Birds
The marshes, beaches and creeks around the Solent are important feeding and nesting sites for many wading and waterbirds. The area's mild climate attracts some special wildlife from mainland Europe including Little Egrets, an elegant white heron with a long, slender neck and fine black bill. Their cousin, the Grey Heron can also be found in the area waiting patiently by the water's edge looking for fish to eat.
In summer, look out for the brightly coloured Shelduck, almost the size of a goose, walking its ducklings to the edge of the water. Keen eyes may also be able to spot the camouflaged Reed Warbler, a reddish brown bird around 13cm in length, which spends most of its time in the dense reed stems of areas like the RSPB's Brading Marshes reserve on the Isle of Wight. The noisy and excitable black-and-white Oystercatcher can be found using its long, orange-red bill to hunt for food in the wet and muddy areas of Keyhaven Harbour and Lymington.
The RSPB reserve at Langstone occupies one third of Langstone Harbour - a muddy estuary that attracts large numbers of birds all year round. Terns, gulls and wading birds descend to breed on the islands in spring and summer, while thousands of waders and brent geese migrate from the Arctic to feed and roost in safety here. The reserve occupies one third of the Langstone Harbour tidal estuary and consists mostly of intertidal mud but includes five small islands composed of saltmarsh and shingle ridges. Apart from a landing area for recreational boat users on one of the islands, access to the reserve is restricted, thereby allowing birds to breed, feed and roost in an undisturbed state and the fragile habitats, with their specialised fauna, to develop naturally. The invertebrates and vegetation of the mudflats are a rich food source for wildfowl and waders, while the islands are used for breeding by gulls, terns and waders and as a roosting site during high-tide periods.
The biggest UK colony of Mediterranean Gulls also nest in Langstone Harbour during the summer among the giant colonies of Black-headed Gulls and important numbers of their slimmer cousins, the fork-tailed Common, Little and Sandwich Terns.
All this richness combines to make the Solent one of the most important places for wetland birds in Europe, protected under international law, and a delight for visitors.
For more information please visit the websites of the RSPB, Wetland Bird Survey and the Hampshire Ornithological Society.
The Forum would like to thank the RSPB for their assistance in preparing the text for this page.
