9th February
Stranger on the Shore Acker
Bilk
Down to the shingle
seashore via farm tracks in the early morning mist, I found Bracklesham Bay RSPB
Reserve, an area of flooded, grassy fields with shallow pools. There were a
lot of duck to see; mostly Wigeon, Shovelor and Mallard, with a sizeable number
of Shelduck too. A rather small RSPB sign attached to the fence by a five-bar
gate showed the way.
To get here I had cycled along a pretty firm pathway adjacent to the shingle shore; a shoreline that had beautiful views across the sea to a distant Isle of Wight, gorgeous in the early morning sunshine. For today was one of those 'Spring is around the corner' days. Sunshine with no cloud and no wind to disturb the flat sea.
Further along large
JCBs were shoring up the shingle shore and a quick chat with the workers there
told of future sea defences and the reason for them. Something about the
currents getting stronger along this stretch of coastline.
Into the village of Selsey, right onto the Bill itself, a kind old lady stopped me to give me a fiver as a donation. I then heard a familiar call. A Sandwich Tern [128] was passing along the water's edge. I had heard reports of a couple of Black Redstarts [129] being in the area and indeed there they were in some back gardens. As usual they kept showing themselves well on fences and fence posts, not adult males but smart nonetheless and another new bird for the year list. A little further along there were two Mediterranean Gulls [130] on metal fence railings along the sea wall, standing there with an extensive line of Black-headed Gulls.
It was great to get some more birds for the year list after so many days without a Green Year tick.
The reserve has now totally gone, having been converted into a huge saltmarsh reclamation project with large breeches made into the seawall. This has replaced the wet grassland reserve I saw into something altogether very different and spectacular!
To take from the RSPB - Sussex Wildlife Trust website on the new MEDMERRY Reserve . . .
Medmerry is one our wild and wonderful reserves, found on the south coast, near Chichester. If offers long walks and bike rides, with panoramic views, glorious sunsets and plenty of wildlife.
The result of one of Europe's largest managed realignment schemes, Medmerry is a real sucesss story for wildlife and people. Discover Medmerry's journey from a flood plain to vibrant nature reserve in this video.
The reserve has 6.25 miles of trails to help you get to know the landscape. It's also just a stone's throw from our Pagham Harbour reserve, where we run family events and creative workshops.
19.53 miles
157 feet elevation up 155 feet down
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