We thought the Winter was never going to end!...However, we are a ‘glass half full’ type of team at the South Essex Marshes and there has been an upside to all the cold wet weather this winter; it has allowed us for the first time to achieve maximum water levels across much of the Marshes. This attracted thousands of overwintering Lapwing and Widgeon to the reserves during this period. Our aim now is to start lowering the water levels slightly using a combination of pumps, sluices and water control structures such as tilting weirs that we have installed across the sites. We will be doing this to leave exposed mud on the waters edge of the network of lagoons and channels we have created across much of the Marshes which will provide vital feeding areas for birds such as Redshanks, Lapwing and Avocets and (hopefully) plenty of their chicks!
Redshank by Andy Hay