Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Expect to see good numbers of this elegant bird in the spring and summer. The avocet's upturned bill is ideally suited to finding food in the shallow freshwater pools. |  |
Watch out for migrant black-tailed godwits in spring and autumn. In spring they're on their way to breed in Iceland, and in autumn they'll be on their way back to estuaries for winter. Keep an eye out for beautiful orangey-brown birds still in their breeding plumage. |  |
Brent geese come to Wallasea Island in large numbers. They can be seen here from October and linger well into the spring to make sure their Arctic breeding grounds have thawed out. |  |
Keep an eye out for the redshanks' towering display flights in spring. They are sometimes known as 'the sentinel of the marshes' for their noisy habit of drawing attention to predators. |  |
The habitats that the Wild Coast Project will create are similar to those used by breeding spoonbills on the continent. Given increased numbers of spoonbills being seen in the UK, we hope that the site will attract spoonbills and with luck help to re-establish the lost breeding population of this spectacular bird. |  |