Experts have said birds from Russia, Iceland and Greenland spending the winter on the Solent make the area of worldwide importance for wildlife.
Every year, up to 125,000 birds migrate in the winter from as far as the Arctic to the Solent coast, and three Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have been designated for them to take advantage of the coastal mudflats, writes Natalia Forero.
These birds need to feed and rest undisturbed to survive the winter and build enough energy to fly back to their summer habitats, experts from the Bird Aware Solent project said.
Migrating birds SpaMap
The scheme was created to protect the species and their habitats and is made up of 15 organisations, including Hampshire County Council, Natural England, the RSPB, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, and Chichester Harbour Conservancy.
It strives to mitigate the impact of housing development and leisure visitors who disturb birds.
To protect migratory birds’ habitats, a team of rangers helps coastal visitors and communities understand the importance of different bird species and the impact of disturbance.
Additional work is taking place to encourage responsible dog walking on sensitive parts of the coast, since research made by Bird Aware Solent shows that dog interactions cause around 40% of bird disturbances.
Dark-bellied Brent geese are one of the migratory bird species that come to the Solent in winter. They make the largest migration to arrive in this part of the country, flying from Siberia in Russia and travelling 3,000 miles. In winter months, 10% of the global population of dark-bellied Brent geese comes to the Solent.
Migrating birds CG Brent geese Yarmouth 4 (2)
Geese begin arriving in October, and by January their numbers reach around 25,000.
Another species is the black-tailed godwit, which flies more than 1,000 miles nonstop from Iceland to the Solent shores every winter.
Migrating birds CG Black tailed godwits at Yarmouth 6 (2)
They can be seen along the New Forest coast and the muddy harbours of Portsmouth, Langstone and Chichester.
Sanderlins fly thousands of miles all the way from the Siberian Arctic and Greenland. They feed in small flocks at the water’s edge, sprinting backwards and forwards after the waves, looking for marine crustaceans, fish, and even jellyfish, to eat.
Migrating birds CG Sanderling 2 (1)
Other birds that fly to the Solent for the winter include oystercatchers, curlews, turnstones, wigeons, red-breasted mergansers, ringed plovers, and teal ducks.
Migrating birds MA Curlew 3
Natalie Hands, team manager for Bird Aware Solent, said the project needs more resources to extend its team and spread awareness in the community due to the new housing targets.
The project also aims to extend the designated SPA sites so they can’t be developed in the future. “It’s what we hope,” she said.