Harbour Birdwatching from Fishbourne

Birdwatching spots and seasonal highlights on Chichester Harbour

Chichester Harbour is one of the most important sites for birdwatching in southern England, and Fishbourne provides easy access to several of the best viewing points. The harbour holds internationally significant populations of wintering waders and wildfowl, and the birdwatching is rewarding throughout the year.

The mudflats and saltmarshes visible from the harbour shore south of Fishbourne and around Dell Quay are feeding grounds for dunlin, redshank, curlew, grey plover, and oystercatcher. The best viewing is at low to mid tide, when the birds are spread across the exposed mud, feeding intensively. As the tide rises, the birds are pushed closer to the shore and can be viewed at remarkably close range from the sea walls and footpaths.

Brent geese are the most numerous and visible winter visitors, arriving in October from their breeding grounds in Arctic Russia. Fishbourne and the surrounding fields are regular feeding areas, and flocks of several hundred can be seen grazing on the waterside grassland during the winter months. Their dark forms and distinctive white neck patches make them easy to identify even at a distance.

In spring and summer, the harbour supports breeding terns, including little terns that nest on the shingle islands. Oystercatchers breed on the harbour edges, and the saltmarsh holds reed warblers, sedge warblers, and reed buntings. Autumn migration brings passage waders including greenshank, spotted redshank, and whimbrel.

A pair of binoculars and a tide table are the essential equipment. The RSPB's Pagham Harbour reserve, about ten miles south-east, is worth a visit for those wanting a more structured birdwatching experience with hides and visitor facilities.