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Hot on the heels of our official VIP launch, our third annual Wild Coast Weekend drew record numbers of visitors from near and far. As Saturday dawned hot and sunny, three times the previous year's number of people explored the island on bike, bus or boot. A choice of activities kept families...

With the new Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, officially launching the construction of Wallasea Island yesterday, we are now inviting members of the public and the local community to come and celebrate. The Wild Coast Weekend takes place on the 22 and 23 September and is totally free! For the...

Wallasea is becoming known for its unusual partnerships and this week saw a new one develop. No golden arches have sprung up on the island, but thanks to our friends in Rochford Council, a team of young staff from McDonalds spent an afternoon on site. The teams from four McDonalds' branches in...

In stark contrast to the mountain bike excitement at the Hadleigh Olympic venue , Wallasea was a calm haven in the summer sunshine this weekend. However, this time of year is always tinged with a little sadness for me, as the vast crop fields are harvested and the buzz of insects and chirp of the corn...

Some days you really need an aaahhh moment - and my thanks go to the Wallasea Birder for providing just that yesterday afternoon. This lovely picture of Pochard ducklings with their mum, happily smiling for the camera on the Wild Coast yesterday, are one of several broods enjoying the peace , tranquillity...

Some days you really need an aaahhh moment - and my thanks go to the Wallasea Birder for providing just that yesterday afternoon. This lovely picture of pochard ducklings with their mum, happily smiling for the camera on the Wild Coast yesterday, are one of several broods enjoying the peace , tranquillity...

This weekend , while other sailors watched the wind and waves from the comfort of the clubhouse, some intrepid youngsters revelled in the elements and competed in the Feva Open weekend event hosted by Burnham Sailing Club. The reason for this madness was clearly a love of sailing, but there was an added...

So how did you spend YOUR Jubilee weekend? While many people went on a serial barbecue spree or joined the royal festivities via the wonders of satellite television, my favourite team of volunteers were once again turning out in all weathers on behalf of the Wild Coast project. In this national week...

Each summer, walkers and residents round Canewdon village, just up the road from Wallasea Island, often hear the unmistakeable,gentle purring sound of Turtle doves. Some are lucky enough to see them in their back gardens! So you may be surprised to know that this very special summer visitor is a 'bird...

At last! A window in the awful weather allowed the contractors to tug the first half of our unloading facility pontoon into place this morning. It was a bit of a foggy, 'soft' morning fo photos but it was great to see the dark shape coming up the River Crouch out of the mists. Two 76 metre...

Some days you just have to get out in the sunshine - but not many have as good an excuse as we had today!! After the recent expert confirmation that what we had found on the marsh was actually the motor of a German V2 rocket from WWII, we had a race against time to retrieve it before the contractors...

St Patrick's Day ( March 17) turned out to be what the Irish refer to as a 'soft' day, but it didn't deter the entrants to our Wallathon 2012! Our invitation to walk the bounds of RSPB Wallasea went out in all the local papers and on BBC Radio Essex and the enthusiasm with which this...

Imagine you have a huge house, which you feel safe and comfortable in and it has everything you need - a warm,comfortable bed, cupboards full of food, space for you to raise your family and in which to see them grow up to be strong and healthy. Then gradually this space is taken over by people. People...

Did you ever notice the inspiration that comes from a good walk? While tramping the field paths of Canewdon with the all-weather dog this morning, I was cogitating about the possible subjects to blog about this week. The sky was slowly turning from pale pink to blue as suddenly something caught my eye...

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...

It may have escaped your notice, but yesterday, was World Wetlands Day! World Wetlands Day has been celebrated on or around 2 February globally every year since 1997, and Wallasea Island will eventually be a prime area to celebrate this habitat. Freshwater wetlands are rich and diverse habitats. Although...

If you are looking out the window at the wind and rain and want to know what is happening on Wallasea Island, or you are separated from us by land or sea ( hello Burnham and Banbridge!), there is a nice dry, comfortable way to see the what is happening on the island. Regular visitors may have noticed...

As I look out of my office window, across the river to Burnham-on-Crouch, it looks like a Spring day - sun shining, grass green and a male blackbird rather hopefully chasing a female around the farmyard. Yes, the sap is rising unseasonable early and signs of a new season are all around us! With this...

Our Wild Coast Project has recently been one of 5 case studies in an international report analysing the cost benefits of large projects with high biodiversity relevance, comparing traditional engineered approaches with ecosystem-based approaches. The study financed by the European Commission, has been...

Most people are thinking about birds at this time of year - but more of the cooking and eating variety! Well we haven't got turkeys on the island, but we have got geese! We are talking dark-bellied brent geese here, or if you like latin, Branta bernicla bernicla, the smallest goose in the country...

There seemed to be a watery theme to last weekend... Firstly, we had flood warnings and high tides along the Essex coast. While Working on wallasea island one forgets that it's an island sometimes, as the causeway is not covered regularly. Then out of the blue, along comes a high tide to remind you...

Access for all is something very dear to our hearts here on Wallasea Island, so it has been a constant bugbear, and not a little embarrassing, to admit to our shortfallings with regards disabled access. Our kissing gate access from the carpark has been for pedestrians only, so wheelchair users and children...

Every industry has its own jargon and acronyms and anyone working for the RSPB soon discovers the bird version. Having recently been immersed in web design meetings, I might be forgiven for confusion at reports of record numbers of SEOs on Wallasea ( Short-eared owls not Search Engine Optimisers) and...

Walking the dog is a pastime that not only gets many of us out of doors daily, but keeps us fit and allows us to indulge in a spot of 'bad birdwatching'and general nature-watching. Research has shown that this also helps to keep a lot of us mentally healthy - though I can't speak for myself...

Many of you may have noticed the rapid spread of Little Egrets through the country in past years. I remember well, dashing off to a WWT site in Northern Ireland where the first few of these tropical-looking birds visited Strangford Lough a few years ago, and now they are to be found throughout much of...