Any of you who have been watching the Wild Coast Project for a while, may by now be wondering when something BIG is really going to happen - and who can blame you , as it's been talked about for around ten years so far!! So today, as the sun is shining and corn buntings appear to have decided it's Spring ( they are calling from every possible perch!) I thought I'd run over what we can expect to see happen this year.
BAM Nuttall, Crossrail's contractor, will soon be back in action, continuing the construction of the unloading facility which they began last Autumn. This long conveyor belt will reach across the marsh, about half way along the northern coast of the island, running past the webcam mast mentioned in this blog a couple of weeks ago. The temporary jetty is currently being fitted out at Tilbury Docks and will be floated round to the River Crouch when its ready, in time to connect with the conveyor belt and before the first ships arrive. This summer will see the huge Crossrail tunnelling machines churn into action deep under London, and the resulting clay will be shipped to Wallasea for placement in the eastern end of the island - the part known as 'cell one'. The design for the landscape is divided into 5 'cells', roughly following the contours of the original marshland islands which existed hundreds of years ago, before enclosure by man.
Cell 5, the one passed by on the way to our car park,is already under development, though it may not look like it! This area includes the wild bird cover area, much celebrated this winter as it provided food and shelter for so much wildlife, including hundreds of farmland birds who would normally be forced off the island in the cold season. 'Cell 5' , the name of which has caused some merriment to those not 'in the know', will be further developed later in the year, with the construction of a large area of wet grassland ( an area to be grazed), a dog exercise area and a saline lagoon reaching south from the sluice just beyond the by then enlarged car park .This lagoon should attract lots of birds when full of water and will be an extra place for us all to walk round and enjoy. Staff and volunteers will be on site at our forthcoming events over the year, available to answer any questions you might have. But in the meantime, watch the webcam for action, the blog for news and on a good day come down and see for yourself!
I've gone wild on Wallasea!
Thanks for the excellent update Hilary, great to see things moving along so well. Your blogs have been a great source of information, good to see you breaking away from the mainstream RSPB blogs which look as if they've been cloned but yours are varied and informative. Keep up the good work. Bob.
Growing up, my Mum always claimed to feel bad when a bird would slam head-first into our living room window. If she "really" felt bad, though, she'd have moved the bird feeder outside.