Pagham Harbour, West Sussex (Day Trip)

Autumn:

Passage waders include Black-tailed Godwits, Common, Green and Curlew Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Spotted Redshanks and Little Stints on the pools and scrapes, whilst Sandwich Terns linger on in the harbour after breeding. The surrounding bushes and fences can hold Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts, various warblers, Whinchats and wheatears, and our focus will be on intercepting some of these migrants. Offshore may provide the chance of finding passing skuas and perhaps, an early-returning Slavonian Grebe. Migrant butterflies may include Clouded Yellows and Painted Ladies, whilst a variety of dragonflies can still be seen on the reserve. October sees the arrival of winter visitors including Short-eared Owl, Firecrest and Black Redstart.

Winter:

A few thousand Brent Geese provide a lovely spectacle in the harbour, along with hundreds of Teal, Pintail and Wigeon, with their magical whistling calls. Goldeneye may be found diving in the deeper channels, while large numbers of waders can be found on the mudflats and saltmarsh, including Avocet, Curlew, Redshank, Grey Plover and Dunlin. The wildfowl and waders are regularly harried by Peregrines, whilst Marsh Harrier and Merlin may also be seen hunting the saltmarsh for Skylarks and Pipits. Kingfishers frequent the tidal channels and creeks, while Water Rail and occasionally Bearded Tits can be found in the reedbeds. The arable fields bordering the estuary often have mixed flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing feeding.

At Church Norton the shoreline can produce Turnstone, Rock Pipit and, at low tide, a few Sanderling, while offshore, Red-throated Diver, Black-necked and Slavonian Grebe, Eider, Common Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser may be found. The gorse scrub at the Severals may hold a skulking Dartford Warbler, and at dusk we may be lucky to see a Barn Owl hunting over the marshes.

Spring:

This is a magical time as we see the arrival of summer visiting birds and the emergence of spring flowers and butterflies. Return passage of waders sees Avocet, Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers and Little Stint frequenting the Ferry Pool. The cattle-grazed fields near the pool often support feeding Sand Martins and Swallows, which in turn might attract the attention of a passing Hobby. The path-side scrub and trees can harbour migrant song birds e.g. Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat and Redstart. Down at Church Norton, the Tern Island lives up to its name, with Common, Sandwich and Little Terns re-establishing their noisy nest sites. Early butterflies abound, with Brimstone, Small Copper and Green Hairstreak in evidence.

Summer:

A few species of wader stay on to breed, including Redshank on the marshes and a few pairs of Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover on the shingle. The reedbeds hold nesting Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting, with Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat singing their scratchy songs from scattered bushes and scrub. A few non-breeding waders e.g. Green Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit are often seen on the Ferry Pool, whilst Shelducks nest in adjacent fields. The wetland habitats also support a variety of damselflies and dragonflies, including the Common Darter, Brown Hawker and Southern Hawker.

One of the liveliest places at the height of summer is Tern Island, where the nesting terns and Black-headed Gulls will be busy feeding their young and sheltering them from the heat. Their raucous cries carry far, and there is a constant to and fro of terns going out to sea to catch small fish for their offspring. If we are lucky we may spot a basking Common Lizard or Slow Worm on the edge of the footpath.