Great White Fest at Abberton

5th October 2023

On our way to Fingringhoe Wick for the incoming tide, but first the customary breakfast pit-stop at Abberton. At the moment all the action is at the Layer Breton causeway so we spent all our time here.

Water levels are dropping at the moment so the weir is not over-topping and the area below the weir is dry, so dry in fact that it attracted a Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail.

As had been noted recently the Cormorants had located a large shoal of fish and had bunched together in a food frenzy, constantly diving, surfacing and then diving again.

Suddenly all the wildfowl went up including these Teal and Egyptian Geese.

It wasn't obvious what had spooked them at first, but then this Marsh Harrier wafted over the trees.

Today the adult male Kingfisher had transferred from the NE end of the causeway to the SE end, but had unfortunately buried himself deep in the shadows with just a single ray of sun on his back. However, the advantage of this subdued light is that is does show up the colours better and makes the Kingfisher its true blue, rather than green when in full sun.

But the stars of the show today were the Great White Egrets. It must be 10-15 years ago that they started to appear but were very rare and timid, keeping their distance. Now they are becoming more common and more confiding.

But  today I witnessed something I have never seen at Abberton before. There were 13 Great Whites visble from the causeway, but seven were feeding close in at the NE end of the causeway. Here are five of them with a Grey Heron for a size comparison.

What an amazing sight!!!!.........and now on to Fingringhoe.