A group of 7 Wigeon take flight at RSPB Wallasea Island. The ducks fly in a lose v formation from left to right, rising into the air with necks outstreched and wings spread behind. The back ground is mostly golden brown water reeds and some blue water. The ducks are almost in silhoutte but it is possible to distinguish the dark brown of the head, wings, and tail, and the light coloured belly. Soft golden sunlight from a low afternoon winter sun falls on the wigeon illuminating theit wing edges and breasts.

A group of Wigeon take off in the late anfternoon sun at #RSPB #WallaseaIsland for the alternative #BirdOfTheDay theme - #GoldenHour
#Birds 🪶 #Ducks #Wigeon #Nature #Wildlife #Birding #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography

A Black Headed Gull flies from left to right over a backdrop of rippled blue water and brown, scrubby reeds. The bird is white with black tips to its wings, a black spot on the side of its head, a black eye, and orange beak. The gull's head is outstretched and wings are beating downwards. The winter sunlight illuminates the birds wing feathers.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #GoodLight with the alternative of #Gulls. Here's a Black Headed Gull flying in the winter afternoon sunlight at #RSPB #WallaseaIsland
#Birds 🪶 #Nature #Wildlife #Birding #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography

Hey Suzy not too many more #Top5Birds left in 2025 but here are mine for this week
1) Hen harrier M+F
2) Spoonbills
3) Golden Plover big flocks 2000+
4) Bar tailed godwits
5) Avocets again good flock
#WallaseaIsland #Essex was full to the brim with waders biggest numbers I’ve see there 😍

Orange discs in brown soul with some green leaves …. The orange discs are I believe Orange peel fungi

Small orange disc like shapes are I believe Orange peel fungi on brown soil background with a blue grey stone & various small leaves

Green leaves & yellow flowers on brown black stems of what I think is a plant called Charlock of the cabbage/ mustard family

So had a great full day’s birding in Essex with pals #2TreeIsland & #WallaseaIsland 59 species seen Bar tailed godwit Grey & Golden plover Hen (M&F) & Marsh harrier Water pipit Avocet Barn owl Spoonbill some highlights @essexbirdnews.bsky.social @chrisgibson3940.bsky.social
Still got some botany in

Muddy marvellous: celebrating 10 years of transformation at Wallasea Island

A great good news story on how the RSPB transformed Wallasea Island in Essex from farmland into a nature reserve using excess soil from the Crossrail project tunnels in London.

#WallaseaIsland #RSPB #Crossrail #Environment #Nature

www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...

Sorry posted to quickly have ordered it from the outlet store 👍 ex-loan or photo shoot so fraction of the new cost 👍 delivery mid week … so can try it out the following Monday out birding with pals #2TreeIsland & #WallaseaIsland should test it in the field so too speak

Glossy Ibis flying over #WallaseaIsland today against a backdrop of Southend on Sea. A climate refugee on a reserve built to help the coast adapt to a changing climate. Apt as today, 10 years after breaching the seawall, I met up with members of the project team that created this amazing landscape.

Two male Shoveler Ducks in very close proximity swim on water with reeds in the background and foreground. Both birds have dark green heads with yellow eyes, white breasts, chestnut brown flanks, and black tail and wing feathers with blue flashes. The ducks are facing one another, breasts touching, and touching the others head with their black bills.

A pair of male Shoveler Ducks for #TwosDay
#Birds
🪶
#Ducks
#Nature
#Wildlife
#RSPB #WallaseaIsland

Rear view of a small, streaky brown bird standing in grass. it's head is turned to the left and is seen in profile. Its beak is open and the bird is singing.

So many #Skylarks at #RSPB #WallaseaIsland - truly makes my heart sing ❤️
#Birds
🪶

A pair of Shoveler Ducks feeding on the water with grass in the foreground. Both ducks face to the right - to the fore the male has a dark green head and large black bill, a white breast, and a chestnut brown flank. Behind the male is a mottled brown female with a large dark bill.

Shovelers shoveling at #RSPB #WallaseaIsland
#Birds
🪶
#Ducks
#Wildfowl
#Nature
#Wildlife

In the distance a mottled brown Short Eared Owl flies over grass/marshland, showing it's pale underwings against a blue/grey winter sky.

Not the greatest of photos - it's a terrible photo! - but today I got my first ever owl and I'm really rather excited!
Taken at #RSPB #WallaseaIsland
#Birds
🪶
#Owls

A male Kestrel with a grey head, black eye markings, and a brown body perches in the bare branches of a tree against a grey winter sky.

Another rather fabulous day at #RSPB #WallaseaIsland
#Birds
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#Kestrel
#Raptors
#Nature
#Wildlife

A pair of white Mute Swans, both facing to the right, taking off from water in tandem, with the furthest swan slightly forward to the near swan. Both have downbeating wings, long stretched out necks, and orange beaks with a black bill knob. On the nearer of the two swans its black legs and feet can be seen just above the water.

It's nearly #TwosDay! 2 Mute Swans taken today at #RSPB
#WallaseaIsland
#Birds
🪶
#Nature
#Wildlife
#Swans

Some nice insects from a work trip to the southeast last week. Scarce & Southern Emerald Damselflies at @RSPBEngland #WallaseaIsland. White Admiral and Heath Fritillary at #BleanWoods. Nice to see some rare invert abundance at the latter with hundreds of Ringlets on the wing too.

@RSPBEngland's #WallaseaIsland vibrant with birds, the Avocets beginning to look nesty, while the Brent Geese must be thinking about heading up to Siberia to breed. Masses of Black-headed Gulls vocal in their breeding season excitement. Pochard, Shelduck etc. #BirdsSeenIn2022 4/4

87% decline since the 1960's and red listed but lost count of the number of Corn Buntings at @Natures_Voice #WallaseaIsland today. 50+ pairs here thanks to an abundance of safe nesting habitat, invertebrate and seed sources. #FatBirdOfTheBarley #JanglingKeys #RSPBEcology

Scarce Emerald Damselflies at @Natures_Voice #WallaseaIsland today. #RSPBEcology

Inspiring #RSPBEcology visit to @Natures_Voice #WallaseaIsland today. Inter-tidal wetland creation at scale. New saltmarsh, saline lagoons, salt pans as far as the eye can see. 420 Mediterranean Gulls & over 100 pairs of nesting Avocets. Doubtless more exciting species to follow.