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Hampshire - Beaulieu River Cruise and Lymington Marshes (Day Trip)
Tour Code: GBR365A day on the Hampshire coast visiting nationally important wetlands and coastal marshes and taking to the water for an afternoon birdwatching cruise along the Beaulieu River.
£95
£95
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
This exciting Day Trip is a day of two halves. In the morning, we visit Normandy Marsh, part of the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve and one of the finest locations on the south coast to get close views of wintering waders and wildfowl. Many thousands of birds spend the winter on the marshes here, including Brent Geese, Pintail, Goldeneye, Eider and Red-breasted Merganser, while waders may include Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Avocet, Curlew and Dunlin. Spoonbill, Marsh Harrier and scarcer species such as Slavonian Grebe are always possible too. We will take the morning at a gentle pace, learning key ID features and habits of the species observed.
For the afternoon, we relocate to the Bucklers Hard and board 'Lazy Daze' for a 2.5-hour cruise along the Beaulieu River, one of the best areas of unspoilt estuarine habitat in southern England. With limited public access, this is a rare opportunity to observe species from the water and we hope to observe Grey and Common Seal at close quarters together with White-tailed Eagle, Goshawk and Marsh Harrier. In addition, the river provides a good opportunity to observe classic coastal waders and wildfowl.
This Day Trip operates year-round with the species mix changing throughout the seasons. Whenever we visit we can expect a fascinating, wildlife-filled day out.
- Cruise along the Beaulieu River through unspoilt estuarine habitat
- Close views of wintering waders and wildfowl
- White-tailed Eagle, Goshawk and Marsh Harrier all possible
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Marcus Ward
Marcus is a life-long naturalist specialising in birds, mammals, moths and fungi. Now based in Weymouth, he previously lived in and around the New Forest for most of his life. It is here in the Forest that Marcus is known for his work with Hawfinch, in addition to leading the Pine Marten project, and has spent many 100’s of hours in the field with these species each year. This has led to the publication of numerous papers and articles on these species, alongside literature on Firecrest and ground-nesting waders.
Marcus is a bird-ringing trainer and runs a team of 12 bird ringers as part of the New Forest Ringing Group. He is also a former trustee of Hampshire Ornithological Group and over the years has sat on several working groups and committees advising on woodland birds and mammals.
Marcus is a popular speaker on the circuit and when he isn’t fulfilling his obsession for Hawfinch he can be found on his local patch at Lymington-Keyhaven Marshes where over the years he has found and documented many scarce and rare species.
2026
Tour Leader: Marcus Ward
Marcus is a life-long naturalist specialising in birds, mammals, moths and fungi. Now based in Weymouth, he previously lived in and around the New Forest for most of his life. It is here in the Forest that Marcus is known for his work with Hawfinch, in addition to leading the Pine Marten project, and has spent many 100’s of hours in the field with these species each year. This has led to the publication of numerous papers and articles on these species, alongside literature on Firecrest and ground-nesting waders.
Marcus is a bird-ringing trainer and runs a team of 12 bird ringers as part of the New Forest Ringing Group. He is also a former trustee of Hampshire Ornithological Group and over the years has sat on several working groups and committees advising on woodland birds and mammals.
Marcus is a popular speaker on the circuit and when he isn’t fulfilling his obsession for Hawfinch he can be found on his local patch at Lymington-Keyhaven Marshes where over the years he has found and documented many scarce and rare species.
Tour Leader: Marcus Ward
Marcus is a life-long naturalist specialising in birds, mammals, moths and fungi. Now based in Weymouth, he previously lived in and around the New Forest for most of his life. It is here in the Forest that Marcus is known for his work with Hawfinch, in addition to leading the Pine Marten project, and has spent many 100’s of hours in the field with these species each year. This has led to the publication of numerous papers and articles on these species, alongside literature on Firecrest and ground-nesting waders.
Marcus is a bird-ringing trainer and runs a team of 12 bird ringers as part of the New Forest Ringing Group. He is also a former trustee of Hampshire Ornithological Group and over the years has sat on several working groups and committees advising on woodland birds and mammals.
Marcus is a popular speaker on the circuit and when he isn’t fulfilling his obsession for Hawfinch he can be found on his local patch at Lymington-Keyhaven Marshes where over the years he has found and documented many scarce and rare species.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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