Retirement Villages by the Coast | National Wildlife Day
The surroundings and conditions around retirement villages by the coast mean that residents are often privy to seeing some of the best of British wildlife in these locations! As an eco-led project, Burnham Waters is passionate about all things wildlife and nature. With National Wildlife Day celebrated on 4th September, here we highlight some activities for over 55s to get involved in this NWD, as well as what’s on in Essex during this time.
What is National Wildlife Day?
National Wildlife Day celebrates and raises awareness of the world’s wild animals and the vital role they play in our eco-systems. It gives us the opportunity to step back and think about the beautiful natural world that surrounds us. It also reminds us of the alarming numbers of endangered animals and habitats, and encourages us to advocate preservation and conservation efforts in any way we can.
There still remains a lot to learn and do, but positive changes are being made year on year. It’s important that we continue our efforts to positively impact wildlife and the environment not only on this day, but throughout the year too.
Activities to appreciate nature
In Burnham-on-Crouch and the surrounding Essex villages, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the local wildlife and coastal surroundings:
Walking
Walking amongst nature is one of the best ways to appreciate our surroundings in light of World Wildlife Day. As we come to the end of summer, Burnham-on-Crouch offers some lovely trails for over 55s to enjoy, for some ideas, take a look at our recent blog on the benefits of walking or our post about local walks in Burnham-on-Crouch here.
Exploring coastal paths
Burnham is full of beautiful walks that can be enjoyed by yourself, with your dog, or with friends or family. There are plenty of routes to be taken, but the coastal paths are some of the most scenic. The Saltmarsh Coast Trail takes you just outside of Burnham-on-Crouch centre and curves around the yacht harbour.
Be sure to look at the tide times before taking this walk as it can cut the trail short, if the tide is high. When low, you can walk through the Crouch estuary and right through the boatyard. This path is edged inland, where you can get a great view of local wildlife and a variety of colourful low shrubberies. We recommend bringing your binoculars!
The Burnham Cliff walk is also perfect for spotting an abundance of local inhabitants. Simply continue along the Saltmarsh coast trail and you’ll reach the unexpected gradient amongst the flat landscape. This cliff is made up of natural clay and is rich in fossils! You’re likely to find sharks’ teeth, shells, fossilised wood and even bird bones, dating back some 50 million years. It’s the perfect location to go exploring, whilst enjoying some beautiful views of Burnham. From this cliff, you can access the beach below, again, when the tide is low.
Bird watching trails
The great thing about bird watching is that you can do it in most open spaces. We’d suggest anywhere that is quiet and where there are lots of trees, bushes, berries and water sources. Burnham-on-Crouch is the perfect setting to see this.
Whichever route you take, you’ll come across many local species along the way. Whether you are a resident at retirement villages by the coast, or a more rural settled retirement homes, the gardens can be some of the best places to see a vast array of local birds!
Wildlife you’re likely to see
Whilst out and about, these are just some of the local wildlife you could see when out and about in Essex:
- Foxes
- Badgers
- Water Voles
- Rabbits
- Seals
- Skylarks
- Blackbirds
- Thrushes
- Finches
- Plus, a variety of seabirds and waders by local rivers.
What’s on in Essex
If you’re looking for a walk on the wild side this national wildlife day, there are so many things to do on the doorstep of our retirement villages by the coast:
Colchester Zoo
Home to more than 180 beautiful, unusual and rare species of animals, Colchester Zoo has it all for a wild day out! The Animal Experiences are a great way to see some of the rarest species of the animal kingdom like never before, suitable for all ages.
Essex Wildlife Trust
The Essex Wildlife Trust aims to protect wildlife and inspire people to relish a lifelong love of nature. Here, you can explore nature trails with your family, visit a sheltered hide where you can watch rare birds, creeping reptiles, buzzing insects and little mammals scurrying along, or a wander with its team on a bee and butterfly walk.
Sealife Adventure
Here, you can explore beautiful underwater zones in the huge Sealife Adventure aquarium at Southend-On-Sea. Not only can you see a host of marine life, other animals like meerkats, otters and monkeys can also be spotted! Be sure to check out the pre-historic Pangaea Adventure too! It’s a fantastic place to learn about some of the most amazing creatures that inhabit the planet with the whole family.
All Things Alpaca
All Things Alpaca in Chelmsford is the perfect immersive experience to celebrate National Wildlife Day! Take an alpaca trekking through the beautiful orchards at Lathcoats Farm, Chelmsford.
Barleylands Farm Park & Village
Barleylands Farm Park and Village in Billericay is a fantastic animal playground for all the family to enjoy all year round. Get close to farmyard friends, including Bagot goats, sheep, lamb, nanny goats and kids, pigs and equines! Watch out for birds of prey displays, meet the reptiles, plus, you can even book yourself in to one of the VIP experiences and spend time with one of their expert farmers.
Our landscape led luxury retirement village
Burnham Waters luxury retirement village has been thoughtfully designed to enhance the lives of our residents. Our retirement community will be surrounded by beautiful communal ecological landscapes. We believe this will instill a sense of calm and tranquility within the community for residents, but will also allow for a closer connection with nature within our countryside setting.
Our ecological space will mean that a simple afternoon walk becomes an inspiring trail, in which residents can enjoy inter-connecting tree-lined pathways, scenic lakes and running water features. This will give them a chance to take in the picturesque views and experience an ambience that is completely different to other Essex surroundings. The lakes amongst the flora will provide year-round wildlife activity, adding yet another wonderful interactive element to a stroll around the local surroundings.
As an ecology and landscape led development, we have collaborated with multiple ecologists to do as much as we can to ensure all flora and fauna are safe throughout the building process. This includes replacing any lost hedgerows, planting new trees, the inclusion of a wildflowers and ponds as an ecological resource – in fact, these will feature an island to actively protect endangered water voles.
We are always proactive in our approach to nature and can consistently adapt our build plan to ensure that local wildlife is safe, and habitats preserved.
Get in touch
If you’re interested in relocating to retirement villages by the coast, our team would love to hear from you. Simply send us an email at info@burnhamwaters.co.uk, or fill out our contact form for a downloadable brochure. You can also call our sales team at on 01621 861559 to arrange a viewing today.
