The Dengie National Nature Reserve is a large and remote area of tidal mudflat and saltmarsh between the Blackwater and Crouch Estuaries near Bradwell-on-Sea.
Made up of over 3000 hectares, it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Area. The reserve is also one of three Ramsar Sites in the Maldon District, and one of seventy-one designated Ramsar sites in England.
The saltmarsh here is the largest continuous example of its type in Essex and is home to internationally important wintering populations of wildfowl and waders. The flats between the tides, and the saltmarshes at high tide, provide extensive feeding areas for these populations, including nearly 2% of the world’s population of Brent Geese and Grey Plover.
There are also significant numbers of Dunlin, Turnstone and Knot, and good numbers of Oystercatcher, Pintail, Shelduck, Wigeon, Curlew, Golden Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit.
Also in the reserve is the Bradwell Shell Bank nature reserve, which is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, as well as the ancient relgious site of St. Peter’s Chapel which overlooks the northern parts of the reserve.
Contact Details
Email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 060 3900
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