RSPB Wallasea Island Habitat Restoration and Expansion
Completed island works and land acquisition; further western habitat creation is planned.
At Wallasea Island on the Essex coast, the RSPB is creating more space for wetland birds. Recent work has added 21 small islands to the reserve’s lagoons, while a separate land purchase has expanded the reserve by 100 hectares. The islands give birds somewhere sheltered to rest when the tide is high. The RSPB says Lapwings and Golden Plovers are already using them. They were built as part of a wider wetlands programme completed by February 2026. In January 2025, the RSPB announced that it had bought four fields at the western end of Wallasea Island. The purchase is complete, but the new habitat work has not been confirmed as under way.[1][2]
Current position
The reserve pin is a representative location published by the RSPB. It does not mark the individual bird islands or the western acquisition boundary.
At a glance
- 21 new bird-roosting islands — completed by February 2026.
- 100 hectares of additional reserve land purchased; the acquisition was announced in January 2025.
- A £2.2 million grant supported the land purchase; it was not the budget for the bird islands.
- A six-hectare freshwater lagoon, grassland and scrub are planned for the additional land.
Timeline
15 January 2025
Purchase of four western fields totalling 100 hectares announced.
By February 2026
21 sheltered islands completed under the separate Species Coastal and Wetlands programme.