Pagham Harbour, West Sussex (Day Trip)

Tour Code: GBR139

A day searching for waders and an array of other wildlife at one of the south coast's most wildlife-rich reserves.

1 days from
£60 (land only)
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

Join well-known local birders, conservationists and tour leaders for a day on the scenic Sussex coastline in search of a range of wonderful waders, wildfowl, terns, and other wildlife. Pagham Harbour is one of the best birdwatching sites on the south coast where we will visit a range of habitats including willow and gorse scrub, reedbeds, grazing marsh, pools, ditches and scrapes, saltmarsh, estuary and the sea.

We operate this Day Trip throughout the year, so please click on our 'detailed information' below to discover the seasonal highlights.

  • A mosaic of superb habitats
  • Brent Geese wintering in their thousands
  • Many waders include Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank and perhaps, Spotted Redshank
  • Offshore, Slavonian Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers gather
  • Peregrine Falcons reside on the shingle islands within the harbour
  • Led by local birder and conservationist

 

Autumn:

Passage waders include Black-tailed Godwits, Common, Green and Curlew Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Spotted Redshanks and Little Stints on the pools and scrapes, whilst Sandwich Terns linger on in the harbour after breeding. The surrounding bushes and fences can hold Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts, various warblers, Whinchats and wheatears, and our focus will be on intercepting some of these migrants. Offshore may provide the chance of finding passing skuas and perhaps, an early-returning Slavonian Grebe. Migrant butterflies may include Clouded Yellows and Painted Ladies, whilst a variety of dragonflies can still be seen on the reserve. October sees the arrival of winter visitors including Short-eared Owl, Firecrest and Black Redstart.

Winter:

A few thousand Brent Geese provide a lovely spectacle in the harbour, along with hundreds of Teal, Pintail and Wigeon, with their magical whistling calls. Goldeneye may be found diving in the deeper channels, while large numbers of waders can be found on the mudflats and saltmarsh, including Avocet, Curlew, Redshank, Grey Plover and Dunlin. The wildfowl and waders are regularly harried by Peregrines, whilst Marsh Harrier and Merlin may also be seen hunting the saltmarsh for Skylarks and Pipits. Kingfishers frequent the tidal channels and creeks, while Water Rail and occasionally Bearded Tits can be found in the reedbeds. The arable fields bordering the estuary often have mixed flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing feeding.

At Church Norton the shoreline can produce Turnstone, Rock Pipit and, at low tide, a few Sanderling, while offshore, Red-throated Diver, Black-necked and Slavonian Grebe, Eider, Common Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser may be found. The gorse scrub at the Severals may hold a skulking Dartford Warbler, and at dusk we may be lucky to see a Barn Owl hunting over the marshes.

Spring:

This is a magical time as we see the arrival of summer visiting birds and the emergence of spring flowers and butterflies. Return passage of waders sees Avocet, Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers and Little Stint frequenting the Ferry Pool. The cattle-grazed fields near the pool often support feeding Sand Martins and Swallows, which in turn might attract the attention of a passing Hobby. The path-side scrub and trees can harbour migrant song birds e.g. Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat and Redstart. Down at Church Norton, the Tern Island lives up to its name, with Common, Sandwich and Little Terns re-establishing their noisy nest sites. Early butterflies abound, with Brimstone, Small Copper and Green Hairstreak in evidence.

Summer:

A few species of wader stay on to breed, including Redshank on the marshes and a few pairs of Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover on the shingle. The reedbeds hold nesting Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting, with Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat singing their scratchy songs from scattered bushes and scrub. A few non-breeding waders e.g. Green Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit are often seen on the Ferry Pool, whilst Shelducks nest in adjacent fields. The wetland habitats also support a variety of damselflies and dragonflies, including the Common Darter, Brown Hawker and Southern Hawker.

One of the liveliest places at the height of summer is Tern Island, where the nesting terns and Black-headed Gulls will be busy feeding their young and sheltering them from the heat. Their raucous cries carry far, and there is a constant to and fro of terns going out to sea to catch small fish for their offspring. If we are lucky we may spot a basking Common Lizard or Slow Worm on the edge of the footpath.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Day Trip Location

Day Trip Location

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2024

Departures Availability Cost
Sat 14th Dec – Sat 14th Dec 3 £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Wed 19th Feb – Wed 19th Feb 5 £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60
Sat 22nd Feb – Sat 22nd Feb SPACES £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60 
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UK Day Trips Led by Expert Naturalists


We are delighted to offer a series of Naturetrek Day Trips which visit a wonderful selection of reserves and habitats across the UK, each guided by one of our expert naturalist tour leaders, many of whom are leading our Day Trips on their own ‘local patch’! Meeting at around 9am, and exploring largely on foot until around 5pm (though note that specific Day Trip timings do vary slightly by location and season), these trips are designed to spend a full day out in the fresh air, in search of a wide range of special British wildlife.


Whether you would like to explore a new area in the company of a local, expert naturalist tour leader, try a guided wildlife day out for the very first time, or perhaps you simply wish to spend the day learning more about your own local wildlife, you will find yourself most welcome on one of our Naturetrek Day Trips. We also offer days out specifically aimed at beginner birders and amateur wildlife photographers, and some trips even extend after sunset to allow us to take you on a guided tour of the night skies above. Whatever the trip focus – be it birds, botany, fungi, photography, butterflies, dragonflies, geology or a mix of just about everything – your leader will take you to the very best places to search for wildlife, and will share their knowledge generously along the way.


Our Day Trips have been fully risk assessed, and all activities are carried out in line with UK government and industry Covid-19 guidance. Most Day Trips from 17th May 2021 onwards will have a maximum number of 7 people, with a handful, such as cruises with a slightly higher number. We have also been certified as 'Good to Go'; the domestic tourism industry standard mark for Covid-19 protocols. Your safety is paramount, and we will be complying fully with UK government guidance throughout all of our Day Trips.


 


How to Book


The price for all our standard Naturetrek Day Trips is £50 per person and payment is by debit card only. You can book online, or you are very welcome to book over the phone by calling us on 01962 733051. Some Day Trips operate seasonally, and we are continuing to add additional departure dates for our fully booked Day Trips, so if you would like to be added to our wait list for any of these trips please just email info@naturetrek.co.uk or register your interest via the tour page.


 


Joining Instructions for Day Trips




If you, or someone that you have been in close contact with, has displayed symptoms of Covid-19 in the 14 days prior to the Day Trip, or if you receive an alert from NHS Track and Trace, you MUST NOT JOIN the Day Trip. Please let us know in the Naturetrek office as soon as possible and we will be happy to refund you in full.


    

  • Upon booking we will email you with a designated meeting point and confirmed timings, along with contact details for your tour leader.
    • 

  • During some Day Trips we will each use our own vehicle to move the short distances in between sites (group transport is not provided).
    • 

  • Please do not bring your dog, or other pets, as they may disturb the wildlife!
    • 

  • Please bring your own lunch.
    • 

  • Please bring plenty of water, snacks, hand sanitiser, tissues, your own face covering (this will not be compulsory whilst we are out in the fresh air and wide open spaces throughout during the day but may be required to enter toilets, visitor centres, etc.) along with anything else that you might need for the day. You will need to be able to carry everything yourself. Suitable footwear (walking shoes or walking boots) will be essential, along with sensible layers and waterproofs plus sun hat and sun cream or woolly hat and gloves etc., depending on the weather forecast.
    • 

  • Wherever possible, we will try to arrange comfort breaks during the day. On some of our more remote Day Trips this isn’t always possible, and on those occasions you will need to be prepared for the odd ‘bush stop’! If this is likely, we will alert you in the joining instructions beforehand. Please be stringent with hygiene when using public facilities.
    • 

  • We ask you to respect minimum social distancing AT ALL TIMES (currently 2m where possible between households at the time of writing, but could be updated at any time). To help ensure this, we ask group members and tour leaders not to share optics, field guides or any other equipment.
    • 

  • Finally, please do share your photos and favourite wildlife sightings with us … we love seeing them! Tweet @naturetrektours, Instagram @naturetrek_wildlife_holidays or find us on facebook.com/naturetrekwildlifeholidays
    • 




Tailormade Day Trips

Should the dates we offer not suit you, or should you wish to have a private, tailored Day Trip, we will be delighted to arrange this for you. Please just call Georgie Head on 01962 733051, or fill out our quick enquiry form and we will get back to you. For inspiration for a Tailormade UK break, please see our Tailormade UK holidays.




Reviews: 


'The Naturetrek £50 days out have been a lifesaver this year. What better way than to spend a day in the open with four other like minded people in the company of a brilliant guide who can tell you all about the geology, flors and fauna of the area. I’ve been on three of these days with more booked for the future. The days are full, meeting at 9.00am and not finishing until 5.00pm, maybe slightly earlier in the darker winter months, with about 45 minutes for our picnic lunch but never have I ever looked at my watch and wished the time would pass more quickly. Quite the opposite in fact, the time passed so quickly I was amazed when we found ourselves back at the car park. Value for money? Yes, definitely. Thank you Naturetrek.'
VB – The Naze and Walton Backwaters (Essex)

‘The Upper Teesdale Day Trip was brilliant and Andy Bunten was an exceptional guide. So very knowledgeable and an expert spotter, but equally important he had great communication skills so that no-one felt remotely patronised or afraid to ask the most basic of questions. The organisation of the day was impeccably planned too. This was my first Naturetrek outing but I have friends who regularly use you and have spoken of your trips in glowing terms. So I will certainly look at your website and I will hope to travel with you at some point in the future.’ 
 KS – Teesdale


‘We had a lovely day on Monday; Matt was terrific - particularly with us being beginners at bird watching! The other attendees were very interesting and one in particular was extremely knowledgeable. So we learned a lot - just got to remember it now! We are looking at the other day trips available to see if we can do another one.’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘I wanted to write to thank you for organising your new Day Trips. It’s an excellent idea and something to give hope to many people, who are keen to get out and about, and to experience the beauty of nature closer to home. Our trip to the Ashdown Forest on Friday was excellent. The weather was kind to us, a lovely sunny, English summer day, but it was our guide, Matt Eade, who made it special. Quite how Matt managed to arrange Goshawk, two Honey-buzzards, Hobby, Treecreeper, and a whole host of other species was remarkable.
 Spotted Flycatcher is the personal favourite of my husband Simon – and Matt knew where to find two of them. Simon was over the moon!  


It was a top day. Matt was informative, very knowledgeable, engaging, encouraging, always happy to help, provide insights and share his knowledge and experiences. He paced the walk just right, thoughtful about short breaks where needed. I worked for 8 years as a Tour Director around Europe and I know how exceptionally hard it can be to keep everyone happy!’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘The trip exceeded our already high expectations. Andy Bunten was kind, humorous, thoughtful and his knowledge of the wildlife truly exceptional. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be in his company.’ 
 KE – Teesdale


‘So nice to be on a Naturetrek trip again and had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Russ and our other companions. Everyone just got on even though we had not met before. Looking forward to our next day trip!’ 
 LD – Smardale


‘We had a great day, thank you. Matthew Capper was an excellent guide, giving us a wealth of information about the ecology, conservation and social history of the area as well as the wildlife, and having an amazing ability to detect birdlife out of nowhere.  The Lammergeier before we'd even left the meeting point was of course spectacular, but it was Matthew's commitment to searching for the birds and Mountain Hares which impressed me even more.  We also appreciated his patience and good humour, and his determination to make sure that all 5 of us got to see everything. These day trips are a brilliant idea. We are really looking forward to our next Naturetrek Day in a couple of weeks.’ 
 AB – Peak District



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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!