A wilderness close to London

In the first of a new series profiling wildfowling areas around Britain GRAHAM DOWNING explores Essex – a 300-mile coastline rich in history and opportunity.

To the uninitiated, the coast of Essex does not appear to be either exceptionally long or exceptionally interesting: from the Thames at Tilbury to Manningtree on the River Stour via the M25 and A12 is just 60 miles. But in fact Essex has one of the longest coastlines of any county in Britain – almost 300 miles of sea wall separates its fields, marshes, towns and villages from the grey waters of the North Sea. And the reason, upon closer inspection, becomes clear. Literally dozens of creeks, rivers, estuaries and backwaters penetrate the county’s deeply indented coastline, and these, together with their associated saltings, shingle banks, islands and mudflats provide a paradise both for wildfowl and for wildfowling.

Local geography

In habitat terms, the Essex coast comprises the northern section of what is sometimes referred to as the ‘Greater Thames Estuary’, that funnel shaped section of shallow coastal waters which form a triangle between Felixstowe, Margate and London Bridge, and like so many estuary coasts it is remarkably rich in bird life. At its northern border is the Stour estuary, familiar to anyone who has travelled by train from Liverpool Street to Ipswich. Though dominated by the busy port of Harwich, this northern part of the county, known as the Tendring Hundred is deceptively peaceful, with the huge wilderness of the Walton Backwaters occupying thousands of acres of remote mud, creeks and saltmarsh, much of it accessible only by boat.

 

Further south lie the Colne and the Blackwater estuary, the former snaking up to Colchester from Mersea Island, fringed by huge areas of salt marsh, the latter running in a broad swathe of tidal water, ten miles long from Maldon to Bradwell and up to two miles wide. The Blackwater is one of the most magnificent of our east coast estuaries and is bounded by saltings, shingle beaches and spits, behind which lie hundreds of acres of unimproved grazing marshes that flood in the winter and provide a magnet for wildfowl and waders alike. One of the delights of the Blackwater is its extensive areas of intertidal mud, where it is still possible to get a feeling of real remoteness despite the fact that you may be only 50 miles from central London.

Beyond the Blackwater lie the narrow estuaries of the Crouch and Roach, and their maze of interlocking islands – Foulness, Wallasea, Potton and Havengore being merely the largest. The tidal rivers in this part of Essex are not fringed with wide salt marshes, as these were largely drained and embanked in the 19th century. However, there are still many small and secretive areas of freshwater marsh above the sea wall, and huge expanses of unimproved land which are reserved for naval gunnery and military training.

Narrow estuaries and interlocking islands are typical of the Essex coast.

The Thames estuary forms the southern boundary of Essex, much of it heavily developed for housing and industry, including the vast petrochemical and oil storage works at Corringham and Canvey Island. But even in these industrialised parts of Essex there are a few reminders of the meandering creeks and saltings which once existed here, as at Leigh on Sea and Canvey.

Fowling history

Just as Essex is rich in wildfowl, so it has a proud fowling heritage. In the 19th and early 20th centuries there was a vibrant tradition of wildfowling amongst the longshoremen and oyster fishermen, many of whom worked the typical slab-sided open-decked Essex gunning punts during the winter months in pursuit of wigeon and brent geese for the London markets. But Essex is also a rich agricultural county, and local fowlers were drawn in equal numbers from amongst the farm workers and cottagers who lived in peg-tiled cottages beside the winding creeks.

 

In the old days the local gunners within a parish fiercely guarded their territories, and there were intense local rivalries over the best fowling grounds, even within the same estuary system. In the early 20th century Essex was a favourite destination for visiting ‘gentleman gunners’ and some local fowlers eked out a living by acting as shooting guides. One such individual was Walter Linnett, who lived in a weatherboarded shack below the sea wall next to the Saxon chapel at Bradwell on Sea. Linnet was puntsman to the noted sporting writer James Wentworth Day.

Wildfowling clubs

It is because the Essex coast is so indented and divided into small units that the growth of wildfowling clubs in the 1950s and 60s developed on a local, rather than a county-wide scale. In contrast to neighbouring Kent, where a single county-wide club developed, Essex gave birth to no fewer than 13 separate BASC affiliated wildfowling clubs which continue to thrive today.

The county’s fragmented coastal geography, however, has also resulted in an equally fragmented landownership structure, and this in recent years has enabled several clubs to capitalise on their close contacts with the local farming community and to buy landholdings of their own. Providing both a forum for exchange of information between the clubs and a focus for social events and the education of young fowlers there also exists the Essex Joint Council of Wildfowling Clubs, to which all the county’s BASC affiliated clubs belong.

The clubs vary in size, depending both on the amount of shooting which they have available and their membership catchments. Sharing the Walton Backwaters are the Tendring & Halstead, the Walton on the Naze & District and the Little Oakley & District, both latter clubs having an active land purchase and management policy, with the Little Oakley controlling around 1,000 acres of mudflat and salting.

Colchester Wildfowling & Conservation Club also has access to big areas of saltmarsh on the Colne and to the north of Mersea Island, whilst its near neighbour, the Blackwater Wildfowlers Association controls a string of shooting areas on the north shore of the Blackwater and the famous Brandy Hole marsh on the Crouch. The club also owns and manages an 83 acre wetland reserve. The Tollesbury Wildfowlers shoot close by, in and around Tollesbury creek. Across the Blackwater estuary are the marshes of the Dengie Hundred and Tillingham clubs. The Dengie have shooting rights both over the coastal marshes and foreshore mud, while the club has been in the forefront of wetland creation by the process of ‘managed retreat’ in which former freshwater marsh has been turned back into tidal saltings.

The Rochford Hundred, South Essex, Leigh on Sea and Canvey Wildfowlers’ Clubs all operate in the southern part of the county, with the Rochford holding Crown leases on the Roach and shooting the saltings which fringe Wallasea Island and elsewhere. South Essex is also a well-managed and active club, while the Leigh and Canvey wildfowlers shoot their traditional haunts on the north shore of the Thames, the Leigh club also having shooting available on Potton Island.

Quarry species

All of the principal quarry duck species are to be found in Essex in autumn and winter, the county being renowned principally for its duck shooting. Teal occur in big numbers on the upper parts of most estuary systems, where they feed on the seeds of saltmarsh vegetation. There are plenty of locally breeding mallard, but these are supplemented in winter by a large migrant population.

When the winter rains waterlog the heavy clay soils and floodwaters appear on the freshwater grazing marshes, wigeon feed there in abundance, roosting out on the open muds and tidal channels alongside the migratory pintail. The principal migratory goose is the protected brent, which can occur in spectacularly huge numbers, but feral Canadas and greylags provide an exciting addition to the fowler’s bag, the Canadas in particular establishing flight lines from inland reservoirs, lakes and gravel pits around Maldon and Chelmsford to their regular roosts on the coast. And just occasionally, the keen wildfowler may be lucky enough to spot a skein of migratory whitefronts.

Keep an eye out too for the golden plover, large flocks of which may be seen commuting between the foreshore and arable fields behind the seawall, especially during the latter part of the season.

Tactics and equipment

Flight shooting is usually the most successful tactic, and most of the salt marshes have plenty of narrow creeks and gutters to provide cover, though a small camouflage net can come in handy. Salt marshes are often under pressure from erosion, and the digging of holes and hides is either discouraged or forbidden. Most shooting occurs around dawn and dusk, but tide flighting, especially on big spring tides, can be very successful. In this case, it is well worth setting out a few decoys. However, big rigs of decoys are rarely used.

A camouflage net can come in handy

Waders are essential wherever you go on the Essex coast, for the mud is thick, deep, sticky and takes no prisoners. In some places it can be a real trap for the unwary, and a good wading stick can greatly assist your balance as you plough through it. Your stick will also help gauge the depth of water as you cross creeks and gutters at varying stages of the tide.

Some creek patterns are extremely winding and complex, while the tide can make very rapidly across the gently shelving Essex mud, so it is of the utmost importance that before venturing out on the coast you check the local tide table. Bear in mind that on such a long and deeply indented coast there can be a substantial difference between high water times between the estuary mouth and the head of navigation.

Who to contact

BASC affiliated wildfowling clubs

Blackwater Wildfowlers Association
Mike Lawrence
01245 283210
 
Braintree Wildfowling and Gun Club
K Williams
01621 816158 
 
Canvey Wildfowlers Club 
K Webster 
01268 752665
 
Colchester Wildfowling and Conservation Club
J Denwood
01206 710947
 
Dengie Hundred Wildfowling Club
R Playle
01621 741274
 
Leigh on Sea Wildfowlers Association
I Ross 
01702 551440
 
Little Oakley and District Wildfowlers Association
Bob Watcham 
01206 272037
 
Rochford Hundred Wildfowling Club
F Edwards 
01702 202506 
 
South Essex Wildfowlers Club
J Biscoe 
01277 899935
 
Tendring and Halstead Wildfowlers Club
W Offord 
01255 850521
 
Tillingham Wildfowlers Association
S Goulding  
01621 779587
 
Tollesbury Wildfowlers Club
D Barbrook 
01621 869649
 
Walton on the Naze and District Wildfowlers Association
A.Riva
01255 673146

Essex Joint Council of Wildfowling Clubs
Steve Copeland 
01206 735212

 

Pictures by Graham Downing