HERSEY RESERVE, SEAVIEW DUVER

The Hersey Nature Reserve is on the north east coast of the Isle of Wight between Springvale and Seaview. It is situated on an area of low lying land where water draining from a small valley running north between Pondwell and Nettlestone is prevented from entering the sea by a tidal gate. As a result a lake has formed inland along with marshland and reedbeds providing an ideal habitat for wading birds. The reserve is noted for its visiting wading birds and wildfowl and forms part of the Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek SSSI.

The Hersey reserve is a particularly good place for bird watching and it provides unrivalled views of water birds from the bird hide. Tufted duck, little grebe, grey heron and little egret are regular. In the winter months look out for oystercatchers, kingfisher, greenshank, teal and water rail. During spring and autumn, you may spot common sandpiper, Mediterranean gull and shelduck. Flocks of swallows and martins feed over the water in the summer and reed and sedge warblers call from the reedbeds. At any time of year, a free flying flock of barnacle geese may visit to graze on the grasses.

The pasture to the south of the lagoons grades from common bent dominated grassland along the raised trackways to the low lying brackish marshy grassland supporting the nationally scarce bulbous foxtail grass and extensive patches of divided sedge.  Water voles live in the ditches at the back of the site where the water is fresh rather than brackish.

Click here if you would like to find out more about getting involved with your local nature reserve.