Essex - Hamford Water Nature Reserve
Bird watching walks at Hamford Water
Hamford Water Nature Reserve is a coastal embayment on the Essex coast that's known for its large populations of over-wintering birds - so it's a great place for a walk and a spot of bird watching.
Hamford Water Nature Reserve is a 5,401-acre biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Walton-on-the-Naze and Harwich in Essex. The site is a tidal inlet which has marsh grasslands, creeks, mud and sand flats, salt marshes, islands and beaches.
The reserve is known for its large populations of over-wintering birds, including dark-bellied Brent geese, black tailed godwits, redshank, ringer and grey plover and shelduck. A number of birds breed on the site, including nationally important colonies of little tern, avocet and wintering dark-bellied brent geese. Plus, if you're lucky (and quiet), you might even spot a grey seal.
The coastal grasslands above the salt marshes support one of Britain's rarest plants 'sea hog's fennel and the area was used as the basis for the Arthur Ransome book, Secret Water.
