We are lucky to have several volunteers supporting the work of Chichester Harbour Conservancy. Their roles vary from taking part in conservation work parties to supporting school children visiting our Education Centre. In this series Kate L’Amie joins three of our volunteers to find out more…
Citizen Science – Counting Birds
Jenny Ullman takes part in the monthly UK-wide Wetland Bird Surveys (WeBS counts) co-ordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB and Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Kate joins her for a spot of birdwatching to find out more.
With the winter sun low in the sky, Jenny and I don our binoculars and stroll down the west side of Thorney Island. The tide beginning to ebb, we are serenaded by the soft whistling of Wigeon and gentle chuntering of Brent Geese as we take the path along Wickor Bank.
Jenny is passionate about biodiversity and conservation and we chat about our shared love of birds; whilst I was born into a bird nerd family, Jenny came to birding as an adult. She enthuses about the accessibility and portability of the hobby, as well as the way that noticing birds, where they breed, where they feed, can unlock a deeper understanding of how a landscape functions.
We stop to watch a Marsh Harrier hunting over the reedbeds and I ask how she became involved as a WeBS counter in Chichester Harbour. When joining walks run by the Conservancy her birding skills were spotted; she was asked to cover one of the 14 WeBS sectors around Chichester Harbour.
Jenny now covers the sector from Emsworth to Langstone, where she counts every single wetland bird she sees, from flocks of 1000s of wading birds, to solitary ducks on the water. The counts take place monthly, on dates set to coincide with the high tide when the mudflats are covered and the wading birds are resting and easier to spot. Every month she is struck by the enormity of the nationwide WeBS counts – across the UK there will be more than 3000 volunteers counting wetland birds at the same time.
It is an enormous feat of citizen science, with data spanning decades giving accurate insights into changing wetland bird populations. As Jenny talks about how important this data is in driving conservation and protection for declining species, we spot a Curlew – a species that has declined by 49% since 1995.
We look through the telescope at a Greenshank and some passers-by stop for a chat about the birds – a regular occurrence says Jenny; people are always interested in the power of citizen science! And that science is truly powerful here in Chichester Harbour; with over 35,000 waders and wildfowl overwintering here, the data from WeBS counts has driven the designations to ensure the area is protected for the future.
This post was taken from the 2025 edition of Harbour Life; you can read the magazine at this link, or pop into the Harbour Office at Itchenor to pick up a copy.