Opening Hours
The Sturt Pond public bird hide is open 365 days a year between 9am and 5pm or dusk if earlier. The hide often stays open later during the summer evenings. Entrance is free, but there is a donations box should anyone wish to part with loose change which helps pay for the bird food and maintenance. (All donation boxes are emptied daily).
Click here for tips on locating birds at Sturt Pond
Open Mornings
Come and join us for ‘Birding for Beginners’ on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 10am to 12 am, when experts will be available with scopes and binoculars to help you identify even the most challenging of birds.
Location
Sightings at Sturt Pond Bird Hide
Top Tips for birding at Sturt Pond
Below is an extract from the Newsletter written by Keith Metcalf in June 2020. The full document and all other newsletters can be found here.
History
Milford-on-Sea’s First Public Bird Hide
In 2008, prior to the amalgamation, the Wildlife Recording Group put forward a plan to the District and Parish Councils to introduce a public bird hide at the southern end of Sturt Pond overlooking the grazing meadow, reed-bed, scrub, saltmarsh and pond. Having gained planning approval, the group set about raising the £14,000 required to have the hide constructed and its interior fitted out. Raising the funds was quite daunting, especially when our first Lottery bid for a grant of £10,000 was rejected. However, a second bid of £10.000 was made, this time to the ‘Awards for All’ programme, and was successful. Further financial help was needed to raise the difference between the grant and the total project cost. Various donations and sponsorship funds were received from the County Council, residents and MCV and WRG volunteers, whilst additional ‘help in kind’ was generously given by Civils UK who laid the trackway from the entrance, right the way up to the bird hide steps. The Parish Council contributes by insuring the building each year.
Scrape Construction
Pete Durnell (HCC’s Lymington and Keyhaven nature reserve manager) was asked by the Wildlife Recording Group to seek permission from Natural England (NE) to create a small ‘scrape’ immediately in front of the hide to attract birds closer. Following approval from NE, Pete set about creating a natural looking sunken area to attract waders, geese and waterfowl. Some years on, we can confidently say that the scrape has been hugely successful in attracting a variety of birds close to the hide, including: Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Brent Goose, Shelduck, Teal, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Greenshank, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Spoonbill and Glossy Ibis.
Gull Rails and Young Visitors
Other items added at the reserve included ‘gull rails’ in the pond and in the scrape, which have been helpful to many birders making it easier for them to see the colours of the bird legs and even revealing a few colour-ringed birds. A new fence was erected to keep visitors further away from the important saltmarsh area. Screens were erected close to the hide so that the birds using the scrape were not disturbed when visitors enter or exit. Bird feeders were installed to encourage more common species closer to the hide enabling youngsters visiting the hide to spot them at close quarters. Guides, brownies, rainbows, sea scouts, beavers and the primary school wildlife explorers also enjoy being shown the birds through sponsored binoculars and the scopes set up especially for these visits.
12th Year Renovation Work
The hide and its access are now in their 12th year and in need of some enhancements to make the facility more welcoming. A new wider access and gate will be fitted, new and improved interpretation signage installed together with a new gravel-board edged trackway leading up to the hide. The rusting interior gate and wired fence sides will be removed completely, again to make the entrance more user-friendly. The hide itself will be repainted, have a new roof covering fitted and new internal enhancements to make it even better. A couple of years back someone very kindly wrote in our birding diary that “this is the best bird hide I have ever visited’. We want to maintain that high standard by making the above enhancements during 2020/21 to enable it to remain a ‘first class’ community facility that is so enjoyed by the public. Since formal bird recording began in September 2002, 150 different species have been recorded in the diary (see attached species list).
Since formal bird recording began in September 2002, 150 different species have been recorded in the diary (see species list).