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
  • West Canvey Marsh

West Canvey Marsh

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
RSPB West Canvey Marsh ,Canvey Island, SS8 0QR
Grid ref
TQ774842
What3Words
fines.sugars.bake

West Canvey Marshes is part of the RSPB South Essex reserves, a network of wet and dry grassland, reed beds, lagoons, saltmarsh and scrub giving people a chance to see a whole host of wildlife. Come in summer, when there are singing skylarks, or in winter for the chance to see a short-eared owl.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open daily, except Christmas day, Boxing day and New Years day.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Car park cost

Free

Facilities

  • Car park
  • Pushchair friendly
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails

Accessibility

  • Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By train

The nearest railway station is Benfleet and is around 1.9 km (1.2 miles) from West Canvey Marsh. For more information about train times please visit the C2C website before you travel. From the station visitors can reach the reserve by taxi, bus or bike.

By bus

The no.21 bus runs from Benfleet train station towards the reserve every 30 minutes. The closest bus stop is Canvey Village, stop ID and this journey takes approximately 6 minutes. From this stop you will need to walk back in the direction of the roundabout and the entrance to the reserve is located off this roundabout. Please note that there is no designated crossing point on this road so please take care of traffic. To travel to the reserve by bus from Southend you can take the no.26 bus, from Basildon the no. 15 bus.

By road

Take the A130 south onto Canvey Island from the A13. At the Waterside farm roundabout, take the third exit to stay on the A130- Canvey Road. Take the third exit at the next roundabout (at the junction of Canvey Road and Roscommon Way) into the reserve 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.

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

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 315Kb

West Canvey Marshes trail guide

Contact West Canvey Marsh

  • RSPB West Canvey Marsh ,Canvey Island, SS8 0QR
  • southessex@rspb.org.uk
  • 01268 498620
  • @RSPBEssex
  • Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

    Standing Lapwing illustration

    Lapwing

    You can see lapwings here in spring, displaying, and in winter when huge numbers gather.

    Little Egret

    Little egret

    Little egrets can be seen here right throughout the year.

    Marsh Harrier male in flight

    Marsh harrier

    In autumn and winter, look out for marsh harriers hunting for small mammals and birds.

    Redshank, summer plumage

    Redshank

    Redshanks can be seen all year round and gather in tight-knit groups to roost at high tide.

    Male wigeon

    Wigeon

    Keep an eye out for wigeons, and listen for their whistling call.

Recent sightings

Skylark Alauda arvensis, at the grassy edge of a small field. Cornwall

Find out about recent wildlife sightings at West Canvey Marsh.

Read more

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

In spring you can see butterflies including the brimstone, comma and common blue. Displaying lapwings and redshanks along with oystercatchers and sandpipers. Look out for water voles in the wet ditches.

Damselflies and dragonflies can be seen around the reserve over summer including the four-spotted chaser and ruddy darter. Butterflies including gatekeepers and marbled whites can be seen in the hedgerows. Hobbies can be seen feeding over the wetland areas.

Green and common sandpipers can be seen along the creek, along with redshanks and curlews. Wildfowl numbers begin to build across the wetland - look for our smallest duck, the teal, along with shovelers and gadwalls. Swallows hawk for insects over the wet grassland.

Watch out for birds of prey during the winter including marsh harriers, peregrines, sparrowhawks and - with a little bit of luck - our smallest falcon, the merlin. Wigeon numbers will now be at their highest across the wetland - listen for their whistling call. There is also the chance of seeing a short-eared owl. 

About West Canvey Marsh

Habitat

West Canvey Marshes is an RSPB-owned reserve which includes a mix of grasslands, marshlands, reedbeds, saltmarsh and mudflat habitats.

Conservation

The site is historically grazing marsh and is now managed as a reserve comprising of important wetland, lowland wet and dry grassland habitats and provides feeding and breeding grounds for wintering, migratory and breeding waders and wildfowl. This is primarily achieved through hydrological management and appropriate grazing regimes.

It also supports a range of important protected species such as water voles and reptiles by providing important managed habitats such as ditch networks, meadows and fields of varied structure and floral diversity.

Site information

West Canvey Marshes has 6.5 km of visitor access with 3.5km of this being permissive nature trails and 3km of public footpath along the perimeter of the site.

Permissive nature trails on the reserve head east to west across the 256ha site leading from the car park to four wildlife viewpoints, via dry grassland and hedgerow habitats. The four viewpoints overlook various waterbodies which hold water throughout the year attracting various water birds.

Public footpaths follow the seawall adjacent to Easthaven Creek and are uneven rough grassland tracks. The public footpaths access points from the south-west of the site are from the direction of Northwick Road and Canvey Wick. The north eastern public footpath access point is close to the road bridge leading to Benfleet and Benfleet rail station.

Latest forum posts

  • Manorway at 100 cycle route to RSPB Wat Tyler Park Pitsea

    Dear Sir or Madam, this is Lisa Sargent and I am writing to you today to inform you that I intend to set up a group to ask for council, private and lottery funding in the hope that a cycle and foot bridge can be built over Vange Creek from Fobbing Sl...

    Posted 07/01/2020 by Lisa Sargent
  • Manorway 100 cycle route to Wat Tyler Park

    Dear Sir or Madam, this is Lisa Sargent and I am writing to you today to inform you that I intend to set up a group to ask for council, private and lottery funding in the hope that a cycle and foot bridge can be built over Vange Creek from Fobbing Sl...

    Posted 07/01/2020 by Lisa Sargent
  • Manorway 100 cycle route to Wat Tyler Park and Canvey from Thurrock

    Dear Sir or Madam, my name is Lisa Sargent and I am writing to you today to inform you of my plans to build a cycle bridge over Vange creek around Fobbing Sluice that will open up a dedicated connection to Wat Tyler and Canvey from the manorway at th...

    Posted 07/01/2020 by Lisa Sargent
  • Sightings at Bowers Marsh

    Will use this thread as a way of keeping everyone up to date with the latest sightings from our Roving Reserve Guides on RSPB Bowers Marsh.

    Posted 31/01/2017 by Martin P
read our forum

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

West Canvey Marsh has a picnic area and children’s adventure play area. Please check our events page for a list of activities planned on the reserve, or for other activities in South Essex, please check the South Essex Wildlife Garden page.

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/westcanveymarsh

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.
Male bearded tit feeding on reed head

South Essex Wildlife Garden

The perfect place to enjoy a stroll in peaceful surroundings and find out more about gardening for wildlife.

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