As i pulled into the quayside there was a strong coastal smell. Rich, salty seaweed, damp wood from the pier, and pungent shellfish remains from the cockle van parked up at a jaunty angle. The enigmatic herring gull soundtrack was faint on this particular morning, but it was there none the less.
This trip was a first for me. I was heading out on an old sailing barge called Victor to see the wildlife of the Stour Estuary in Suffolk. With 30 other eager folk, we boarded the vessel wrapped up in layers of thermals and hats and gloves. As we chugged out of the harbour, a sense of escape came over me. There is something incredibly therapeutic about seeing land disappear and sailing off into the distance! And what a sight we were sailing towards. Estuaries are often overlooked places. As the tide quietly comes and goes, lapping over the glorious mud, it is easy to see how in our busy lives we neglect to take stock of such an important place. As the tide retreats, the claggy carpet of mud reminds me of a bowl of custard with a thick layer of skin glistening on top! And it shares similar calorific values too. A square meter of intertidal mud has the same calorific value for wading birds as a mars bar does for us! No wonder birds and wildlife thrive in this kind of habitat.
Our guide for the morning was RSPB’s very own Rick Vonk and Master of the Estuary Extraordinaire. He hardly paused for breath, eager to point out all the wildlife. Common scotters darted past the boat blissfully unaware of all the eyes transfixed on their flyby. Gulls, golden plover, seals, curlew and knot all appeared in abundance and we had a constant stream of wildlife entertainment. As the clouds of knot moved across the sky, the boat-trippers ooooh’d and ahhh’d at this feathered fireworks display. The Estuary here holds an enormous population of wintering birds, up to 30,000 most years. Birds that rely upon this area to survive the winter, building up their energy for the breeding season. However, current pressures on UK estuaries are making them much more vulnerable places and bird numbers are deceptively low. The Stour Estuary has national and international designation for it’s importance for wildlife, but erosion is playing havoc. Sadly, 60% of all the saltmarsh in this estuary has been lost in the last 40 years, mainly due to sea level rise. Me telling you all this is one thing, but there are only so many adjectives in the dictionary! Experiencing it for yourself is quite another and there are plenty of trips to go on over the winter. For more information and to book a place, please call the RSPB’s team in the Stour Estuary on 01206 391153 or email stourestuary@rspb.org.uk
As featured in the EDP, Saturday 17 November