Message from Chichester Harbour Conservancy

Published 11:32 on 10 May 2025

Calling sailors and harbour users - can you help our coastal birds?

Each year, coastal birds including Little Terns, Oystercatchers and Ringed Plover attempt to nest on Chichester Harbour's shingle spits and islands. There are very few places around the harbour that are free of disturbance or predators, and numbers of breeding coastal birds have declined drastically over recent years.

But you can help. Stakes Island and Pilsey Island are really important sites for nesting birds, but they are easily disturbed and scared by people in sailing boats and paddle craft getting to close, or even landing. When these birds are sitting on eggs, they will fly off and the eggs may chill to the point the chicks never hatch. And when the chicks have hatched they are even more vulnerable to disturbance.

By keeping 100m away from the shore and avoiding landing on Stakes Island and Pilsey Island, you can give our coastal birds the best chances of nesting success and long-term survival.

Thank you!