MORE FLOODING

You never get tired of watching the high tide transform the appearance of the coastal landscape in a matter of minutes. The photo above, shows the high tide at lunchtime on Sunday 9th covering the saltmarsh at St Peters, West Mersea.

Fifty brent geese took advantage of the flooded saltings to up-end to feed. A little egret perched on a nearby willow tree as the sea came in, filling up the creeks where it normally fed. Not much else of note although a dunnock in the sea-blite bushes must've been getting anxious as the tide rose quickly to cover much of its territory.

The tide came in and made the Coast Road impassable in places, such as this section near the Yacht Club.

Very few birds were seen in the water from the Hard. Most of the Packing Shed Island was under water, except for the actual Shed on its stilts. A small number of herring gulls remained on the last tufts of marsh / shell mounds as the water lapped all around.

Offshore from Kingsland Road were the great northern diver and 20 great crested grebes - but little else. A shag had been seen by the power station outfall.

Graham Ekins had seen a peregrine, eider and red-throated diver on the previous day in the estuary.