Birdwatching

Nature

The Isle of Wight is an excellent birdwatching destination, with over 200 species recorded on the island. The mix of coastal, wetland, downland and woodland habitats supports a wide range of resident and migratory birds throughout the year.

Brading Marshes is the island's only RSPB reserve, stretching from Brading village to Bembridge Harbour. It is one of the island's most important wetlands, home to buzzards, little egrets, green woodpeckers and marsh harriers. In spring, cuckoos, blackcaps and chiffchaffs breed here. Winter brings fieldfares, redwings and flocks of wildfowl and waders.

Newtown National Nature Reserve, managed by the National Trust, is the other premier birdwatching site. Its saltmarsh, mudflats and meadows attract wintering brent geese, redshanks and lapwings. The reserve has bird hides and a network of footpaths.

The chalk cliffs of the south and west coasts support breeding seabirds including fulmars, and peregrine falcons nest on cliff faces. The Needles headland is a good vantage point for seabird watching. Inland, Parkhurst Forest has woodpeckers, treecreepers and long-tailed tits. The island's farmland supports skylarks, yellowhammers and corn buntings.

The Isle of Wight Ornithological Group organises field trips and records sightings. Bird hides are available at Brading Marshes and Newtown. Autumn migration can produce unusual sightings, with the island's south coast position making it a first landfall for birds crossing the Channel.