You Never Know Who You Will Meet On A Walk

 

I thought maybe it was dead but when I came back  about 20 minutes later it had moved about 10 yards onto the road.

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It’s Still Cold But Birds Don’t Seem To Mind

Ducks by the tidal  pond at Thatched Cottage near Kirby Creek

Snow On Beach At Walton-on-Naze

There would have been at least 4 high tides since the snow fell.

This shows there is a band of sand in front of the sea wall that was not covered by the sea, this is important as the sand protects the wall from erosion by the sea.

Here is another picture taken about the same time which shows the “step” left by the sea at high tide.

What Happens To Salt Marsh At High Tide?

It may look like this, especially at a neap tide.

 

But at a spring high tide it may  look like this

 

 

Yes the saltmarsh is completely submerged.

 

If saltmarsh is submerged for days, weeks or months it will eventually die.

 

But when it is just submerged at spring high tides the mud (or sediment) in the sea water
gets deposited on the saltmarsh and causes it to rise very slightly.

 

In the UK it is sometimes said that rising sea levels kill saltmarsh, but this is only true if sea levels
are rising faster than the saltmarsh can rise from sedimentation.

What is saltmarsh

It looks like this

It may seem like a load of grass and stuff growing in some mud
and it is!

But it is a vital habitat, second only to rain forest, providing home for
young fish and crustaceans.  Also home for migrating birds when they stop by.