RSPB - giving nature a home
Search
Close
Skip to content
Shop | Community
Log in | Sign up
  • About the RSPB
      About us
    • Our History
    • Our mission
    • How the RSPB is run
    • RSPB Media Centre
    • RSPB job vacancies
    • At home & abroad
    • International
    • England
    • Northern Ireland
    • Scotland
    • Wales
    • Get in touch
    • Contact us
    • RSPB offices
    • Connect with us your way
      Our activities
    • Gardening for wildlife

      Gardening for wildlife

      See our ideas to keep you connected to nature during coronavirus

    • Connect with us your way

      Connect with us your way

      From our regular emails to your favourite social media, there’s more than one way to keep in touch with nature

    • Our History

      Our History

      Discover how a campaign against feathers in fashion sparked a global force to save nature with more than a million members

  • Our work
      Nature conservation
    • Conservation and sustainability
    • Projects
    • Landscape scale conservation
    • Centre for Conservation Science
    • Satellite tracking birds
    • RSPB News
    • RSPB News
    • 'Our work' blog
    • Policy and Insight
    • Policy and Insight: England and Westminster
    • Casework
      Featured news
    • Mindful mornings

      Mindful mornings

      If you can’t get outside, why not bring the outside in by downloading our bird song radio app?

    • How nature can help protect our homes

      How nature can help protect our homes

      Following the floods this winter, watch how one area is using nature as a natural protector.

    • Casework

      Casework

      Catch up with the RSPB’s own nature detectives on the case as they look to save some very special places.

  • Birds & wildlife
      Wildlife guides
    • Identify a bird
    • Bird A-Z
    • Other garden wildlife
    • Guide to birdwatching
    • What is the Red List for UK birds?
    • Nature's Calendar
    • Nature's Home magazine
    • About Nature's Home magazine
    • Birds and wildlife articles
    • RSPB Podcasts
    • Nature's Home blog
    • Birds & Wildlife Advice
    • How you can help birds
    • Gardening for wildlife
    • Ask an expert
    • Wildlife and the law
    • How to report crimes against wild birds
    • Bird songs
    • Which bird song is that?
    • Most popular bird guides this month
    • Bird migration

      Bird migration

      Migrating birds have travelled thousands of miles just to get here. Find out why.

    • Who to contact if you spot an injured or baby bird

      Who to contact if you spot an injured or baby bird

      Read more advice about what to do if you find a bird that needs help

    • In for a duck

      In for a duck

      It’s nesting season for our waterfowl too but what are the rules you need to follow for ducks, geese or swans?

  • Get Involved
      Activities
    • Big Garden Birdwatch
    • Nature on Your Doorstep
    • RSPB Competitions
    • Dolphinwatch
    • #MyClimateAction
    • Community & advice
    • Join our local groups
    • How green are you?
    • RSPB Community
    • Get involved blog
    • Volunteering & fundraising
    • Volunteer
    • Fundraise
    • Help nature thrive as a corporate partner
    • Our grant funders
    • Campaigning
    • Campaigning in Scotland
    • Campaigning in Wales
    • Campaigning in England
    • Campaigning in Northern Ireland
    • The nature and climate emergency
    • Protecting wildlife sites
    • Campaign with us
    • Top activities to do
    • Nature on Your Doorstep

      Nature on Your Doorstep

      Great ideas on how your garden, or even a small backyard or balcony, can become a mini nature reserve

    • How green are you?

      How green are you?

      See some of the ways you can get into green living.

    • Campaigning

      Campaigning

  • Reserves & events
      Reserves A-Z Events Find a reserve
      Top reserves this month
    • Marshside

      Marshside

      This fantastic wetland site is located north of Southport town centre and has some of the best wildlife in the region.

    • Lytchett Fields

      Lytchett Fields

      The reserve has seen more than thirty species of wading birds.

    • Arne

      Arne

      Heathland home to more than 2565 species.

  • Fun & Learning
      For teachers
    • Supporting resources
    • Wild Challenge
    • School outreach visits
    • Big Schools Birdwatch
    • Sign up for the newsletter
    • School trip ideas
    • For kids
    • Fun factoids for all the family
    • Games and activities
    • Kids stories
    • RSPB kids competitions
    • For families
    • Big Wild Sleepout
    • Wild Challenge
    • Nature reserves for families
    • Robin Robin
    • Cameron's Cottage
    • Your Support
    • About Cameron's cottage
    • Latest kids' activities
    • Wild Challenge

      Wild Challenge

      Nature is an adventure waiting to be had. Get out, get busy and get wild!

    • Fun factoids for all the family

      Fun factoids for all the family

      Find out more about the nature and wildlife outside your window.

    • Youth membership

      Youth membership

      As well as a free gift and magazines, you’ll get loads of ideas for activities to try at home.

  • Join & Donate
      Join us
    • Choose a membership
    • Family membership
    • Youth membership
    • Gift membership
    • Make a future richer in nature. Become a Life Fellow today.
    • Renew your membership
    • Donate
    • Philanthropy & Major Gifts
    • Our appeals
    • Make a one-off donation
    • Make a regular donation
    • In Memory Donations
    • Plant a celebration tree
    • In memoriam booklet download form
    • Leave a gift to nature in your Will
    • Why Include a Gift to Nature in Your Will
    • How to Include us in Your Will
    • Information for executors & solicitors
    • Download your free guide
    • Other ways to help
    • Gift Aid
    • Support us when you shop
    • RSPB Images
    • RSPB second-hand binocular scheme
    • Win with the RSPB
    • Payroll Giving
    • Stamp out albatross deaths
  • Login to your account Sign up for an RSPB account
  • Shop
  • Community
  • Home
  • Reserves & events
  • Reserves A-Z
  • South Essex Wildlife Garden

South Essex Wildlife Garden

gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
gallery image
Address
South Essex Wildlife Garden, Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea Hall Lane, Pitsea, Essex, SS16 4UH.
Grid ref
TQ737863
What3Words
digs.cheese.give

Set within Wat Tyler Country Park, South Essex Wildlife Garden is the perfect place to find out more about the RSPB. Enjoy a stroll in peaceful surroundings and find out more about gardening for wildlife. You might even catch a glimpses of waders foraging in the mud in the tidal creeks around the Wat Tyler country park.

Plan your visit

Opening times

The wildlife garden is located within Wat Tyler Country Park, which is open 9am-7pm daily. 

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free entry to the garden - donations welcome
Children
Free entry to the garden - donations welcome
Car park cost

Free

Facilities

  • Car park
  • Picnic area
  • Nature trails

Accessibility

  • Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By train

The nearest station is Pitsea and is around 1.6km or 1 mile from the South Essex Wildlife Garden. For more information about train times please visit the C2C website before you travel.

By bus

The nearest stop is at Pitsea Tesco approx 2km from the Wildlife Garden. The no.5 bus running between Basildon and Pitsea stops here every 15-20 minutes Monday-Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays.

By road

If you’re arriving by car or cycle turn off the A13 at the Pitsea junction and follow brown tourist signs for Wat Tyler Country Park. Travel down Pitsea Hall Lane, go straight over the mini-roundabout. Drive approximately 1.6km then park in the car park.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

If you're coming from Pitsea station (about 1.6km or 1 mile away), turn left and cross the level crossing. The entrance to the country park is 5-10 minutes walk.

Get directions from Google Maps
View on What3Words
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Information for dog owners

There is a dog bowl and fresh running water available via tap.

Contact South Essex Wildlife Garden

  • South Essex Wildlife Garden, Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea Hall Lane, Pitsea, Essex, SS16 4UH.
  • southessex@rspb.org.uk
  • 01268 498620

What will you see?

Our star species

    Cuckoo male

    Cuckoo

    From late April, listen and watch out for them at Wat Tyler Country Park.

    Great tit adult

    Great tit

    Keep an eye out for great tits in our wildlife garden.

    Male green woodpecker

    Green woodpecker

    See if you can spot a green woodpecker.

    House sparrow adult male

    House sparrow

    House sparrows are frequent visitors to our wildlife garden.

    Great spotted woodpecker male

    Great spotted woodpecker

    Look out for great spotted woodpeckers visiting the feeders.

Recent sightings

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, perched in the top of a tree, Co. Durham

Find out about recent wildlife sightings at South Essex Wildlife Garden.

read more

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

In spring, cuckoos can be seen from the nature trails and swallows and martins over the scrape. Whitethroats and lesser whitethroats will now be singing in the scrub areas. Brimstone butterflies can be seen along the open glades. 

The wildlife garden is alive with insects feeding on our garden flowers. Look out for bees and butterflies and bug hunt with us in the garden.

In the autumn, peregrines regularly use the pylons as lookout points. The bird feeding area will now be busy - look out for jays and great spotted woodpeckers visiting the feeders, along with the more common garden birds.

In winter, the bird feeders from the visitor centre window are packed with house sparrows, great tits and blue tits looking for a meal. You may see ducks and waders in the creeks from the viewpoints around the country park.   

About South Essex Wildlife Garden

Habitat

The South Essex wildlife garden is a garden located within the Wat Tyler Country Park. 

Conservation

Set inside a SSSI, the South Essex Wildlife Garden has a number of features including a pond with a viewing platform, bug hotels, raised beds with herbs and other insect attracting plants and a woodland trail which is fantastic for blue bells in the spring. The main purpose of the Wildlife Garden is to engage with visitors on what they can do within their own garden whether large or small scale.

Site information

The RSPB South Essex Wildlife Garden is the perfect place to start looking for birds.

This site is also the gateway to our South Essex reserves, a network of green space made up of Bowers Marsh, West Canvey Marsh, Vange Marsh, Vange Wick, Stanford Wharf and Canvey Wick.

Latest blog posts

  • September to October

    Bowers Marsh still holds most of the birds reported. Around 700 Wigeon, 2 Pintail, a Marsh Harrier, several Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Kingfisher, all three types of hirundine Sand Martin, Swallow and House Martin, Whinchat, Stonechat and Wheatear. The C...

    Posted 03/10/2019 by Soup Dragon
  • Late September

    A quiet period with the interest still mainly on Bowers Marsh. Bowers Marsh The Spotted Crake has still been showing on occasions but often for brief forays out of the reeds. Other birds of interest are Whinchat, several Pintail, a Water Rail and sev...

    Posted 26/09/2019 by Soup Dragon
  • Mid September

    Due to the very low water levels only Bowers Marsh has held any birds of note.  Observers have reported Marsh Harrier, Ruff, Green Sandpiper, over 40 Stock Dove, a couple of Ravens, Pochard, Hobby, over 40 Avocet. a Kingfisher, a short visit by 2 Spo...

    Posted 19/09/2019 by Soup Dragon
  • The end of August

    The highlights of the last few days have been up to 8 Cattle Egrets in the area mostly on RSPB Vange Wick which can be viewed from the marina on Wat Tyler Country Park south of Pitsea. Most of the rest of the sightings have been sent in from Bowers M...

    Posted 03/09/2019 by Soup Dragon
read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

See which birds and bugs you can spot in the wildlife garden.

Share this

  • Facebook Facebook Created with Sketch.
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

You might also be interested in

RSPB Giving Nature a Home Campaign

Join us - legacy

Become an RSPB member by signing up here.
Mudflats of the River Thames. Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve

Greater Thames

On the doorstep of one of the world’s foremost waterways, rare species and heavy industry intertwine in this landscape.
Thames Gateway Futurescapes, South Essex Marshes, Vange Marsh

Vange Marsh

Vange Marsh is a glorious mosaic of wetland habitats that attract many species of birds throughout the year.

We spend 90% of net income on conservation, public education and advocacy

Quick links

  • Contact us
  • Online Community
  • Vacancies
  • Media centre

Information for

  • Teachers
  • Policy makers
  • Farmers & landowners
  • Scientists

Our work in

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Wales
  • Northern Ireland
  • International

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

Partnering with

BirdLife_logo

The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International. Find out more about the partnership

Fundraising Regulator logo OSCR logo

© The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654

  • Terms & conditions
  • Cookie policy
  • Privacy policy
  • Charter and statutes
  • About our site
  • Modern Slavery Act

Cookie Preferences

Accepting all non-essential cookies helps us to personalise your experience

Edit settings
Accept all

Essential cookies are required

These cookies are required for basic web functions

Enable analytics cookies

Allow us to collect anonymised performance data

Enable marketing cookies

Allow us to personalise your experience

Save settings
Read our cookie policy