BNA Brightlingsea Boat Trip

On 25th January we joined the BNA (British Naturalists' Association) for one of their events: a Brightlingsea Creek Boat Trip. The BNA ran two boat-trips on Brightlingsea Creek in Essex, with local bird specialists on board as guides. In between there was a talk in Brightlingsea’s historic Wreck House overlooking the harbour, from former Assistant Harbour Master Brian Percival, covering his experiences and sightings of wildlife in the harbour. The building itself was fascinating, and Brian's records of wildlife were impressively detailed and persistent over a long period of time.

The Wreck House, Brightlingsea, Essex

Natasha and I attended the talk first, and then took the second boat trip onto the creek. It was cold out on the water in January, but there was much birdlife to see and we were in knowledgeable company. BNA Brightlingsea posted their list for the day on facebook, and included: redshank, little grebe(dabchick), avocet, grey plover, ringed plover, green plover ( lapwing), dunlin, black tailed godwit, shellduck, curlew, oystercatcher, marsh harrier, brent goose, grey lag goose, herring gull, black headed gull, turnstone, pigeon, mallard, teal and mute swan. Phew! Quite a list.

Ritchie Jacobs shares his knowledge of Brightlingsea birdlife

A variety of birds were spotted in and over the creek