We met at Two Tree Island on the 26th February, expectint the weather to be the same as the previous day, when the temperature was up to 18C and the sky was blue. This was not to be the case, however, and we were met by a cloudy sky and a strong and also cold wind., as we were on the Thames estuary we were quite exposed.
I also had to confess to a mistake on my part in planning the walk. The best time to see birds on the Island is either side of high tide, when the mud flats are covered and the birds seek the last remaining areas of mud, which is on the lagoon at the end of Two Tree Island. We arrived at the car park to find not a high tide but one of the lowest tides ever, and on checking I found I had looked up the tide times for 2025 not 2026.
Despite the cold wind and the low tide we persevered and the 11 of us took a walk round the island, spotting on the mud, but in the distance, Redshank, Brent Geese and Curlew. When we arrived at the lagoon there did not seem to be much in the way of birdlife, but once we had got “our eyes in” there were a number of ducks and waders to be seen. These included Oystercatchers, Avocet, Shelduck, Little Egret, Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Teal, and Wigeon
This is the time of year when birds start to sing and we heard Goldfinch, Dunnock, Robin and Skylark singing.