Pagham Harbour
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | West Sussex |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SZ875970 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 615.9 ha (1,522 acres) |
| Notification | 1954 |
| Designated | 30 March 1988 |
| Natural England website | |
Pagham Harbour is a natural harbour or inlet in West Sussex, England. It is south of the city of Chichester and near the towns of Pagham and Selsey.[1] Geographically it is the smallest and most easterly of the harbours of the Solent.
Pagham Harbour forms an area of saltmarsh and shallow lagoons. It is not an estuary, as no major streams enter the harbour with the only freshwater inflow a few small streams draining surrounding fields.[2][3] An attempt was made to drain the harbour for farming in c. 1873 with an embankment constructed across the edge of the lagoon to hold back the sea; this failed during a storm in December 1910 and was not reconstructed.[4][5][2] At present the entrance to the sea is 50 metres wide.[6][7]
It is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest,[8][9] a Local Nature Reserve,[10][11] a Special Protection Area, and a Ramsar site. Its shingle spit is further designated a Geological Conservation Review site. In spring or autumn rare migratory birds can often be seen. Pagham Harbour Local Nature Reserve covers 1,450 acres (6 km2) of salt marsh, mudflats, farmland, copses, lagoons, reed beds and shingle beaches.
Rare bird species
- Little tern (Sternula albifrons) during the breeding season
- Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) over-wintering
- Pintail (Anas acuta) migratory
References
- ^ Eric Bird (25 February 2010). Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 438–9. ISBN 978-1-4020-8638-0.
- ^ a b "Changes of Pagham Harbour". University of Sussex. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ Michael Shrubb (24 July 2003). Birds, Scythes and Combines: A History of Birds and Agricultural Change. Cambridge University Press. pp. 148–9. ISBN 978-0-521-81463-8.
- ^ A.J Prater (30 November 2010). Estuary Birds of Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4081-3847-2.
- ^ Cundy, A.B.; Long, A.J.; Hill, C.T.; Spencer, C.; Croudace, I.W. (August 2002). "Sedimentary response of Pagham Harbour, southern England to barrier breaching in AD 1910". Geomorphology. 46 (3–4): 163–176. doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(02)00060-0.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ C. A. Brebbia (2008). Environmental Problems in Coastal Regions VII. WIT Press. pp. 140–2. ISBN 978-1-84564-108-5.
- ^ May, V.J. "Pagham Harbour" (PDF). Geographical Conservation Review. DEFRA. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ "Pagham Harbour citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.
- ^ "Map of Pagham Harbour". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England.
- ^ "Pagham Harbour". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
- ^ "Map of Pagham Harbour". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.