Birds
Each winter Britain sees the arrival of millions of waterbirds of many different species from the Arctic and northern Europe. The Solent is one of the prime destinations for these birds. Langstone Harbour is listed as a principle site for waterbirds in the UK having three species, dark-bellied brent geese, dunlins and black-tailed godwits, occurring in internationally important numbers. 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.
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.
In the last five years, Langstone Harbour supported an average of 37,593 birds, while North West Solent supported 14,922, Portsmouth Harbour supported 14,324 and Southampton Water supported 13,039 (source, RSPB). 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.
On the Isle of Wight, the RSPB’s Brading Marshes Reserve covers most of the beautiful valley of the lower River Yar running from the village of Brading to the sea at Bembridge Harbour. The extensive series of footpaths around the site provide the chance to see a wide range of birds including buzzards, little egrets and green woodpeckers. However it is also home to a variety of other wildlife including butterflies such as meadow browns, marbled whites and common blues; dragonflies and the endangered red squirrel.
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 Solent Forum has been developing a Bird Disturbance and Mitigation Study, details of which can be downloaded from our solentforum.org site.
