About us

Bird Aware Essex Coast is an initiative to raise awareness of the birds that feed and breed on the Essex coast, so that people can enjoy the coast and its wildlife without disturbing the birds.

The Essex coastline stretches for just over 350 miles from the Thames Estuary to the Stour Estuary. As a result the coastline is extremely diverse and features a variety of habitats and environments including mud-flat, saltmarsh and grazing marsh which are internationally important for wildlife including thousands of waders and wildfowl. These birds need to feed and rest undisturbed so that they can survive the winter and build up enough energy to fly back to their summer habitats. Because of this, their survival relies on everyone helping to prevent bird disturbance.

Our project engages with visitors and communities along the coast to help people learn about the different species of bird and understand the impact of bird disturbance. We’re always happy to hear from you, please contact us.

How we are funded

Additional housing will lead to more people visiting the coast. This has the potential to cause more disturbance to the birds. We are taking action to prevent that disturbance, funded by developer contributions from house builders.

The partnership

Bird Aware Essex Coast is the brand name of the Essex Coast Recreational disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Partnership. We are made up of twelve local councils, Essex County Council and Natural England.