It was cloudless with a gentle westerly breeze as Heather, Brian and I pulled into the car park at Donna Nook. Donna Nook is mostly known for the breeding seal colony that is a huge tourist attraction in November and December each year when nearly 2000 pups are born, but it is also an excellent area for wildlige generally. There are large numbers of birds (it is still a reliable place to hear and see cuckoos), it is rich in plant life and a good location for butterflies, especially the beautiful green hairstreak. In land of the beach and mudflats are extensive areas of salt marsh and then a line of large sand dunes behind which is a large area of wetland. This was, until recently, reclaimed farmland but the sluice controlling the chanel draining the fields was removed allowing the area to flood on high tides, especially during storm surges. In this way it is hoped to prevent flooding of fields and coastal comunities. This area of managed realignment is particularly rich in bird life and is designed to mitigate against wild areas that have been lost to orther sea defences.
Our walk took us north along the path on the edge of the salt marsh until we crossed over the dunes at the site of the old Pye's Hall where the sluice once prevented tidal waters flooding the fields. How times change. Here we sheltered behind the dunes for luch before making our way back to the car park.
We were pleased to see large numbers of lapwing and linnets, meadow pipits and skylarks were busy on the salt marsh; I wait with anticipation for these last three species to return to the Horsefield as spring kicks in. On the lagoon closet to the car park were large numbers of teal and black-tailed godwit.
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