A Special Place for Wildlife
Chichester Harbour is internationally important for birds and for its coastal habitats. You might not think that harbour wildlife is unusual enough for that, but although in the southeast of England there are quite a lot of wet and muddy bits, over the whole of Europe these estuarine ecosystems are rare. Wetlands, including coastal areas, are one of the most threatened and diminishing habitats internationally.
A huge variety of plants and animals live in and around the harbour. Some are hidden in the mud, or are underwater, so it's not immediately obvious what is there. Others are very easy to see.
Did You Know?
• The harbour has an average of 52,500 waterfowl each year. That makes it the most important single site on the south coast of England for these birds.
• It has internationally important numbers of 5 species of wildfowl and waders It is nationally important for at least 8 further species.
• At least 25 nationally rare species of plants and animals occur - and that's not including non-breeding birds.
• An area of mudflat similar to that occupied by a dinghy could hold 40,000 tiny Laver spire shells, 60,000 Corophium shrimps, 50,000 Baltic Tellin shellfish or up to 500 Ragworms.
• There are underwater slippers, spiders and peacocks (limpets, crabs and worms), dahlias, carrots and gooseberries (anemones, sponges and sea squirts)!
A Quick Guide
The coastal habitats which make the harbour important include mudflats, saltmarsh, sand, shingle and fresh marshes. Some of the areas are quite large - and size matters!
The mud is possibly the most important thing in the harbour. Almost all the characteristic wildlife depends on it. There are some fascinating creatures in there. Just be careful if you go looking! Many of these billions of creatures are destined to be eaten by the huge number of wading birds that use the harbour on migration or spend the winter here.
Saltmarsh is the name given to vegetation growing between the low and high tide lines. The typical structure of saltmarsh is flat low growing vegetation with narrow channels. All the plants are adapted to cope with the differences in tidal regime according to their height above mean low water. Some of the harbour's saltmarsh is botanically very diverse, and hence of exceptional importance.
The sand dunes and shingle features such as at East Head and Pilsey Island have their own specialists plants. Look out also for lizards in the sand, and lichens on the shingle.
At high tide the wading birds flock together on quiet areas of saltmarsh or shingle to preen or sleep while the mud is covered. Look for shimmering waves of Dunlin, urgent noisy flocks of Oystercatchers and cascades of Godwits. The largest concentrations occur in winter and are likely to be at Pilsey, the Stakes Islands, Thorney, Ellanore and East Hayling. Watching them assemble is a spectacular sight! You will see most wildfowl between October and March. More information is available on the birds page including details of the trends in numbers.
There's some good stuff underwater too. Mostly the seabed is sand, muddy shingle and finer mud, with the sandy areas occurring nearest to the mouth of the harbour. There aren't many rocks for things to live on, but there are navigation marks, moorings and other hard features which become homes for various creatures. Over 30 species of fish have been recorded, though you can't eat them all! Video of some of the underwater life can be seen in the Video Library. There is also a very unusual plant - Eelgrass (Zostera). It is not a seaweed, but a flowering plant. The patches, or 'beds', are unique in Sussex, and significant nationally.
Much of the low lying land around the harbour is divided from the intertidal area by a seawall. Here you can find wet grassy places, often grazed by cattle. These coastal grazing marsh habitats are botanically interesting, and also support many species of invertebrate, including several nationally rare or scarce. They are also the most important sites in the harbour for nesting waders, Skylarks and other nationally important bird species. There aren't many of these grazing marshes left now, so where there are large areas such as Thorney Deeps, they are particularly important. Also, in the rare cases where there is no sea wall, the transition between the saltmarsh and the grassland is especially valuable.
In areas of freshwater you can find a different kind of wet grassland, often linked with a stream. Here there is a huge range of plants and invertebrates, particularly where some areas are wetter than others. You can also find areas of reedbed; at Fishbourne there is one you can walk through that marks a rare natural transition between salt and fresh water.
There are several ponds, often former mill ponds, in which the water is partly salty ('brackish'). The lagoons into which these have developed now support several nationally rare invertebrate species such as the starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) and lagoon worm (Alkmaria romijni).
There are locally significant areas of ancient woodland at Old Park Wood and Salterns Copse. Some of the oak trees around the harbour are older than they look - the wind has kept them small! They are a characteristic feature of the harbour and in places where they come down to the harbour edge uninterrupted by a sea wall you can imagine the harbour being like this 4,000 years ago before most of the woodland was cleared. They are a stunning sculptural sight as you walk along the beach - and even tolerate being lapped by the sea!
Arable fields are not necessarily as barren of wildlife as they are often portrayed. Annual plants with imaginative names such as Shepherd's Needle and Mousetail can occur around the edged of the crop. Listen for characteristic birds like Corn Buntings, sounding like rattling keys.
So, even on a short walk you can find a huge range of wildlife. And some of the rarest species are found in gardens and harbour villages - Water Voles, for example, live in the ditches and streams in and around Itchenor, Bosham and Birdham. Go out, look and listen!
What's Where?
Check out our guide to some of the areas to go to enjoy harbour wildlife, and information about the best time of year to see particular things. See the walking page for more ideas of where to go.
A Globally Important Place
Chichester Harbour has been given several designations as international, European and national level in recognition of the significance of the wildlife of the harbour. More details can be found on our designations page.
What Is Being Done To Look After The Harbour's Wildlife?
The value of the biodiversity of the harbour in its own right and as a resource for enjoyment is recognised in the harbour Management Plan. This includes a Biodiversity Action Plan which contains active measures for conserving and increasing threatened habitats and species.
What Can I do?
• Join the Friends of Chichester Harbour. The Friends give money to support harbour projects, including wildlife conservation. There are also regular workparties: join other volunteers helping to do practical work to manage habitats.
• Support the Chichester Harbour Trust, which has been set up to buy land in and around the harbour to safeguard it for the future. Tel: 01243 777632 for more information.
• Help with surveys: contact the Conservation Officer, Ed Rowsell and find out more information about counting birds.
• Use the Harbour Forum on this website to report anything interesting that you see - and don't think that because it's common we don't want to know - we do!
• Buy locally raised conservation beef. See www.threeharboursbeef.co.uk
• Take care of the wildlife when you are out and about. In particular, keep your dog away from birds.
More Information
Annual Wildlife Review
Come along on a walk or activity to find out more about harbour wildlife.
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