Habitat restoration work at Wallasea Island in Essex has paid off with the site's highest-ever monthly wildfowl and wader count. Made in December 2023, some 38,000 waterbirds were tallied.

Wallasea Island RSPB logged a record total of 38,000 waterbirds during its Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) count in December 2023.

This huge count surpassed the previous record, which had been set in January 2020.

The large numbers of waders and wildfowl come in the wake of the Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project, which has transformed the area’s wetland habitats. The recent survey revealed remarkable numbers of several species, including 700 Avocets and more than 2,000 Black-tailed Godwits.