Climate change poses the single greatest long-term threat to birds and other wildlife. Our changing climate means that many habitats become less suitable homes for our plants and wildlife. As part of The Climate Coalition, we are highlighting the changes we have already noticed on our reserves and the ways in which we are working to combat them.

We all need to take a stand for nature and #ShowtheLove

Dartford warblers are…

Climate change poses the single greatest long-term threat to birds and other wildlife. Our changing climate means that many habitats become less suitable homes for our plants and wildlife. As part of The Climate Coalition, we are highlighting the changes we have already noticed on our reserves and the ways in which we are working to combat them.

We all need to take a stand for nature and #ShowtheLove  

Wet woodland habitat…

Some of you may be familiar with the annual Show the Love campaign, but for others, the sudden emergence of #showthelove and #signsofspring tweets and posts might seem a little confusing.

Don't worry, it's all being done for a great cause! Show the Love is The Climate Coalition's awareness raiser for our natural environment. As part of this coalition, the RSPB and a whole host of concerned organisations are…

Climate change poses the single greatest long-term threat to birds and other wildlife. Our changing climate means that many habitats become less suitable homes for our plants and wildlife. As part of The Climate Coalition, we are highlighting the changes we have already noticed on our reserves and the ways in which we are working to combat them.

We all need to take a stand for nature and #ShowtheLove!

One of the…

More people now live in cities than in the countryside and we are far removed from the fields and stock-pens where much of our food comes from. How it is produced has a huge impact on the UK's landscape and wildlife. In the first of an occasional series of guest blogs on the benefits modern farming brings society, we're delighted to introduce you to Martin Lines, chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network:

RSPB Pagham Harbour is nestled just on the coastline below Chichester, West Sussex. Its coastal location, combined with wide open farmland, a maze of reedbed, saltmarsh and mudflats make it one of our most diverse nature reserves, but also one of Sussex best kept secrets.

Miles of narrow winding trails lead to stunning views of rare and threatened wildlife and an inspiring coastal landscape. Now, thanks to support from funders…

Big Garden Birdwatch – the big build up!

It’s almost time for you to take part in the world’s largest wildlife survey…the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch. It is a great excuse to watch your garden birds whilst helping to collect incredibly helpful information on how our birds are doing.

RSPB Staff and volunteers take part and Anna Allum from our Pulborough Brooks nature reserve in West Sussex…

Our Big Garden Birdwatch is looming and is your excuse to lose yourself in nature and forget everything else for a full sixty minutes!

Choose an appropriate hour over Saturday 27th, Sunday 28th or Monday 29th then sit down by a window to record what wild things live around you. Surveys typically throw-up some dozen or so different bird species, sometimes more, sometimes less. Whatever you see, please let us know.

Whatever…

Big Garden Birdwatch takes place over Saturday 27, Sunday 28 and Monday 29 January this year.

This long running survey is when we ask you to tell us what birds and other wildlife you see from the windows of your home. 

All we ask is for an hour of your time at any point over the three days when you can note down the maximum number of birds of each species feeding, drinking or visiting your space. For example, if you…

London and the south east of England are on the front line of climate change in the UK, with the region’s birds already reacting to an apparent one degree rise in average summer temperatures since the 1980’s.

Most species are moving north to remain in their comfort zone, meaning some European species, like the hoopoe, little bittern and zitting cisticola are likely to become resident in the not too distant…

Christmas is a time for sharing, so we wanted to share some of our best 2017 moments with you in the run up to the holidays.

We asked staff from across our South East reserves to send us their own personal ‘wow’ moments from this year, the little triumphs that remind them why they love working for the RSPB, and being part of the bigger picture that you have helped us to build, as members, visitors, volunteers…

Are you looking for unusual and ethical gifts this Christmas?

Why not support your local RSPB, and see what handmade goodies you can find in our online shop or at our reserve Christmas fairs? With lots of local traders, festive food and fun, our Christmas fairs are a great way to get out in nature and help us make a difference.

Rainham Marshes Christmas Fair, Essex

Sunday 10 December, 10.30 am-7 pm, free entry…

Britain’s loudest bird, once extinct in the UK, has enjoyed its best year since records began, according to a new survey. The bittern – a kind of heron – is doing well following intensive conservation efforts. One of the best places to spot them in the South East is RSPB Dungeness, Kent.

Bitterns are highly secretive wetland birds and live most of their time within dense stands of reed, making them…

RSPB Pulborough Brooks is offering free entry to visitors between 25-26^th November, to encourage people to discover and celebrate the winter wildlife on the reserve.

The annual free event is always popular, as visitors get to explore the miles of nature trails before warming up with coffee and cake in the café. This year, new wildlife drawing and printing workshops will also be running over the weekend.

Our 2016 Birdcrime report reveals 39 incidents of bird of prey persecution reported in the South East of England during 2016, accounting for just over 8% of the reported incidents across the UK. Worryingly we have already received reports of peregrines being shot in the South East in 2017, a clear sign that illegal persecution is still continuing.

Without urgent action some of UK’s birds of prey face a bleak future after…

The dark-bellied Brent goose is an annual winter visitor to Britain. Travelling from its breeding grounds in Siberia, almost the entire 215,000 population of these Brent geese winter on the northeast coast of Europe, and just under half (98,100) will spend the winter in Britain. 

The majority of dark-bellied Brent geese overwintering here will congregate in a small number of estuarine sites in southern and eastern England…

Looking for some outdoor family activities this half term? Why not visit one of our reserves? We have a range of activities on offer below, or pick up a trail guide and explore our reserves for yourself!

West Sussex:

Festival of Fungi RSPB Pulborough Brooks

Running until Tuesday 31 October, 9.30 am – 5 pm daily

Come along and explore the wooded heath in search of fairy-tale fungi like the red and white-spotted…

Gillingham residents Des and Carol Felix have been awarded the RSPB’s highest honour, the President’s Award, at the charity’s Annual General Meeting.

The RSPB President’s Award is our chance to recognise those volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to help save nature. The husband and wife team volunteer as fund raisers, campaigners and “stalwarts” for the Medway Local…

Visitors to the RSPB Dungeness reserve in Kent can now get even closer to wildlife, thanks to a major uplift to Burrowes pit.

The project hopes to encourage rare terns, as well as more common species, to flock to and breed on the shingle islands overlooked by the visitor centre.

To complete the unique redevelopment project an excavator was mounted on a floating pontoon and ferried into place across the large flooded…

The RSPB is set to benefit from the auction of fine art by acclaimed wildlife artist Archibald Thorburn at Lewes auction house Gorringes later this month.

The collection, which comprises over 20 sketches and paintings, are from the estate of the late Lord Chelwood, Statesman, and longstanding champion of the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds, which he served as a Trustee for 13 years, and then was elected its…

Welcome to Keats’ “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”; early morning autumn chills, the smell of nature’s seasonal perfume of mulching vegetation and hazy mornings, and the first crunchy leaf underfoot. But before succumbing to the hibernation urge, there are a number of tried and tested things you can do to help nature survive the ensuing winter.

Don’t manicure your autumn garden

Ambitious works are taking place at RSPB Dungeness this summer to improve the habitat for rare breeding terns, but it seems the birds can’t wait to breed. The 'Re-tern' project has been planned to entice threatened terns back to breed on Burrowes Pit next spring, but  has already enjoyed unexpected success as common terns are breeding in the pit for the first time since 2009.

As part of this unique redevelopment…

A village in Kent, is becoming one of the best breeding sites for rare turtle doves, after several RSPB members who live there joined forces to save the species.

The village has been a summer home to migratory turtle doves, which are one of the UK’s most threatened bird species, for over eight years. When their feeding ground was being sold last summer, passionate conservationists David and Ann Tingey and David and…

The birding world has been very excited, but it's a thrill that's not made headlines or titilated the wider public.

Black winged stilts have bred successfully in the UK with the best results coming at the RSPB's Cliffe Pools nature reserve in north Kent.

These are birds common to southern Europe but traditionally, not of the UK., Things have changed and they are now starting to colonise our fair isles to…

Thousands of people will be pitching tents in gardens as part of our annual Big Wild Sleepout! Are you taking part?

Running between 28^th and 30^th July, Big Wild Sleepout is free to take part in; all you need to do is register online at www.rspb.org.uk/sleepout, to find lots of fun ideas, activities and tips to help you and your family have a really wild night out!

For an extra special sleepout experience, you can…