Dengie Lark

My sister and I took her Ollie dog for a walk on Dengie marshes. All three of us enjoyed it immensely under blue sky and in bright sunshine.

The birds seemed to be extra bold, maybe because it is the breeding season? My first spot was a wheatear on top of a pill box. A first for me. It was joined by a corn bunting. Soon afterwards a yellow wagtail bounced into view. Reed buntings were swaying in the dykes, then I caught sight of what I thought might be a meadow pipit. It took off singing, 'pip, pip, pip, pip pip.' This pleased my sister and me. Then we spotted a bird of prey, which I think was a marsh harrier. We watched as it flew towards a tree in the distance, where we could just see another large bird sitting. It dropped out of the sky without warning straight onto this bird's back and mated with it.

As we neared another pill box on the sea wall a small flock of swallows was wheeling, the sunlight glinting off their glossy blue plumage. Insects were swarming all over a clump of Alexanders - a larder for the swallows. We had a lovely wellie paddle from the shell beach.

I couldn't make up my mind what to post and considered a collage but in the end have gone for this very brave skylark perched on some pretty foliage. It let me get quite close. What a joy it has been to be completely on our own, under the big Essex sky filled with the song of larks. I've added a corn bunting, a meadow pipit, a yellow wagtail and the amorous harriers to extras.