Wildlife with Hugh

There is always something to see at Medmerry, even from the car park. On a guided walk in May we were greeted with many birds at our meeting place. Whitethroats in the surrounding bushes, skylarks and yellowhammers singing, even a whimbrel in the adjacent field.

An afternoon trip to Medmerry on the cusp of spring produced a range of interesting sightings. From the very beginning skylarks were singing, a real highlight at this time of year.

On a guided tour around one of the many productive areas of Chichester Harbour we bumped into an old friend from Norway and enjoyed some of the delights from the midwinter season.

A glorious winters morning at Kingley Vale saw many birds revelling in the still air and surprisingly warm sunshine.

Throughout November it has only been possible to run one to one guided sessions. On such an outing around Fishbourne Channel there was a great abundance of birds, and no shortage of avian drama.

Creatures of habit - I could be talking about the birds, or those who watch them with that title.

Medmerry lies to the south of Chichester, on a section of the coast called Bracklesham Bay. It is a fantastic place for wildlife, despite being a recently created and developing landscape. Conceived as a coastal realignment scheme, it is benefiting both wildlife and people through the creation of new habitats and mitigating flooding in the local area. A variety of habitats and ecological niches provide a framework for a diverse mix of species to thrive here. Habitats range between farmland, grassland, freshwater, brackish water, coastal scrub, trees and hedgerows, developing intertidal mudflats, saltmarsh, saltwater lagoons, shingle beaches and the open sea. All of this results in Medmerry being an excellent place to go and view bird life. The groundworks for Medmerry were completed in 2013, and since 2016 I have been conducting regular surveys of the birds and reptiles at the reserve for the RSPB. Like most places different bird species can be seen at different times of year. Over tim...