Natural Interest

Looking for a wildlife experience

The whole area offers a rich diversity of interest for those who like the natural world. Here are some key spots:

• Internationally inportant numbers of waders overwinter on Chichester Harbour whilst massive wintering flocks of Brent Geese can often be found around the car park at East head.
• The shore at Climping attracts numbers of wintering Sanderling and rarities for the region such as occasional snow bunting and shore lark.
• Pagham Harbour has shingle, marsh and mudflat all easily accessible from harbour side walks. It is an ornithalogical hot spot during migration and and important site for overwintering. There are usually over 200 species seen each year. The Sidlesham local nature reserve is good for inexperienced bird watchers as it often offers close views. See the Sussex Nature webpage on Pagham Harbour for more details.
• The local foreshores provide exposures of scientifically significant strata.
  • London Clay around Bognor Regis (the most important site in the world for pyritised insect fossils and also yeilding over 130 different types of fossil seeds)
  • Chalk at Climping with flint filled sea urchin fossils
  • Bracklesham Beds at the Witterings
  Even when the rocks are covered it is often possible to find odd fossils washed out on the shore, especially at East Wittering. For more details the Discovering Fossils site has pages on Climping (Littlehampton West Beach) and Bracklesham Bay whilst the UK Fossils Network has pages on Bognor Regis and Bracklesham Bay
• At the Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve one of the finest yew forests in western Europe can be found together with chalk downland and rare chalk heath habitats. There is also a downland reserve near Heyshott run by the Murray Downland Trust.
• A more accessible natural experience can be had at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Arundel WWT Reserve.

The links on this page are provided as a service to existing and potential visitors. They have been provided in the belief that the sites are unlikely to contain material of an offensive nature. However, please note that the Royal Norfolk is not responsible for the content of these sites.