shell banks.

Slipper limpets lead a very peculiar life where they form a cluster on top of each other with the oldest at the bottom being female and the youngest at the top being male. These males over time soon change into females with an intermediate phase in between. The complicated life of shells!

As part of a special Essex survey looking for corn buntings across the county, I had been asked to look for them on farmland just to the north of Mersea. Sadly in the three hour walk I found none but the interesting wildlife seen included a flock of ten turtle doves, brown hare, painted lady, a very large green and noisy marsh frog calling from a farm pond.
The picture shows the view from the western end of Langenhoe Farm towards Maydays Farm on Mersea looking east with a water outflow structure in the foreground.