Bird Aware Solent raise awareness of internationally-protected birds. Each ranger has selected one of their favourite sites from around the Solent coast to show in a virtual tour.
Ranger Julie explores Hurst Spit, Sturt Pond and the surrounding Milford on Sea area and shows some of the amazing birds who call this special place home.
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| click here to view tour |
About Bird Aware Solent
Bird Aware Rangers engage with communities along the coast, particularly over winter, to protect the special areas of the Solent and their wildlife.
The coastline of the Solent stretches from Hurst Spit to West Wittering, and includes the northern shore of the Isle of Wight, more than 225km in total. It is an extremely busy area for commerce, shipping, recreation and leisure.
It is internationally important for wildlife, with a number of protection designations, including three Special Protection Areas (SPAs). These are part of a Europe-wide network of sites for nature conservation.
Every winter thousands of birds take refuge in the Solent to feed and rest, including 90,000 waders and over 10 per cent of the global population of Brent Geese. Many come from areas high in the Arctic.
Many birds can only find the food they need on the foreshore at low tide. During winter the few hours of daylight limit time available for feeding. Bad weather also has an impact on foraging.
People visiting the coast often unintentionally disturb feeding and roosting birds. This reduces their precious feeding time further, and can use up energy supplies if the birds need to fly away. If disturbed too often birds may not survive the winter or make the journey back to breeding grounds in the spring.
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