Ghosts undoubtedly exist… Here in Essex, the belief in ghosts is widespread in villages and on the lonely marshlands of the long, indented coastline. That is to be expected.” I was scouring the shelves of an ancient shop in Colchester. A tiny book, more like a pamphlet, was squeezed into a local interest section and these were some of the opening sentences. “Ghosts may be seen when least expected… by people who are certainly not looking for them.”
This claim set me wondering. Do we indeed encounter the supernatural as we pursue our sport in lonely places? Most of my shooting takes place on the Stour Estuary, scanning for ducks from Manningtree in the west to Harwich and Felixstowe in the east. It’s an area full of echoes of our past. From the saltings where I shot my first ever wigeon, the tower of the church said to
