Well we may have a way to go, but dreams cost nothing!  This week our plans to develop youth and education work as part of the Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project took a small, baby step forward.  Two shiny new Wallasea volunteers with teaching experience will soon join staff from the South Essex Marshes Education team in introducing pupils from local schools to the joys of the great outdoors.

Many of us involved with the…

Well, as you know this blog likes to be diverse !

This Saturday, the Wild Coast Project goes inland to join the literati in a day of readings and presentations with a bird theme. The Conference brings together scientists and creative writers to explore the unique inspiration of birds, now and in the past. The one-day event will be chaired by Professor of Creative Writing, author and mythographer, Marina Warner and has brought…

Wallasea Island seems to be a bit of a hotspot for birds of prey these days.  Not only have we got several hen and marsh harriers, barn owls, kestrels and peregrines, but also merlins and short-eared owls.  On Sunday morning I was enjoying a stroll along the seawall and was delighted to see not one, but four of these beautiful medium-sized owls - I'm not sure which of us was more startled! Of course, being one of Simon…

Water, water everywhere......was the theme for the day on Saturday February 19.  Apologies to S T Coleridge, and assurances that there were NO ancient mariners there on the day, but it couldn't have been much wetter as representatives of several of the yacht clubs landed on Wallasea Island to learn about the Wild Coast Project.

Members of Brandy Hole Yacht Club, Essex Marina YC, Royal Corinthian YC, Royal Burnham YC…

Well we've been bombarded with the BS in the headlines all week, so I had to use it!!  However, our own Wallasea Community is the subject this week. As Europe's largest conservation project, and a flagship for the RSPB, we'd really like our online community to get a lot bigger too.  The first step is obviously to get people to look at the site, which our statistics show is coming along nicely thanks to the media…

Good grief its February already! No sooner have we heaved a sigh of relief that one year's events are complete, but here we go again - its time to plan for the year ahead.  Our first event proved a runaway success, with demand for places on Something Wild and Wonderfowl soon outstripping capacity.
On Sunday January 30, we welcomed 50 visitors to our base for the day in the Canewdon Village hall, just a few miles up…

We are currently making a bit of a splash with the water sports enthusiasts! As a result of ongoing meetings with local yachting, sailing, cruising and paddling clubs we are about to launch our first Wild Coast Paddle, and hopefully other events and activities will follow.  On Sunday May 15th the Royal Burnham Yacht Club will host, in partnership with the British Canoe Union and the Maldon and Dengie Canoe Club,an opportunity…

There may be only one road on and off Wallasea Island, but there are now more ways to travel it!  Visitors to our Wild Coast weekend last September were encouraged to travel in an eco-friendly way, by ferry from Burnham, by community bus from Rochford or by foot from the marina and cycle from Southend.  Now, thanks to Essex County Council and partners including Wyvern Community Transport, a new choice of sustainable transport…

The long awaited Wallasea Island Project badge has arrived! Featuring a spoonbill, a bird we aspire to attract to the new marshes and wetlands, this bright badge on a distinctive yellow backing card, is available for a limited period , and can be bought only from badge boxes in the South East Essex sites - so seek one out now!

Now and again the RSPB pin badge selection adds a special edition badge.  These rapidly become…

The Canewdon Parish is well known for reports of ghostly apparitions, but if you venture onto Wallasea Island at dusk or dawn there is no need for fear.  The spectral shapes you might see are more likely to be barn owls hunting for mice, shrews and rats along the field, seawall, saltmarsh and road margins.

This distinctive bird, with its heart shaped face, one metre wing-span and piercing shriek, is widely distributed around…

Christmas came early for a couple of birdwatchers on the Wild Coast, two days before santa was expected,when two common cranes were spotted flying over the island.
Like so many so-called 'common' species these birds are a rare sight, especially at this time of year.  Once common, and giving their name to many places with 'cran' in the title, these magnificent birds became extinct in the 17th century,due to…

We've had a lot of welcome visitors over the last year, including local MPs and councillors,various local press and radio stations, environmentalists, researchers,local businesses, students and school pupils and representatives from various parts of the tourist trade to name but a few.  However, possibly the most exciting visitors for many of us are the huge flocks of Brent geese that are filling the vast skies and…

Christmas came early for a local photography student this week.  Oliver Creamer, from Southend, was recently selected as our young champion for the 2020 Vision project and this week it was announced that he will be working with Terry Whittaker, an environmental photographer with a background in zoos, wildlife conservation and research. http://www.terrywhittaker.com .

2020VISION is not a conservation project; In a nutshell…

Aims of ringing on the farm are mixed, Martin has been attempting to ring the…

A Leucistic lapwing has been spotted regularly each winter on Wallasea Island for several years. This may sound like it has a nasty disease, but a leucistic bird is one with abnormal plumage.  Now most of us differentiate one bird from another by the colour of its feathers, so this can pose Bad Birdwatchers like me a few problems!

Leucism, or leukism, is a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from…

Now before you take offence - that means WRITTEN by an idiot!  Following an enlightening one-day conference  organised by ABPMer I am now a lot wiser, and thought I'd pass on some interesting facts about the sort of scheme that will be used in parts of the Wild Coast Project.

The threat of sea level rise and flood risk means that there is an increasing need for a planned approach to shoreline management.  Coastal Managed…

Anyone with doubts about the island status of our wild coast should have been on the causeway in recent days!  A combination of unusually high tides and high pressure weather meant some visitors departure was delayed a little - as the picture posted will show.  Although the uninitiated may not realise where you leave 'the mainland' and actually join 'the island' there was little doubt as the water lapped up over the causeway…

As the weather looks set fair for the weekend, and some of us are in need of some fresh air and wide open spaces, why not head out along the seawall this weekend and see what's out there around Wallasea Island.  Keen eyes spotted the first Little Stint of the Autumn last weekend, while the sun was out.  Those of us not so sure what we were looking at soon recognised the distinctive call of the 'peewit', or lapwing, which…

Woohoo!  Finally I've got round to being a blogger!  Still recovering from the Wild Coast Weekend - many thanks to everyone who took part or came along to encourage us.  It was really fantastic to see so many people enjoying what I now think of as 'my island'.  Apologies to everyone else in the area who would think of me as a 'blow in' !  Watch this space for exciting plans for more events in 2011.

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