Essex Field Club on Facebook

Visit Our Centre

EFC Centre at Wat Tyler Country ParkOur centre is available for visits on a pre-booked basis on Wednesdays between 10am - 4pm. The Club’s activities and displays are also usually open to the public on the first Saturday of the month 11am - 4pm.

About us


Video about the Club Essex Field Club video

registered charity
no 1113963
HLF Logo A-Z Page Index

Your Forum

This forum has now been more or less replaced by the Club's Facebook page at
Essex Field Club on Facebook




The weblog below is for naturalists to use to report interesting sightings, ask questions, report on field meetings and generally post pictures and any information or questions generally relevant in some way to the wildlife and geology of Essex. You will need to register and be logged-on to post to the forum, and you need to upload pictures first, for use in posts. Find out more


Wed 26th June 2013 17:35 by Graham Smith
Little Tern
Mary - it is quite possible that you saw a Little Tern there although, unlike Common Terns, they are scarce away from the coast (I must here shamefully admit that I only have a vague idea where Belhus Woods is, although the name is familiar!). Common Terns are almost the size of a Black-headed Gull, but slimmer and more streamlined, whereas the Little Tern lives up to its name and is much smaller. The wing beats are much faster than in other terns and it often flies and hovers closer to the water but the main diagnostic feature is the yellow bill with a black tip. Common Terns have red bills with a narrow black tip.

They used to breed commonly on the Essex coast, including the shellbeaches at Bradwell St Peter's, but the era of 'have car will travel' means that there are very few areas inaccessible to holidaymakers nowadays and they have declined drastically in recent years. There are now only two or three sites where they try to nest in Essex, one of which is a small shell island off Tollesbury Wick/Old Hall. There are signs up asking people tlo keep off during the breeding season but some weekend sailors always ignore them. They caught one family group a couple of years ago who were having a barbecue in the middle of the colony. The warden pointed out the eggs nestling among the shell close to where they were sitting but they still refused to move, claiming that they were not harming the birds! One despairs!  One of the biggest colonies in the country is probably at Blakeney Point in Norfolk, where they are well protected fortunately.

PS : I have just looked up Belhus Woods CP on the good old internet. And there was I thinking it was near Southend. May I be condemned as an out and out yokel! You seem to be close to the Thames there Mary so Little Tern is a very real possibility.

link
 

Archives:

May 2020
Aug 2019
Jan 2019
Sep 2018
Jul 2016
Oct 2015
Jul 2015
May 2015
Apr 2015
Mar 2015
Feb 2015
Jan 2015
Dec 2014
Oct 2014
Sep 2014
Aug 2014
Jul 2014
May 2014
Apr 2014
Mar 2014
Feb 2014
Jan 2014
Dec 2013
Nov 2013
Sep 2013
Aug 2013
Jul 2013
Jun 2013
May 2013
Apr 2013
Mar 2013
Feb 2013
Jan 2013
Dec 2012
Nov 2012
Oct 2012
Sep 2012
Aug 2012
Jul 2012
Jun 2012
May 2012
Apr 2012
Mar 2012
Feb 2012
Jan 2012
Dec 2011
Nov 2011
Oct 2011
Sep 2011
Aug 2011
Jul 2011
Jun 2011
May 2011
Apr 2011
Mar 2011
Feb 2011
Jan 2011
Dec 2010
Nov 2010
Oct 2010
Sep 2010
Aug 2010
Jul 2010
Jun 2010
May 2010
Apr 2010
Mar 2010
Feb 2010
Nov 2009
Oct 2009
Aug 2009
Jul 2009
Jun 2009
May 2009
Apr 2009
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Jan 2009
Nov 2008
Oct 2008
Sep 2008
Aug 2008
Jul 2008
Jun 2008
May 2008
Apr 2008
Mar 2008
Feb 2008
Jan 2008
Dec 2007
Nov 2007

current posts