Wildlife in Pagham

Flora and fauna of the harbour and coast

Pagham's wildlife is dominated by the habitats of the harbour and the coast, but the village and its surroundings support a wider range of species than the birdlife alone suggests. The combination of tidal wetland, shingle, farmland, hedgerows and gardens creates a mosaic of habitats that supports a varied ecology.

The harbour's birdlife is the headline attraction, with thousands of wading birds and wildfowl overwintering on the mudflats and saltmarsh. But the harbour also supports populations of fish, crabs and invertebrates in the tidal channels. Grey mullet and flounder move in and out with the tide, and shore crabs are abundant in the shallows. The eel population of the harbour, once commercially exploited, has declined but is still present.

The shingle beach supports specialist plants that thrive in the harsh coastal environment. Yellow horned poppy, sea kale, sea campion and sea beet grow on the upper shingle, tolerating salt spray, wind and poor soil. These plants are increasingly rare as natural shingle beaches are lost to development and sea defences elsewhere.

Mammals in the Pagham area include foxes, badgers, rabbits and hedgehogs. Water voles, a species in serious national decline, have been recorded in the ditches around the harbour. Stoats and weasels hunt in the hedgerows and field margins, and brown hares are occasionally seen on the arable fields north of the village.

Butterflies and moths are well represented. The harbour margins and the hedgerows support populations of common blue, meadow brown, small copper and painted lady butterflies. The scrub around the harbour provides habitat for several moth species, and moth trapping events are occasionally organised by local naturalists.

Reptiles include common lizards and slow worms, found in the scrub and rough grassland around the harbour. Grass snakes have been recorded in the wetland habitats, and adders are present on some of the drier heath and scrub areas of the nature reserve.

The gardens of Pagham village support the usual suburban wildlife, including songbirds, hedgehogs, frogs, toads and a variety of invertebrates. The village's proximity to the harbour and the coast means that garden birdlife is enriched by species that also use the harbour habitats.

The proximity of diverse habitats within a small area is one of the ecological strengths of the Pagham area. A walk from the village centre to the harbour shore crosses gardens, hedgerows, fields, rough grassland, saltmarsh and mudflats, each habitat supporting its own community of species. This habitat mosaic is increasingly rare in a landscape that has been simplified by intensive agriculture and development, and the survival of such variety at Pagham is partly due to the harbour's protected status and partly due to the surrounding farmland remaining in low-intensity use.

Climate change is affecting the wildlife of Pagham in observable ways. Little egrets, once a rarity in Britain, are now a common sight on the harbour. Mediterranean gulls breed in increasing numbers. Warmer winters are altering the timing of bird migration, and some species are arriving earlier or staying later than they did a generation ago. The RSPB monitors these changes as part of its ongoing assessment of the harbour's ecological health.