Please will you support Essex Wildlife Trust’s new appeal by adopting one of your county’s special species.  

We need to raise vital funds to enable us to do important conservation work in Essex. Every £20 you donate will enable us to do even more work for each of these special species.  

What is more mesmerising than watching a Barn Owl hunt, ghostly but graceful, over an Essex meadow? Or more thrilling than to see a child’s face light up in wonder, when they first encounter a Stag Beetle, which looks more Jurassic Park than Essex? Or the breath-taking moment when you hear the ‘plop’ of a Water Vole into an Essex stream?

You can make these marvels of nature your own by adopting one of your fantastic Essex species! This new appeal is aiming to raise £25,000 towards protecting important habitats – please help us. Together we can preserve the species we cherish.

In return you or your recipient will receive a gift certificate and you will both be invited to an event or talk held about your chosen species led by one of the Trust’s specialists. Why not give this original present for Christmas, or a birthday? Or even in memoriam?

Please adopt one or more of the following special species.  

Your support is vital

The Barn Owl  

With its enchanting face and translucent wings that fan the evening light, the Barn Owl is the perfection of pale beauty and a privilege to behold. Few species can enthral like these extraordinary owls but they are rare in Essex. In past times they occupied nearly every barn in the countryside but, sadly, the population in the UK has now declined to around 4,000 pairs. Essex Wildlife Trust is working to provide nesting boxes for the iconic Barn Owl and to manage Essex grasslands, to provide the ideal habitat for the small mammals that are a Barn Owl’s staple diet.

The Dormouse

Rare, elusive and captivating, this exquisite creature has been in decline for a number of years. Essex is a key county for this sleeping beauty: Essex Wildlife Trust is working to preserve ancient woodlands connected by wildlife corridors, which provide the perfect habitat for this tree-lover. The Dormouse can spend up to three quarters of its life asleep and hibernates when food is scarce to conserve energy. Adopt a dormouse and you will be helping us awaken its recovery.

The Stag Beetle

Children love the Stag Beetle – an extraordinary, pre-historic, jaw-dropping beetle, with antlers on its head. The UK’s largest terrestrial beetle, the Stag Beetle is rare and endangered – but parts of Essex, where the beetle can find its favoured ancient, decaying wood, are a stronghold. Essex Wildlife Trust is working hard to ensure that these habitats continue to exist. Stag Beetle larvae live in dead wood and the adult male sounds like a mini helicopter, when he flies. Although they look fierce they are not aggressive or poisonous – simply another Essex gem that you can help us conserve.

The Water Vole

Few animals are as cute as the Water Vole with its short fuzzy ears, portly face and fluffy fur. Brought to life vividly as ‘Ratty’ in “The Wind in the Willows”, the Water Vole has been a familiar sight in the British countryside for many years. Sadly, the sound of Water Voles ‘plopping’ into the water is becoming far more unusual; they have declined more than any mammal species in Britain. Essex Wildlife Trust is protecting the Water Vole on a number of our nature reserves across the county, with encouraging success – but we need more help. Together, we can make sure ‘Ratty’ does not become more fiction than fact.

The Exmoor Pony

Essex Wildlife Trust now has Exmoor Ponies, which joined the Trust last year. During the winter these hardy, handsome and endangered ponies spent their time successfully grazing Tiptree Heath and can now be seen at Langdon nature reserve. The Exmoor Pony is an endangered rare breed species – and invaluable to Essex Wildlife Trust. Thanks to the ponies, we can graze our nature reserves traditionally for the benefit of wildlife, as the Exmoors are excellent for browsing saplings, bramble and scrub. Adopt an Exmoor and help manage grassland and heathland wildlife.

Adopting a species could not be easier.

Turn the wildlife you love into a fantastic gift for yourself, friends and family.