Wild Brownsea

The Lookout will become the first destination for visitors to Brownsea Island after they land and will provide spectacular views of the Lagoon and the many birds which nest and feed there. The wildlife observatory will also introduce visitors to the mosaic of habitats and species found on the island and inspire them to explore and enjoy all that the natural heritage of Brownsea has to offer. 

The Lookout replaces a dilapidated lagoon hide and as its footprint is larger than the original hide, three existing buildings that were also in a poor condition were removed from the area of the island that Dorset Wildlife Trust manages to offset the increased floor space. Despite its size, The Lookout is nestled amongst the trees and was designed to age into the natural background with time. The construction process was not without its challenges which inevitably came from building such a unique structure on a small island but everyone worked hard together to bring this exciting project to life. 

The Lookout was commissioned as part of the Wild Brownsea project developed in partnership with National Trust and was part funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with contributions from National Trust, The Fine Foundation, as well as Dorset Wildlife Trust members and supporters.

Brownsea is for everyone. We are always interested in hearing from groups and individuals who have never been to Brownsea, and are interested in volunteering, visiting or learning about wildlife and conservation on the island. Get in touch by emailing us:  Brownsea@dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Follow all our adventures on social media
@DWTBrownsea on Twitter or search using the hashtag #WildBrownsea 
@dorsetwildlife on Facebook 
@dorsetwildlife on Instagram
 

Originally planned as a three-year project starting in 2019, the pandemic disrupted the schedule and so the funded project was finally completed in 2023. Our volunteers and wardens achieved a huge amount despite the challenges of lockdowns. The works have included:

• Removal of the old, broken, narrow boardwalk replacing it with a new, more accessible and safer one. 
• Renaming two of our hides – the Mac Hide has become the Tern Hide and Low Hide has transformed into Avocet Hide. Both hides now have new bird identification and information panels for visitors.
• Dismantling the High Hide, an old derelict hide and installing screening to ensure birds are not disturbed on the approach to the Avocet Hide.
• Working with our amazing volunteer and corporate working parties to restore and rebuild the tern islands, ready for the spring breeding season.
• Building relationships with local groups to ensure the project benefits sectors of the community who may not have been able to visit Brownsea before and delivering online engagement events.
• Further development of our Schools Programme, entering a new partnership with National Trust which will see a greater number of school children able to take part in funded activity trips to Brownsea – up to 25 visits a year.  We have also taken part in a number of careers fairs and spoken to over 200 young people at Kingston Maurward College and welcomed their students to the island for practical modules.
• Dismantling the Lagoon hide in preparation for the construction of The Lookout - a new wildlife observatory designed to provide a welcome point to help visitors discover Brownsea's wildlife and panoramic views of the Lagoon.
• Clearing out the Villa, now known as the Wildlife and Wetland Centre, and surroundings to prepare for the refurbishment works to begin. We have dismantled the old log shed which was built with the remains of storm-damaged trees in the 1980s and had become unsafe for use. We have recycled some of the timber walls to make more tern shelters for the islands around the lagoon, giving the chicks somewhere to hide from both predators and extreme weather.
• Young Conservationists, launched in October 2021, continues to go from strength to strength. Young people aged 13-17 visit the island once a month to take part in a range of practical conservation tasks, wildlife surveys and habitat monitoring. 
• More Explorer visits to engage the local community, especially those who have not visited Brownsea before. This has enabled young people from minority groups and people living with disabilities and special educational needs to take part in conservation and wildlife-based activities.
• Our trainees completed their AQA 'Working with Young People' by helping with the Young Conservationists group.
• New signage and interpretation is being installed across the whole of Brownsea Island helping visitors find out more about the wildlife they can encounter.
• We have launched the new Brownsea Wildlife Survey group (BroWSE) to help with monitoring and we are grateful to Jim White and Dorset Bryophyte Group for the first survey under this banner. We have also completed our first reptile transect in partnership with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).

Thanks to hundreds of generous donors, we raised over £40,000 in one week for Wild Brownsea engagement and education. Read more about the appeal.