Nature Walk Report

Eleven MCV members gathered at the Sturt Pond Nature Reserve ‘Bird Hide’ at 10am on 16th June 2024.

Keith (Metcalf) led the walk and gave a brief talk about the summer birds we were likely to encounter. He said that he would stop at various locations along the way to explain the latest Environment Agency (EA) thinking on the Hurst Spit to Lymington Coastal strategy options covering our coastline for the next 100 years.  He also spoke about the new Hurst and Keyhaven Coastal Nature Reserve Forum which comprise some 18 or so local conservation groups and local authorities who have been brought together by Hampshire Wildlife Trust to encourage visitors to Hurst, Mount Lake and Keyhaven River to help look after our local asset by the production of a series of messages (interpretation panels etc) at key access points to the area.  Keith said that these new signs were likely to be approved and in place by spring 2025.

Sturt Pond – Nature Reserve

Many of our summer breeding birds in June and July are pretty busy raising their broods and birds in general are pretty scarce.  We did however see Little Tern and Common Tern fishing in Sturt Pond and carrying their food to nesting sites further out on the marshes. There were many Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls resting, bathing and loafing at Sturt.  We walked along The Cut between the Crabbing Bridge and Cut Bridge where we stopped so that an explanation could be given about the four options being considered by the EA for the protection of Hurst Spit which includes; allowing the Spit to migrate into Mount Lake with minimal intervention, or with topping up as required.  Full details with be published by the EA later in the autumn.  It was noted that there was a proliferation of Yellow-horned Poppy in flower along the downward side of the Spit. Keith said that he and the late Tony Locke had collected seed pods from these plants to be spread along the footpath between the Bird Hide outer gate and the hide, but sadly to date, no plants had materialised here.

Hurst Spit and Mount Lake

Before crossing the Bridge, it was explained that two interpretation panels are likely to be installed here.  One would probably be at the top of the slope leading up to the Spit for visitors walking along the top of the Spit to Hurst Castle, and the other on the New Lane/Saltgrass Lane side of the bridge to capture visitors who park here before walking to the Castle.  The important messages that will be conveyed on these panels will explain that Hurst Spit and environs is an important Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary and that at certain locations along the Spit there will be ‘ground-nesting birds’ present during spring and summer.  Dogs are welcome if they walk alongside their owners and are under control.

Keith said that the EA had expressed to stakeholders a desire that when consideration was being given to coastal protection, we should try to work with nature and that for Saltgrass Lane one option would be to allow the hard sea-defences i.e. the raised embankment, to be partially removed to allow seawater to enter into the adjacent farmland.  Their reasoning for this option being that the saltmarsh in Mount Lake is quickly eroding and that in the next 30-40 years is likely to be completely lost.  Existing saltmarsh vegetation breaks up incoming waves, but once they had gone we will need to allow rising-seas to travel further inland to help dissipate wave action.  Sea-levels are predicted to rise by at least 1m in the next 100 years.  This height along Saltgrass Lane will mean that on a flat-calm day, the sea will be lapping quite near to the top of the existing embankment!  The alternative option would be to build higher sea defences, but the EA says that this may not be practical or economical in the long-term.  There were very few birds in Mount Lake which was at low-tide, but we did see a couple of Meadow and Rock Pipits.  We also heard and saw one or two Skylarks singing away over the farmland fields.

Saltgrass ‘Grazing’ Marsh

Moving east along Saltgrass Lane to the flood-gate, we walked up the incline to join the embankment at the top of Saltgrass ‘Grazing’ Marsh.  This area is recognised and designated as a grazing marsh, though it is a long time since it was grazed many decades ago.  There is a possibility that grazing could be reintroduced here, but it would need to be stock-fenced to keep the animals within the wet marsh area. We shall wait to see if this aspiration comes to fruition.  Along the upper pathway we had a superb view of a male Reed Bunting that flew from 100m away to the gorse and bramble bushes immediately in front of us.  In these same bushes, we heard a Reed Warbler chuntering away just a few feet away.  We moved away quickly in case the birds were nesting close to the footpath.  All the way along the embankment on the seaward side of the path a huge number of Golden Samphire plants established themselves many years ago and have proliferated in recent years.  Counts of the individual plants some 10+ years ago revealed about 20 plants.  Today there are more than 100.  Note that they only grow on the coastal side of the path, yet in the open meadow side of the Castle they are also prolific.  Look out in August when they come into flower. 

Keyhaven Harbour & Ferry Pontoon

As we arrived at the Harbour, Keith said that the Forum are likely to install a notice board near the ferry pontoon that would explain to visitors being taken over to the Castle that they would be entering a Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary and that they should be wary of ground-nesting birds and that dogs should be kept alongside when walking the area to help protect the birds.  We also saw several Swift and a few Swallow here, along with 2 or 3 very muddy Oystercatcher that were feeding in the nearby creek.

Ancient Highway Sluice-gate 

Before ending the walk at the Bird Observatory, we walked to the sluice-gate to look up Avon Water.  As soon as we arrived a Marsh Harrier flew over the reed bed towards us before it turned towards The Pans to fly back up towards Efford.  The bird has not been coming this far up Avon Water so we had excellent views of it at quite close quarters.  We noted a pale looking female Mallard sitting on eggs immediately behind the sluice-gate wall.  A few of us were able to observe it very briefly, but we moved away quickly as it was obviously wary of all the beady eyes looking down on it over the wall.

Bird Observatory

Our final stop was at the Observatory.  Outside the gate were plenty of Common Mallow plants in flower and inside we saw several bird species, including Avocet, Shelduck, Gadwall, Coot, Moorhen and several common species.  Although we didn’t see it during this walk, we mentioned that for the first time since at least 2017 a pair of Little Ringed Plover had nested in the dried out area of The Pans.  Thanks to Chris Barrass our Observatory recorder for locating this wader.  These very small plovers often nest in gravel extraction sites and since the waters have considerably lowered in The Pans, it must look very much like the habitat in which they are often found.

The walk ended here and members dispersed at about 12.15pm.