Hundreds of people discovered the Wild Coast of Wallasea Island for the first time this weekend. Families arrived with granny and the dog and the children ran free or went on a safari to the Far East!  Despite poor weather forecasts, the driest part of England lived up to its reputation and visitors were once again able to relax on the grass outside the beer tent, listening to the band and letting 'the Wallasea Effect…

This weekend saw the Wombles of Wallasea change their costumes and morph into candidates for Vision ON or SMart, - depending on your age bracket.  Having cleared up rather a lot of 'junk' from the island shores two weeks ago, the recyclers were out in force again to put it to good use.  The sun shone on the righteous and we all got sunburn, as we gazed at the mountain of 'stuff'' to choose from and wondered what…

Are you old enough to remember the Wombles? If not they were/are  pointy-nosed, furry creatures that live in burrows, where they help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways.
Well, we had the Wallasea species of womble at work on Saturday as the WalVols' numbers were bolstered by energetic environment enthusiasts on our Shoreline Scavenge - and amongst our finds was..yes, you guessed…

This week the Wild Coast project has cranked into action, with the arrival of Crossrail's appointed contractors Bam Nuttall.Bam Nuttall were awarded the contract to construct an unloading facility on Wallasea Island so that excavated material from the Crossrail tunnels in central London will be transported to the island site, where it will be used to create part of the RSPB’s Wild Coast Project. Our normally tranquil…

As we approach Burnham Regatta Week, which takes place at the end of this month, I am brushing up on all things nautical!  As our Wild Coast Project is sited on an island, we are obviously perfectly placed to get involved with those using the water around the island, just as much as those on the island.The Wild Coast Paddle in May was our first venture into the rivers but we are soon to get a lot more familiar with sea…

So you thought our end of Essex was flat and featureless? Well, last saturday we invited visitors to walk, climb or bus their way round the Wild Coast project site and those with a head for heights could get a birds' eye view from the top of the climbing wall!

Thankfully, the weather gods were kind and the crowds came out with the sunshine.  Wallasea Island was open for exploration and many walkers and cyclists did…

This week I'm very grateful to guest blogger Jeff Delve, aka The Wallasea Birder, for this informative blog:

It is Autumn again!

I know, you are thinking that we haven’t really got into summer yet but for birdwatchers it is autumn. You see in spring our wintering birds migrate north to breed in the permanent  daylight of the arctic and in autumn they return south to milder climes, feeding up before the rigours…

Lots of people love balloons - especially children of all ages!  Their bright colours and shiny surfaces are attractive to many and they can be a great way of adding fun to an event or a party game.  At seaside resorts such as our neighbouring Southend-on-Sea, or Clacton further north, huge clouds of foil shapes beckon to the holidaymakers on the esplanades, no doubt adding to the pressure on  parents giving in to 'pester power…

Travellers on the River Crouch may have noticed some new additions to the scenery around Wallasea Island - some rather shiny and colourful new navigational buoys. In preparation for the new shipping trade to the Wallasea Wild Coast project, Crouch Harbour Authority, with support and assistance from London's Crossrail railway tunnelling project, is  to carry out major improvements to the buoyage of the River Crouch…

It's not just the birds that fly in to Wallasea's Wild Coast from afar - we have an increasing number of international visitors coming to hear about our exciting project and see the site of Europe's largest conservation project of its kind.

This week we were lucky enough to be included in a Leonardo da Vinci Partnership interchange, thanks to our friends The National Trust.  A group of very knowledgable conservationists…

Good news!  Our nearest pub is open again!  Now before you accuse me of alcoholic tendencies, this is not just good for those needing refreshment, but also a recognition of the value of the Wild Coast Project to the local economy.  When a rural pub closes these days it usually stays closed, and the next thing you see is a planning application notice for housing development.  This week I had a visit from Steve, the new landlord…

If you saw me wading around with my camera,in a field of weeds  on Wallasea this morning, be assured that I hadn't finally lost the last of my marbles!  That large, untidy, and rather wild bit of land that you pass on the way to our car park is actually a very important place - our 'wild bird cover' area.
If you've been here lately, you'll hardly have missed our noisy, jangling corn bunting population, sitting…

Its June, the sun is shining and Wallasea Island is waiting for you to bring your kids out in the fresh air!

Canewdon Primary School was our first school to visit this summer and have set the pace for others to follow. Pupils of year 4 donned their boots, slapped on the sun tan lotion and had a brilliant time exploring the seawalls and viewing the site of the immense new nature reserve on their doorsteps.

Following…

This lovely hymn always reminds me of my time giving community talks to WI groups, back in rural areas of Northern Ireland. The warm welcome given by these lovely ladies always seemed to be followed by a rendition of the hymn, deemed most suiting to start an evening  in the company of the RSPB!

If you are a fan of flowers, butterflies and all things colourful,as I am,  get yourself down to Wallasea on a nice sunny day…

 Have you noticed how many butterflies are about at the moment?  The good weather may be bad news for the local farmers , but our butterfly and moth population seems to be relishing the sunshine  Every weekend we seem to come back from our stroll round the island edges to look up yet another creature, or flower, we cannot identify!
So our most recent find then turned into a bit of one-upmanship, between my boss Chris and…

Now before all you twitchers book your flights and pack your cars - read on. This is a very special bird, but not one that is going to disappear before you get here!

Back in the mists of time, last year when I joined this project, I had a daft notion to create a children's character for the island.  The local history of smugglers and shipping encouraged my vivid imagination to  conjure up a Johnny Depp/Pirate of the…

As friends will certify, I'm not often speechless, but we were all gobsmacked to see 70 colourful kayaks heading for the causeway on Sunday - it wasn't that we weren't expecting them, but there was more than twice as many as initially predicted!
Our first Wild Coast Paddle proved a runaway, or should that be paddle away, success.  Watersport enthusiasts from all over the country travelled to the Crouch valley…

Over a decade after the first videoblog hit the internet, the Wild Coast Project has just begun what we hope will be a series of films to record history in the making.  Over the coming months, and years, we'll be recording the various stages of development of Europe's largest environmental conservation project. Perhaps we are in competition for the longest running video blog! 
In June, our long awaited and much…

Blogger: Oliver Creamer

Anyone near the east end of the seawall a few days ago may have heard some unladylike language. Well,you see, I come from Ireland where, legend has it, St Patrick kindly drove out the snakes some time ago. And yes, you guessed it, I had just nearly stepped on my first Adder or Viper - Vipera berus!
To be fair to the beautiful beast, as it was, it was just having a quiet doze in the sun, on the grass at the top of the seawall…

If you are a little tired of seeing the brightly-coloured commercial version of the Easter Bunny at every turn, here's a little respite.  Here on Wallasea, we are almost deafened by skylark song and blinded by the flash of yellow wagtails ;  call me odd,you wouldn't be the first,but the thing that gives me the biggest thrill is to catch sight of one of the big, brown hares lolloping across the marsh or disappearing…

The WalVol( Volunteerus terrestris) is a rare animal, recognisable mainly by its cheery demeanour, industriousness and in some cases taste for real ale. They differ greatly in size, shape and age but significantly, the female is often more colourful than the male.  A significant number of these creatures are increasingly active on Wallasea Island these days, and last weekend, if you were down on the seawall for a walk…

Do you ever look down at the cat on your lap, or the dog spread out at your feet and wish you were one of them?
As Spring gets into full swing, I am envious of the freedom of wildlife ; the corn bunting jangling on the hedge top,the hare lazily lolloping, just stretching its legs across the ploughed field. Out in the sunshine on Wallasea Island, in my spare time I emphasise in case the boss is reading, the cacophany…

The B in RSPB is commonly believed to stand for Birds....but here on Wallasea Island it also refers to Beetles!  The oil that is our subject this week is the lovely  Violet Oil Beetle (Meloe Violaceus), one of four surviving species of oil beetles in the UK.
Staff and volunteers out for a walk on the island on a recent sunny morning were delighted to have to tiptoe through a rash of these beautiful, shiny creatures  enjoying…

Were you one of those driving over the causeway to Wallasea Island last Sunday lunchtime?  You may have been bemused by the sight of RSPB staff, volunteers and what looked like a paparazzi scrum on the side of the marsh and a group of canoeists hauling up at the edge of the road.

Excitement built as we waited for the 'dry'run for our Wild Coast Paddle, an event which will take place on May 15. The tide was forecast to be…