Lymington and Keyhaven Nature Reserves

Keyhaven, Lymington, Hampshire, tel 01590 674656

Keyhaven Marshes

The Hampshire Wildlife Trust's Reserve on the west Solent is situated between Hurst Shingle Spit in the west and Lymington River to the east. This Reserve extends to over 2,000 acres of saltings and mudflats thus forming a major part of the Hurst Castle/Lymington River Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest. The intertidal area of the Reserve is complemented by the addition of botanically-rich sections of Hurst Shingle Spit. The marshes to the east of the Lymington River became a Local Nature Reserve in 1995. They are managed by the Trust in partnership with South Hampshire Wildfowlers Association under a lease from New Forest District Council. Other traditional uses of the intertidal areas such as non-commercial bait digging and the collection of gulls eggs are permitted under a series of licences and leases.

A major feature of this coast is the grazing marshes lying inside the Keyhaven-Lymington seawall. Covering an area of more than 450 acres these are owned and managed by Hampshire County Council. They also lie within the Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Wildlife

The saltmarshes and mudflats, together with the associated shingle ridges, support nationally and internationally important numbers of birds. During the breeding season the most numerous is the Black-headed Gull with up to 7,000 pairs regularly nesting on the Reserve. Several species of Tern also breed here, including Little, Common and Sandwich Terns. Among breeding waders the most conspicuous are Oystercatcher, Ringer Plover and Redshank.

A wide variety of birds visit during both spring and autumn migrations and in the winter months. The mudflats, teeming with diverse mud-dwelling organisms, provide rich feeding areas for many wetland species. In spring these include waders and other waterfowl en route from wintering quarters in Europe and Africa to breeding grounds in Scandinavia and Siberia.

Late June and early July heralds the beginning of the return migration, this reverse journey continuing until October. In winter the Reserve is of international important for Brent Geese with an average of over 3,000 visiting each year. There are also significant numbers of waders such as Dunlin, Grey Plover and Black-tailed Godwits.

The marsh lagoons lying inside the seawalls may at first glance appear to be uninteresting. However, they form a nationally important habitat for a number of uncommon salt and brackish water creatures. Foremost among these are the Starlet Sea-anemone and the small shrimp-like Gammarus insensibilis. These two species are confined to only a very few sites in Great Britain and are protected internationally.

Plantlife

The plants on the reserve is also of great importance. Much of the intertidal area is dominated by Common Cord-grass, Glassworts, Sea-purslane and Sea Aster which looks just like a Michaelmas Daisy. The uncommon Golden-samphire is, however, perhaps the most conspicuous. It flowers between July and September when the golden yellow flowers forming a breathtaking display.

Reserve Improvements

In December 2007 the Reserve opened its improved footpath around Moses Dock. This work forms part of an ongoing programme of safety and access improvements around the whole of the Nature Reserve that will be of great benefit to walkers and all users of these routes, including families and wheelchair users. Thanks to our sustained efforts over the last few years the Reserve is now much more accessible to wheelchair users and is better equipped to cope with our 250,000 plus visitors per year than ever before!