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WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS IN
DORSET, HAMPSHIRE AND
THE ISLE OF WIGHT
KEITH BETTON
With contributions from George Green
& Martin Cade
HELM
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK
29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland
BLOOMSBURY, HELM and the Helm logo are
trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in the UK 1989
This fifth edition published 2021
This electronic edition published in 2021 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Copyright text © George Green and Martin Cade, 2010, 2021

Revising Author © Keith Betton, 2021
George Green and Martin Cade have asserted their rights under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Authors of this work
Keith Betton has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988,
to be identified as Author of this work
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or
retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility
for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses
given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author
and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or
sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for
ISBN: PB: 978-1-4729-8540-8; ePub: 978-1-4729-8541-5;
ePDF: 978-1-4729-8542-2
Typeset in the UK by Mark Heslington

Maps by Brian Southern
Illustrations by Richard Allen
To find out more about our authors and books visit

www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters
Cover photographs. Front: Common Redstart (t), Firecrest (b), Martin Bennett
Back: Hobby (l), Barry Stalker; Rook (c), Laura Richardson;
Mediterranean Gull (r), Richard Bonser
00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 2 19/05/2021 11:39

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements7
Introduction8
How to use this b
ook 11
Kay to the maps 13
WEST AND NORTH DORSET 15

1 Lyme Regis to C harmouth 16
2 Lambert’s Castle 19
3 West Bexington to Burton Cliff 20
4 Powerstock Common NR 24
5 Kingcombe Meadows Reserve and the River H
ooke 25
6 Lydlinch C
ommon 27
PORTLAND AND W EYMOUTH 29

7 The Fleet and Chesil B each 30
8 The Isle of Portland 39
9 Portland Harbour, The Nothe and Weymouth B
ay 50
10 Radipole Lake N R 55
11 Lodmoor NR 60
PURBECK AND POOLE B ASIN 67

12 Osmington Mills, Ringstead Bay and White Nothe 68
13 Tyneham Valley and Gad C liff 70
14 St Aldhelm’s Head, Winspit and Dancing L edge 72
15 Durlston Country Park and NNR 78
16 Ballard Down and Old Harry 83
17 Studland NNR 85
18 Brownsea I sland 91
19 Middlebere and Hartland Moor N NR 96
20 Arne N R 100
21 Swineham and the Wareham Water Meadows 103
22 Wareham Forest 107
23 Lytchett B
ay 111
24 Upton Country Park and Holes B ay 115
25 Hatch Pond N R 117
26 Poole Park and S andbanks 120
27 Poole Bay – Canford Cliffs to Southbourne 124
28 Canford Heath N R 126
29 Upton Heath NR and Beacon H ill 128
EAST DORSET AND THE HAMPSHIRE AVON 131

30 Longham Lakes 132
31 Christchurch Harbour N R 136
32 Blashford Lakes Wildlife Reserve 146
33 Ibsley Meadows 152

4 Contents
34 Moors Valley Country Park and Forest 154

35 Avon Heath Country Park 157
36 Holt Heath NNR and White Sheet Plantation 159
THE CHALK D OWNS 162

37 Badbury Rings, King Down and Tarrant Rushton Airfield 163
38 Martin Down NNR and surrounding area 166
39 Cheesefoot Head, Longwood Warren and Fawley Down 169
40 Beacon Hill NNR near Warnford 170
41 Old Winchester Hill NNR 173
THE TEST AND ITCHEN VALLEYS 176

42 Lower Test Marshes NR 177
43 Testwood Lakes NR 180
44 Fishlake Meadows, R omsey 184
45 The Test Way between Horsebridge and Stockbridge 187
46 Bransbury Common 190
47 Itchen Valley Country Park 192
48 Winchester Sewage F arm 195
49 Winnall Moors NR 198
50 Avington L ake 200
51 Alresford Pond, River Alre and Arlebury Lakes 201
THE NEW FOREST AND NEARBY COAST 205

52 Ashley Walk and Hampton Ridge 209
53 Fritham and Eyeworth Pond 211
54 Bolderwood Grounds and Blackwater Arboretum 213
55 Acres Down 215
yke
56 Beaulieu Road Station and Bishop’s D 217
57 Hatchet Pond and Beaulieu West Heath 220
58 Hurst Castle and Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes NR 222
59 Beaulieu Estuary, Lepe Country Park and Sowley Pond 231
60 Calshot Marshes NR and Ashlett Creek 239
arsh
61 Eling Great M 243
SOUTH-EAST HAMPSHIRE 245

62 Weston Shore and Westwood Woodland Park 246
63 River Hamble and Hook-with-Warsash NR 248
64 Hill Head and Titchfield Haven NNR 255
65 Portsmouth Harbour and Gosport 264
66 Southsea Castle 269
67 East Portsea Island (Portsmouth) 271
68 Farlington Marshes NR and Langstone Harbour 273
69 Hayling Island and Chichester Harbour 281
70 Baddesley Common NR and Emer Bog NR 294
71 West Walk 297
NORTH-EAST HAMPSHIRE 299

72 The Vyne 301
73 Greywell and North Warnborough 303

Contents 5
74 Dogmersfield Lake and Tundry Pond 306

75 Eversley and Yateley Gravel Pits 309
76 Yateley Common 313
77 Fleet Pond LNR 315
78 Alice Holt Forest 318
79 Ludshott Common and Waggoner’s Wells 320
THE ISLE OF WIGHT 323

80 The Needles Headland, Alum Bay and Headon Warren 325
81 Fort Victoria Country Park 329
82 The Western Yar 331
83 Newtown NNR 335
84 Thorness B ay 339
85 River Medina 341
86 The Ryde area 344
87 The Bembridge a rea 348
88 The Ventnor Downs a rea 355
89 St Catherine’s Point and Gore Cliff 357
List of organisations with abbreviations used in text 362

Glossary365
Further reading list 368
Code of conduct for birdwatchers 369
Index of species by site n
umber 371

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Having taken the lead in generating this fifth edition, I want to express my
sincere thanks to George Green and Martin Cade who first created the book
in 1989. I bought that first edition as a Londoner who had just decided to
relocate to the Hampshire/Surrey border. It has been a pleasure to review and
update this text and take the opportunity to revisit many sites in all three
counties.
I would also like to record my thanks to the birders who kindly shared their
detailed local knowledge. They are:
Dorset
Bob Ford, Charles Stubbs, Dave Chown, Dominic Couzens, Geoff Upton,
Hamish Murray, Ian Stanley, Janice Beck, Joe Stockwell, Justin Tunstall, Leo
Pyke, Martin Adams, Olly Frampton, Paul Morton, Peter Hadrill, Peter
Robertson, Richard Phillips, Shaun Robson, Steve Morrison, Steve Smith,
Trevor Warrick.
Hampshire
Adam Wells, Andy Johnson, Andy Lester, Andy Page, Andy Rhodes, Barry
Stalker, Bob Chapman, Bob Marchant, Chris Lycett, David Mills, Geoff Farwell,
Glynne Evans, Graham Stephenson, Hilary Cornford, Ian Watts, Jason Crook,
John Clark, John Cloyne, John Shillitoe, Jonathan Cox, Keith Wills, Kevin
Crisp, Marcus Ward, Mick Hay, Mike Fussell, Mike Armitage, Paul Winter, Pete
Durnell, Richard Carpenter, Simon King, Tom Jordan.
Isle of Wight
Gary Hadden, Jane Calderin, Jim Baldwin, Keith Ballard, Mark Buckley, Robin
Attrill.
And personally, I’d like to thank my wife, Esther, whose ability to encourage
at times of desperation and to discourage at times of over-confidence are an
essential quality in the partner of an impatient perfectionist.
Keith Betton

INTRODUCTION
SUB-REGIONS OF DORSET, HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT
E
F
I
F
H
A
H
E G
D
C
B J
A West and North Dorset F The Test and Itchen V alleys

B Portland and Weymouth G The New Forest and nearby c oast
C Purbeck and Poole Basin H South-east Hampshire
D East Dorset and the Hampshire I North-east Hampshire
Avon J The Isle of Wight
E The Chalk Downs
The last 30 years have seen some major changes to the region’s birdlife, which
are also reflected elsewhere in Britain. Although the impact of climate change
is one major factor, there are undoubtedly many other influences including
increasing development and urbanisation and changes in land-use and farming
practices. The detrimental impact of these changes on our birdlife has been
mitigated to some extent by the unstinting efforts of national and local envi-
ronmental and conservation organisations. The decline in some wetland,
woodland and farmland birds has been compensated by the spread and increase
of other species: Gadwall, Little Egret, Spoonbill, Red Kite, Goshawk, Peregrine
Falcon, Avocet, Mediterranean Gull, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler and Raven
being good examples. The recent changes in the status of many of the region’s
birds are reflected in the species accounts in the relevant sites included in this
fifth edition.
Despite these changes, there can be few other regions of Britain that can
offer the birdwatcher such a wide variety of birds in such attractive and pleasant
surroundings as the counties of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Why does this region support so many different kinds of birds? Having a
coastline is an obvious advantage. Prominent headlands, such as Portland and St

8 Introduction
Catherine’s Point, are ideally situated not only to attract many small migrants as
they arrive and leave our shores, but also as vantage points to observe coastal
and seabird movements through the English Channel. This region lies closer to
the European continent than much of the rest of Britain. This means that we
are usually the first to see our summer visitors arrive and the last to see them
go. In addition, we can expect more than our fair share of rarities overshooting
or drifting over from mainland Europe.
It is also among the first areas of Britain to have witnessed the impact of
climate change. Milder winters and warmer summers will favour such breeding
residents as the Little Egret, and Cetti’s and Dartford Warblers, and some
summer visitors such as the Hobby. On the debit side, warmer winters over
eastern and northern Europe have resulted in the decline of wintering wildfowl,
most notably Bewick’s Swans and White-fronted Geese.The scarcity of periods
of severe winter cold in recent years means we rarely experience influxes of
such classic ‘cold weather’ species such as Smew, Bittern and other birds
associated with such conditions.
Another factor which has an obvious influence on our local birdlife is the
diversity of habitats, which in turn is a reflection of the underlying geology.
Reference to a geological map shows that much of the region’s topography is
centred on the Hampshire Basin. The mainly Tertiary clays, sands and gravels
within the basin have developed a variety of soil types, some of which support
the most important vegetation type found in the region – lowland heath. The
counties of Hampshire and Dorset hold over 90 per cent of Britain’s quota of
this valuable habitat resource. At present the heathlands of the New Forest
remain largely intact, but those of Dorset have been severely depleted and
fragmented as a result of reclamation for farming, afforestation and more
recently the increasing pressures of expanding urbanisation. The Dartford
Warbler is the true bird speciality of the heathlands, which are also the haunt of
such noteworthy breeding species as European Nightjar, Woodlark and
European Stonechat, while the Hen Harrier and Great Grey Shrike are regular,
but declining visitors in winter. In the New Forest the presence of extensive
deciduous woodlands further enhances the habitat, creating an environment
that is unique for wildlife within the British Isles. These woodlands are rich in
birdlife and typically support such species as Common Redstart, Firecrest and
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker as well as the elusive Hawfinch. The mixture of
woodland and heathland is undoubtedly responsible for healthy populations of
breeding raptors, which include Honey-buzzard, Goshawk and Hobby.
It is the chalk, however, which dominates the landscapes of all three counties.
Today, the downlands, with their gently curving slopes and dry valleys, present
a predominantly agricultural scene. Compared with other habitats in the
region, birds of interest are in short supply. Although it is pleasing to report that
the numbers of Stone-curlew, the main speciality of the chalk downs, have
remained relatively stable in recent years, the chances of seeing this species at
present remains remote. Generally, the greatest variety of birds occurs in areas
where chalk scrub and woodland survive.
In some respects the greatest contrasts in land-based habitats become evident
around the fringes of the region. A flavour of the West Country can be found
in west Dorset. Here fast- flowing streams drain clay vales comprising a
patchwork of small fields, which are overlooked by steep-sided, w ell-wooded
hills. These streams mark the eastern limit of the Dipper’s British range, while

Introduction 9
the wooded hillsides still support a few breeding Common Redstarts. In north
Dorset the gently rolling landscape of the Blackmore Vale is mostly given over
to dairy farming. The London Basin with its Tertiary clays, sands and gravels
intrudes into north Hampshire, while the western extremity of the Weald
extends into the eastern corner of the county. Both sets of deposits give rise to
soils that naturally support heathland. Those areas which have escaped the
continuing pressures of development hold the same range of species associated
with the more extensive heathlands of the Hampshire Basin.
One human activity, the commercial extraction of gravel, has been a benefit
to a variety of birds including Little Ringed Plover and Common Tern.
The counties of Hampshire and Dorset share, in the Hampshire Avon,
perhaps the finest river of its type in lowland Britain. Despite this, there has
been a dramatic decline in the breeding populations of such classic river
meadow species as Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe and Common
Redshank. Similarly, the wintering population of Bewick’s Swans has also
disappeared. Sadly, the Hampshire Avon has already lost its breeding
population of Yellow Wagtails and the wintering flock of W hite-fronted
Geese. The region’s other river valleys have also experienced similar declines
in breeding and wintering wetland birds.
Hampshire is undoubtedly the best county in our region for still waters. In
addition to the older more established lakes and ponds, which are largely
associated with large country estates, extensive gravel workings have produced
a multiplicity of flooded pits. These are mainly found in the Hampshire Avon
Valley just north of Ringwood and along the Blackwater Valley in the north-
east of the county. The flooded pits north of Ringwood have been developed
into one of the best nature reserves in the region. By comparison, there is a
distinct paucity of lakes and ponds in Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
Undoubtedly, it is the variety of coastal habitats which most interests and
excites local and visiting birdwatchers alike. The spectacular cliffs of Portland,
Purbeck and west Wight support the most easterly seabird colonies of substance
along the south coast, while both Peregrine Falcons and Ravens are now
commonly seen in these areas. Chesil Beach and the Fleet are unique coastal
features which are important for their breeding terns and wintering waterfowl.
Nearby in Weymouth the RSPB reserves at Radipole and Lodmoor are notable
wetland habitats and support a wide range of birds throughout the year,
including several breeding reedbed specialists. In the lee of the Purbecks lies
Poole Harbour, reputed to be the second largest natural harbour in the world.
The harbour and its environs, which include such noteworthy sites as Lytchett
Bay, Brownsea, Studland and Arne, are an important haven for waterbirds
throughout the year, including breeding terns in summer and a large flock of
wintering Avocets. Christchurch Harbour with its diversity of habitats is
regarded by many as one of the best localities for birdwatching in the region,
attracting a wide variety of winter, migrant and breeding birds. Much of the
Hampshire coast can be regarded as one huge estuary extending from Hurst
Castle in the west to Hayling Island in the east. Spartina saltmarshes and
intertidal mudflats fringe much of the shore of the Solent and parts of
Southampton Water and dominate the vast harbour complexes of Portsmouth,
Langstone and Chichester. Brackish and freshwater wetlands of note can be
found at Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes, the mouth of the Beaulieu
Estuary, Titchfield Haven and Farlington Marshes. These areas provide feeding

10 Introduction
and refuge for an abundance of waterfowl, waders and other birds, particularly
during the winter and at times of passage. The Solent shore and Langstone
Harbour also support important breeding colonies of terns. In addition, the
Solent shore of the Isle of Wight offers some attractive estuarine and wetland
habitats, notably the Western Yar, Newtown NNR, the River Medina and the
Bembridge area. As this book goes to print, the second batch of juvenile White-
tailed Eagles has been released on the island, and by the time the sixth edition
is released in a few years’ time they may well be breeding in all three counties!
In the years since the first edition of this book was published, it has helped
many thousands of birders to see more in these three counties. It is heartening
to promote birdwatching in this way. But the countryside is under increasing
pressure from the people who love it so much.Visitor numbers to many of the
sites in this book are now at unprecedented levels. Some of our birds, such as
Hen Harriers and Nightingales, are slipping away. Disturbance may not be the
primary cause of that, but it is surely a secondary cause. So it will not come as
a surprise that to protect some rare and declining species it is simply not in their
interests to say exactly where they are. We should all put the birds first – they
have been here a lot longer than we have!
KB (with thanks to GG)

HOW TO USE THIS B OOK
The Region
The region under discussion consists of the counties of Dorset, Hampshire and
the Isle of Wight. These counties have been divided into sub-regions, which
generally correspond to fairly distinctive geographical and/or geological areas.
Criteria for Site Inclusion

Since the region supports such a rich diversity of habitats for birds, the choice
of sites for this book has not been easy. An attempt has been made to include
all those places which either hold a wide variety of species and/or support
certain specialised and uncommon birds. Further sites have been chosen either
because they are particularly good examples of their habitat type or to ensure
that the less w ell-known and more remote areas of the region are adequately
represented in the book. The final criterion for inclusion in the book is access.
Although most of the places in the book are open to the public, entry to some
of the reserves may require a permit obtained in advance of a visit. Private sites
of ornithological interest have been included only if they can be viewed sensi-
bly and safely from a public place, e.g. a footpath or road.
For a variety of reasons, including the disappearance of notable species and
changes in access, a number of sites in the fourth edition have not been included
in this fifth edition. However, several site texts have been expanded and it is
good to include Longham Lakes for the first time.
Measurements
Throughout, the text measurements are given in those units most readily
understood by British readers. Directions for accessing sites are given in miles.
Habitat
This section gives a brief description of the site or sub-region, concentrating
on features that are particularly important for the birds. Details are also given of
any historical features of interest, other aspects of the flora and fauna and
ownership or reserve status.
Species
This section describes the more significant and interesting aspects of a site’s
birdlife. The text is arranged roughly in chronological order starting with the
season that is generally best for birdwatching. It has sometimes been very diffi-
cult to decide which species to include for each site. Common birds are
generally excluded unless they are of particular significance, e.g. a large roost of
Black-headed Gulls. The presence of certain rare and vulnerable breeding
species has either been ignored or their whereabouts treated with suitable
discretion. Rare migrants and vagrants have been included for interest and to
demonstrate the potential of the site for attracting such birds. It has been
impossible to avoid giving long lists of species, but these have been reduced as
much as possible, sometimes referring to groups of birds collectively, e.g. rarer

12 How To Use This Book
winter grebes, seaduck, migrant landbirds etc. These terms are fully defined in
the Glossary. Some attempt has been made to give the scale of numbers to be
expected, whether single individuals, small parties or flocks of hundreds of
birds, the frequency with which the various species occur and any circum-
stances which might be related to such occurrences, e.g. hard weather, gales e tc.
Timing
This section gives information regarding the best months or season, time of day,
weather and, if coastal, state of the tide to visit the site. Recommendations are
also made with regard to the popularity of the site and potential problems of
disturbance.
Access
This section has changed considerably from the previous editions with the aim
of providing practical and useful information for those visiting a site for the first
time. Directions are now much more detailed and largely based on recent visits
to the sites.The facilities available at each site, including car parks, toilets, visitor
centres, cafes, w
ell-marked footpaths, hides and viewing screens, are summa-
rised at the end of each section.
As in the previous editions, directions to the site generally start from the
nearest town, village or major road. These are followed by further details
regarding access into and around the site. Where appropriate, road names and
useful landmarks, such as public houses, are mentioned to further help guide
visitors. Wherever possible public rights of way have been used and details
given of restrictions on access at the time of writing. Visitors are warned,
however, that on private land the owner’s permission should always be sought
before deviating from public paths. Outline maps have been carefully prepared
to complement the text. In addition, the 1:25000 scale Ordnance Survey
Explorer and Outdoor Leisure series of maps are strongly recommended for
detailed exploration of the sites.
Most reserves and country parks are well signposted and have visitor/infor-
mation centres. In addition, detailed maps showing footpaths and hides are
usually available either in leaflets and/or on notice boards.Visitors are urged to
take heed of all such relevant information available o n-site. For reserves, details
are also given of any special arrangements for access such as obtaining the
necessary permits. It should be noted that at some reserves where permits are
not required for individuals, organised visits by groups of birdwatchers must be
booked in advance. Even where this is not a necessity, those arranging group
visits to an ‘open’ reserve are advised to contact those responsible for the site.
Where available, contact details for each site including postal address, telephone
number, email address and website are provided.The contact details of national,
regional and county organisations responsible for the management of sites
included in the book are given in the List of Organisations section.This section
also includes the contact details of local and county birdwatching groups and
clubs.
Calendar
This is a quick reference section giving the most interesting species and groups
of birds that can be expected throughout and during different periods of the
year.To simplify the calendars, species and groups of birds that may occasionally
or possibly be seen have been excluded.

KEY TO THE M APS

WEST AND NORTH D ORSET
5
2
4
1
1 Lyme Regis to Charmouth 5 Kingcombe Meadows Reserve and

2 Lambert’s Castle the River H
ooke
3 West Bexington to Burton Cliff 6 Lydlinch Common
4 Powerstock Common NR
Habitat
These areas lie principally to the west and north of the chalk downs. The
complex geology of west Dorset creates a typical ‘West Country’ landscape of
steep hillsides, often covered by b road-leaved woodland and forestry, giving
way to deep narrow valleys with fast-flowing streams. Some of these are tribu-
taries of the Rivers Brit and Char, the latter draining the Marshwood Vale,
while other streams form the headwaters of the River Axe, which flows along
the county boundary with Somerset, and the River Frome, which flows south
and then east to Poole Harbour.
The west Dorset coast, particularly between Lyme Regis and Bridport, is
dominated by high crumbling cliffs consisting mainly of fossil-
r ich Lias
mudstones and clays capped in places by Cretaceous greensands. Narrow
beaches of shingle fringe the base of these cliffs. Scrub covers much of the
clifftop areas, which overlook the long sweep of Lyme Bay from Devon in the
west to Portland in the east. Sheltered spots are at a premium along this exposed
coastline, the most notable sites being the freshwater meres at West Bexington
and Burton.
01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 15 19/05/2021 11:39

16 West and North D
orset
In north Dorset, the Blackmore Vale presents a low-lying landscape of gently

rolling pasture formed largely on Oxford Clay.The area is drained by the River
Stour and its headwaters, which, prior to recent drainage schemes, were prone
to winter flooding. Although much of the land is given over to dairy farming,
there are some noteworthy habitats in the form of damp broad-leaved
woodlands and poorly drained, scrub-covered c ommons.
Species
West Dorset is very much ‘Common Buzzard and Dipper’ country. Common
Buzzards are a familiar sight throughout the area, and it is not unusual to see
anything up to half a dozen birds soaring over the steep hillsides in spring. It is
also worth keeping an eye open for Ravens, which are now well established in
this part of the county. Most of the rivers west of a line between Yeovil and
Weymouth have their resident Dippers and Grey Wagtails.
The b road-leaved woodlands of west Dorset were good sites for such notable
breeding birds as Common Redstart, Wood Warbler and Willow Tit, but sadly
only the first of these still survives.
Since much of the west Dorset coast between Lyme Regis and Burton
Bradstock is dominated by high crumbling cliffs, the meres and reedbeds at
Burton and West Bexington are a major attraction to waterfowl, waders and
gulls, particularly in winter and at times of passage. West Bexington is also a
convenient site to view the offshore waters of Lyme Bay for Common Scoters,
Red-throated Divers, Great Crested Grebes and roosting gulls in winter and to
observe coastal and seabird movements in spring and autumn. Fulmars frequent
nearby Burton Cliff during the spring and summer and Peregrine Falcons
patrol the whole coastline throughout the year.
1 LYME REGIS TO CHARMOUTH

OS Explorer 1 16
OS grid refs: SY 338915 and SY 3
65931
Habitat
Lyme Regis is a small, picturesque fishing resort situated at the most westerly
point along the Dorset coast. To the east, the River Char flows into the sea at
Charmouth Beach where there is a small reedbed with a muddy edge.
Otherwise the coast between Lyme Regis and Charmouth is dominated by
high crumbling cliffs covered in places by dense scrub.
Species
The main attraction of the site is the small wintering flock of Purple Sandpipers,
which favours the rocky breakwater at the end of the famous Cobb at Lyme
Regis.The birds are present from November to March, with up to 16 in January
2020. A drake Common Eider was also in and around the harbour in 2019/20
and 2020/21. Otherwise, in winter a scattering of waders, mainly Oystercatchers,
Turnstones and Ringed Plovers can be found along the beaches between Lyme
Regis and Charmouth. Cormorants are usually present, particularly around
Lyme Regis, and the ardent seawatcher can be rewarded with distant sightings

West and North Dorset 17
of passage seaduck, divers, grebes and the common auks. It is worth checking
through the commoner gulls which inhabit the shoreline areas for the occa-
sional Kittiwake and perhaps scarcer species. A few Rock Pipits frequent the
seafront and harbour area at Lyme Regis and the foreshore at Charmouth. At
low tide, on a winter afternoon it is worth spending some time checking
through the large gulls that gather under Church Cliff. A Glaucous Gull was
found on these rocks in February 2018 and another in December 2020.
Although numbers remain small, the variety of waders visiting the beaches
increases at times of passage. Indeed the small area of shingle and mud at the
mouth of the River Char attracted a Temminck’s Stint and a Jack Snipe in
September 1995. In addition to the commoner seabirds, autumn gales have
sometimes brought the likes of Grey Phalaropes, skuas and Little Gulls close
inshore, while 1–2 Sabine’s Gulls were present on the beach by the Cobb at
Lyme Regis for a few days in early September 1997. In spring and autumn, the
local parks, gardens and coastal scrub attract small numbers of migrant landbirds
including occasional Black Redstarts, which have also overwintered in the area,
such as near the bowling green or the cemetery. The cliff scrub on Black Ven
and Stonebarrow Hill support breeding European Stonechat and Common
Whitethroat and a Wryneck was present in September 2020.
Dippers and Grey Wagtails nest on the River Lim and occasionally can be
seen from the bridge in Lyme Regis and along the Riverside Walk off Coombe
Street. Both species can also be seen along the lower reaches of the River Char,
as can Kingfishers. A few pairs of Rock Pipits also nest at Lyme Regis. The
reedbed at Charmouth Beach supports breeding Reed Warblers and possibly
Reed Buntings and hosts the occasional Cetti’s Warbler. Water Rail and
Common Snipe may be present in winter. Good numbers of Pied Wagtails
gather on the beach and car parks before dusk, particularly in winter. Herring
Gulls nest on rooftops in Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Like much of the west
Dorset coast, Peregrine Falcons and Ravens are a familiar sight overhead
throughout the y ear.
Timing
Both Lyme Regis and Charmouth are popular tourist resorts, particularly at
weekends and during the summer when an early visit is a dvisable.
Access
Lyme Regis and Charmouth are best approached from the A35 between
Axminster (Devon) and B
ridport.
Lyme Regis: From the A35 at Raymond’s Hill (Devon), take the B3165 south
and south-east through Yawl and Uplyme. After 2.6 miles turn right by the
‘Dorset House’, and take Pound Road, signposted to the A3052, Seaton, Exeter
and the Cobb, south-west for 0.1 miles. On reaching the A3052 turn left
towards the town centre and after a short distance take the first right into Cobb
Road, signposted to the Harbour and Monmouth Beach. Continue south
along Cobb Road to the harbour and then turn right to the Cobb Gate Car
Park, near DT7 3QD (pay), a distance of 0.3 miles from the A3052. If entering
Lyme Regis along the A3052 from Seaton (Devon) follow the same directions
along Cobb Road. For immediate access to The Cobb, park at the Monmouth
Road Car Park, near DT7 3JN (pay).

18 West and North D
orset
to Raymond’s Hill
A3 A35
05
2
ass
Charmouth byp
to Bridport
Ch
ar m
Charmouth
Lo w er S e a
La n e
o u t h Road
r
ha
rC
Riv
ve
Ri
er
ath
Lim
o ast P
tC
Wes
to Uplyme South
Charmouth Beach
B3
Lyme Regis
16
5
Pound Rd
52
A30
Cobb
to Seaton
0 0.5 mile
Roa
d
Harbour
The Cobb
Alternatively, from the roundabout on the A35 at the west end of the
Charmouth bypass, take the A3052 north-west and then south for 1.9 miles to
the Charmouth Road Car Park, near DT7 3DR (pay) on the outskirts of the
town and walk the short distance to the town centre.
There is general access to the seafront areas including the Cobb. In addition
there is a footpath (South West Coast Path) along the coast between Lyme
Regis and Charmouth.
Facilities: car parks (pay) with toilets close to the Cobb Gate Car Park in
Broad Street and at Charmouth Road Car Park.
Charmouth Beach: Enter Charmouth from the A35 and in the centre of the
town take Lower Sea Lane south for 0.2 miles to the car parks on Lower Sea
Lane, near DT6 6LS (pay). There is general access to the beach and the lower
reaches of the River C
har.
Facilities: car parks with toilets and cafe.
CALENDAR
All year: Peregrine Falcon, Rock Pipit, Grey April–July: migrant waders and common
Wagtail, Dipper, Raven, European migrant landbirds; breeding Reed Warbler.
Stonechat.
August–October: s torm-blown seabirds after
November–March: Cormorant, Purple autumn gales; wader and common migrant
Sandpiper and other waders. landbirds.

2 LAMBERT’S CASTLE (NT)

OS Explorer 1 16
OS grid ref: SY 3
66988
Habitat
Lambert’s Castle is a prominent Iron Age hill fort located on a steep-sided spur
of land, which rises 840 feet above the Marshwood Vale, providing stunning
views over the west Dorset countryside. Habitats are diverse with fine mature
woods comprising mostly beech but mixed with other species including oak,
Scots Pine and larch covering the western side of the hill.The eastern slopes are
cloaked with birch woodland, while the top of the hill fort consists of short
grass sward and patches of scrub. Finally there is a small area of heathland
adjoining the south-west corner of the hill fort.
Species
Breeding Common Redstart is the speciality of this site. The site supports a
wide variety of breeding birds typical of woodland, including Green and Great
Spotted Woodpeckers, Spotted Flycatcher, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper
and Jay. Common Crossbills have occurred here in late summer and may breed
locally. A different selection of breeding birds, including Common Whitethroat,
Willow Warbler, Linnet and Yellowhammer, can be found in the birch wood-
lands and scrubby parts of the hill fort, while the area of heathland attracts such
classic breeding birds as Meadow Pipit, European Stonechat and Linnet.
Common Buzzards are a familiar sight as they soar overhead, and Ravens are
reported daily from this part of the county.
Spring and autumn bring a range of migrants, and good numbers of
Northern Wheatears. These occur again in autumn, when a larger number of
migrants can be found, particularly around the Crab Apples on the more open
Bottle Inn
Marshwood
Lambert’s Castle
heathland
B3165
Fis
hpon
to Raymond’s Hill dB
ott
om
Rd
0 0.25 mile
Fishpond Bottom

20 West and North D
orset
spaces around the centre of the site.These are particularly popular with Spotted
and Pied Flycatchers. In winter, there is the chance of Bramblings in amongst
roving flocks of finches in the woods around the car p ark.
Timing
Since the site is very popular with dog walkers and other visitors, particularly
at weekends, an early morning visit is recommended.
Access
The entrance track to Lambert’s Castle is located on the south side of the
B3165, 3.5 miles north-east of the junction with the A35 at Raymond’s Hill
and 1.1 miles south-west of the Bottle Inn, Marshwood. Note that the entrance
track is rather obscure. Travelling from the Raymond’s Hill direction, it is situ-
ated 0.2 miles after passing the turning on the right to Fishpond Bottom.There
is a small car park (free) by the main entrance to Lambert’s Castle with open
access to much of the area. To reach the area of heathland, walk back along the
entrance track about halfway to the road and take the footpath on the left
through the obvious gap in the h edge.
Facilities: car park (free).
CALENDAR
All year: Common Buzzard, Green and Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Spotted
Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Marsh Tit, Flycatcher, Linnet, Yellowhammer.
Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Raven.
September–October: Pied Flycatcher,
April–July: Meadow Pipit, European Northern Wheatear and other passage
Stonechat, Common Redstart, Common migrants.
3 WEST BEXINGTON (DWT) TO BURTON CLIFF (NT)

OS Outdoor Leisure 15
31864
Habitat
The village of West Bexington is situated on the Dorset coast midway between
Burton Bradstock and Abbotsbury. To the west of the village and immediately
behind the Chesil Beach there is a small seasonally flooded mere, which is
flanked on the east side by a scrub-fringed reedbed. A small permanent pond
has been constructed on the inland side of the reedbed. This area is now
managed as a nature reserve by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. A little further to the
north-west along Chesil Beach at Cogden Beach lies Burton Mere, a small
reed-choked lagoon surrounded by rough ground and scrub. Further n orth-west
still, the high sandstone cliffs at Burton Bradstock dominate the scene. The
entire stretch of coast overlooks the waters of Lyme Bay and is backed by
farmland.

Species
In winter, Lyme Bay is one of the best sites in the region for Red-throated
Divers, which are best looked for offshore between Burton Cliff and Abbotsbury
Beach. Great Crested Grebes also occur regularly along this stretch of coast.
Flocks of Common Scoters are present in some winters but scarce or absent in
others.Velvet Scoters and other seaduck are occasional visitors, while there have
been sightings of Surf Scoters in some years. Other species of divers and grebes
are rarely seen.
Since the mere at West Bexington is seasonal, its attractiveness to winter and
passage wildfowl is dependent on the extent of winter flooding. When
conditions are optimal, good numbers of Eurasian Wigeon and Shovelers can
be expected along with smaller numbers of Shelducks, Common Teal, Pintails,
Pochards and Tufted Ducks. Some of these ducks may frequent the small
permanent pond.There is a considerable interchange of wildfowl between West
Bexington and the nearby Fleet. In addition, long-distance movements of
wildfowl, including Dark-bellied Brent Geese, take place between the Fleet and
the east Devon estuaries, from late autumn through to early spring.There is also
a local population of feral Canada Geese, with numbers peaking during the
autumn when several hundred birds may be present.
During the winter, Common Snipe frequent the reedbed ditches and nearby
mere along with the occasional Jack Snipe. Otherwise, few other waders are
present in winter, the most likely species to be encountered being Oystercatcher
and Ringed Plover. Careful scrutiny of the large winter gull roost often reveals
a few Mediterranean Gulls among large numbers of B lack-
headed and
Common Gulls, while Ring-billed Gulls have been reported on several
occasions in the past. There are also winter sightings of Glaucous Gulls.
Cormorants, Little Egrets and Grey Herons can be seen in small numbers
throughout the y ear.
The reedbeds and meres at West Bexington and Burton support breeding
Little Grebes, Cetti’s, Sedge and Reed Warblers, and Reed Buntings. Common
Buzzards, Peregrine Falcons and Ravens nest locally and are a familiar sight
along this stretch of coast throughout the year. Both Fulmars and Rock Pipits
frequent Burton Cliff during the breeding season.
West Bexington is probably the best vantage point along the west Dorset
coast to observe coastal and seabird passage across Lyme Bay. During the spring,
most of the species involved in the u p-channel movements off Portland Bill can
be seen, albeit at longer range and in smaller numbers.These include Common
Scoter and occasionally other seaduck, Manx Shearwater, Gannet, waders
including a strong passage of Whimbrel, skuas including near-annual sightings
of Pomarine Skua, terns and the common auks. Autumn seawatching may
produce a few Balearic and occasionally Sooty Shearwaters passing offshore.
Severe gales often produce storm-blown skuas and influxes of Little Gulls, and
such conditions have also resulted in reports of rarer seabirds such as European
and Leach’s Storm-petrels, Sabine’s Gulls and Little Auks, and Grey Phalaropes,
which often seek refuge on the m eres.
The mere and pond at West Bexington attract a few waders at times of
passage. Although a wide selection of species has been reported over the years,
the only migrant waders to occur with any regularity are Common Sandpipers
in both seasons and Green Sandpipers in autumn. Migrant raptors regularly
include Merlins, and occasionally Ospreys and S hort-eared Owls. Otherwise

22 West and North D
orset
small numbers of common migrant landbirds, including Yellow Wagtails,

Common Redstarts, Whinchats, Northern Wheatears, the commoner warblers
and Spotted Flycatchers, pass through mainly in the autumn. Scarcer migrants
such as Black Redstart, Ring Ouzel, Firecrest and Pied Flycatcher are seen
most autumns and occasionally in spring, while there have been near-annual
sightings of Wrynecks in recent autumns. In addition, the visual passage of
Skylarks, hirundines, Meadow Pipits and finches is often a prominent feature of
the late a utumn.
The potential of this area for attracting uncommon and rare birds mainly, but
not exclusively, at times of passage is shown by sightings of such species as
Whooper Swan, G reen-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Purple Heron, Black Stork,
Honey-buzzard, Montagu’s Harrier, Little Bustard, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish
Plover,Temminck’s Stint, Lesser Yellowlegs, Laughing Gull, G ull-billed, Caspian
and Forster’s Terns, Hoopoe, Tawny Pipit, Bluethroat, Aquatic Warbler, Barred,
Sardinian and Yellow-browed Warblers, Golden Oriole, R ed-backed, Great
Grey and Woodchat Shrikes, Rose- coloured Starling, Serin and Lapland
Bunting.
Timing
Visits are generally best made early in the day to avoid disturbance from walkers
and anglers using the beach.The mere at West Bexington is usually dry between
late spring and late autumn. Check the gull roost from early afternoon onwards
between November and May. Spring seawatching is most rewarding early in
the morning, between m id-April and m
id-May, when the winds are light to
moderate and onshore (SW to SE) in direction. Observation can be difficult
during gales due to excessive spray.
Access
West Bexington, Burton Mere and Cogden Beach, and Burton Cliffs can be
reached from the B3157 between Abbotsbury and Burton Bradstock.
West Bexington: Take the minor road (Swyre Road) south-east from the
B3157 at Swyre (opposite The Bull Inn) and continue south-east and then
south-west for 1.2 miles to the car park, DT2 9DG (pay). From here, walk
north-west along the South West Coast Path to view the reedbeds, shallow
pools and seasonally flooded mere, which form part of the DWT Nature
Reserve. From the mere, the South West Coast Path can be followed north-west
as far as Burton Mere and Cogden Beach, a distance of 1.5 miles. A short diver-
sion inland can be made from the first stone sign along the South West Coast
Path, by taking the footpath to the right (signposted to Swyre Road) over the
footbridge, through the reedbed, and through a metal gate into a field with a
pond. The South West Coast Path can also be followed from the car park
south-east towards The Old Coastguards at East Bexington and Abbotsbury
Beach beyond, a distance of 2 miles.
Facilities: car park (pay) with toilets, cafe.
Burton Mere and Cogden Beach: Take the B3157 at Swyre, north-west
towards Burton Bradstock (passing Othona on the left) for 1.6 miles to a small
car park (pay) on the left of the road by the bus stops (SY 502885). Alternatively,

Cliff Road
Burton Bradstock
Beach Road
Bu B3157
rto
nC
liff
Co Swyre
gd
en Burton Mere
Be
ac
h
B3
157
Bexington Mere
0 0.5 mile West

Bexington
Ch
es
il B
e ac
h The Old
Coastguards
the car park is 0.8 miles south-east from Beach Road in Burton Bradstock, near
DT6 4RF (pay). From the car park, take the footpath south-east towards the
beach, keeping to the left where the track divides by the seat. Immediately after
passing through a wooden gate, turn sharp left from the track (just before a
wooden post signposted to Cogden Beach/West Bay 3.5 miles and West
Bexington 2 miles) and follow the South West Coast Path south-east between
the fence and hedge towards a wooden gate. Go through the gate and follow
the South West Coast Path south-east through the field, which provides views
over the reed-choked mere to the right. On reaching the point where the
South West Coast Path turns left inland, keep to the right and walk a short
distance to a broken wall and raised bank to view some open water and the
main drainage ditch. The South West Coast Path can be followed south-east to
West Bexington, a distance of 2 miles.
Facilities: car park (pay).
Burton Cliff: From Burton Bradstock village centre, take the B3157 south
towards Southover and immediately after crossing the river, on the sharp
left-hand bend just before the Texaco garage, turn right and take Cliff Road
(marked no through road/no access to sea) south for 0.2 miles to the clifftop.
Park carefully on left of the road before the turning circle at the end (SY
487890). From here, walk to the clifftop, turn right and take the South West
Coast Path north-west towards Burton Freshwater for views over the cliffs and
coastal waters of Lyme Bay. Alternatively, from the sharp left-
hand bend,
continue on the B3157 east towards Abbotsbury and just before the 50-mph
speed limit sign, take Beach Road on the right south for 0.1 miles to the
National Trust car park (pay) at Burton Beach. From here either take the South
West Coast Path north-west along the top of Burton Cliff or walk along the
beach to view the cliffs.
Facilities: car park (pay) with toilets and cafe at Burton B
each.

24 West and North D
orset
CALENDAR
All year: Canada Goose, Little Grebe, April–July: up-channel coastal and seabird
Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, passage; Fulmar, Common Sandpiper, Sedge
Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Rock and Reed Warblers, common migrant
Pipit, Cetti’s Warbler, Raven, Reed Bunting. landbirds.
November–March: Dark-bellied Brent August–October: s torm-blown seabirds,

Goose, Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Merlin, Common and Green Sandpipers,
Common Teal, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, migrant landbirds including Wryneck
Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, other seaduck (scarce annual), Yellow Wagtail, Black and
(occasional), Red-throated Diver, Great Common Redstarts, Whinchat, Northern
Crested Grebe, Oystercatcher, Ringed Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, the commoner
Plover, Common Snipe, Mediterranean Gull. warblers, Firecrest, Spotted and Pied
Flycatchers, visual passage of Skylarks,
hirundines, Meadow Pipits and fi nches.
4 POWERSTOCK COMMON NR (DWT)

OS Explorer 1 17
OS grid ref: SY 5
47973
Habitat
This ancient common offers a rich variety of habitats including forestry, mature
oak woodland, hazel and ash coppice, damp grasslands and meadows, hedge-
rows and several small ponds. A disused railway line adds further interest to the
reserve.The site is best k nown for its exceptional butterfly fauna, which includes
such notable species as Marsh Fritillary.
Species
Powerstock Common used to be a reliable site for Willow Tit, but this species
is now extinct in Dorset. Otherwise, a wide range of breeding birds including
Common Buzzard, Woodcock, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Tree
Pipit, Garden Warbler, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Bullfinch can still
be seen here, while Ravens are a familiar sight overhead.
Winter may bring the occasional flock of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls, while
there have been reports of Great Grey Shrikes on at least two occasions. A
Short-eared Owl was seen on the common in February 2019. Hawfinches have
been seen in small numbers in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, Powerstock,
about two miles to the west.
Timing
Car parking is very limited, particularly at weekends during the summer, so an
early start is recommended.
Access
Powerstock Common is best reached from Toller Porcorum. From the junction
with High Street and Kingcombe Road take the minor road (signposted to
Askerswell and Bridport) south-west for 1.2 miles to the offset crossroads.Turn

Higher
Kingcombe to Crewkerne
Lower to Cattistock
Kingcombe Kingcombe
Meadows
Rive
Kingcombe Centre
NR
Pound Cottage
r
Chilfrome
Ki n
Fro
co
g
mb
me
e
Rd
A356
Toller
Porcorum
y
ilwa
d ra
Frome
Riv
use er H Tollerford Lane
dis ooke
Powerstock Toller Fratrum

Common NR
0 0.5 mile
to Compton
Valence
right and take the minor road (signposted to Hooke) n orth-west for 0.4 miles
down the hill to a small car park (at the grid reference given above) on the left
just before the bridge under the disused railway. Please note that parking is very
limited (c. 6–8 cars). There are two well-marked trails, the long walk marked in
green and the shorter walk marked in red. In addition, there are a number of
other footpaths crossing the reserve. The reserve is part of a working farm so
livestock may be on-site.
Facilities: car park (free), well-marked footpaths.
CALENDAR
All year: Common Buzzard, Green and April–July: Hobby, Woodcock, Tree Pipit,
Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Marsh Tit, Garden Warbler, Cuckoo.
Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Raven, Bullfinch.
November–March: Siskin, Lesser R
edpoll.
5 KINGCOMBE MEADOWS RESERVE (DWT) AND THE

RIVER HOOKE
OS Explorer 1 17
OS grid ref: SY 5
54990
Habitat
Kingcombe Meadows NR lies at the heart of an attractive steep-sided valley
where farming practices in some areas, notably around the hamlet of Lower

26 West and North Dorset
Kingcombe, have changed little since the 1920s. As a consequence the reserve
supports a diverse patchwork of habitats including wet meadows and unim-
proved grassland, scrub, thick ancient hedgerows and mature deciduous
woodland. The River Hooke flows through this valley and joins the River
Frome at Maiden Newton.
Species
Although the River Hooke is one of the best rivers in west Dorset to search for
Dippers, this elusive species can be very difficult to locate. Perhaps the best
strategy is to visit early morning in spring and systematically check the river
from road bridges and footpaths from Maiden Newton upstream to Hooke –
see Access for further details. Other breeding birds include riverine species such
as Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail, while Sedge and Reed Warblers and Reed
Bunting can be found where suitable habitat exists. The hedgerows and wood-
lands support a wide variety of breeding birds including Green and Great
Spotted Woodpeckers, Garden Warbler, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Linnet and
Yellowhammer. Common Buzzards are regularly seen overhead and may be
joined by the local Ravens. In winter, small flocks of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls
sometimes frequent the riverside trees, particularly the alders.
Timing
If searching for Dippers, an early morning start in spring is the best strategy for
locating this elusive species.
Access (see map on p25)

Kingcombe Meadows NR: This 444-acre site is best reached from Toller
Porcorum. From the junction with High Street take Kingcombe Road, sign-
posted to Lower Kingcombe, Higher Kingcombe, Hooke, Powerstock and the
Kingcombe Centre, n orth-west for 1.0 miles to the small reserve car park
(donations invited) on the right just before the Kingcombe Centre. Two foot-
paths can be easily accessed from the car park. The first is situated in the car
park opposite the front of Pound Cottage and provides access to Pound Plots.
For the second footpath, walk back down the car park entrance track to the
ve-bar gate on the right. Follow
road, turn left and walk a short distance to a fi
this footpath north-west through the fields, crossing the footbridge over the
River Hooke, and continue walking north-west to Lord’s Meadow and even-
tually Higher Kingcombe. The reserve is part of a working farm and there will
be livestock used for conservation grazing on-site.
Nearby, the Kingcombe Centre has a cafe. For further details contact The
Kingcombe Centre, Toller Porcorum, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 OEQ; tel:
01300 320684, email: kingcombe@dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
Facilities: car park (donations invited) at Kingcombe Meadows NR.
The River Hooke: There are several road bridges between Maiden Newton
and Hooke, which provide viewing points to look for Dippers and other river
birds. These are located at Maiden Newton: from the A356 (Dorchester Road)
in the village take Frome Lane south-west for 0.1 miles (SY 597974);Tollerford:
from the A356 (Dorchester Road) just west of Maiden Newton take Greenford
Lane, signposted to Compton Valence, south a short distance (SY 592976);
Toller Fratrum: from the A356 0.6 miles n orth-west of Maiden Newton take

Dipper
the minor road, signposted to Toller Fratrum, south-west for 0.5 miles (SY
580976);Toller Porcorum: from the minor road just east of the village and from
the access road to the Pottery off Kingcombe Road; Higher Kingcombe: from
the crossroads take the minor road south-west for 0.1 miles; and Hooke: from
various minor roads in the v illage.
CALENDAR
All year: Common Buzzard, Kingfisher, April–July: Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Sedge,
Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Reed and Garden Warblers, Linnet,
Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Yellowhammer, Reed B unting.
Treecreeper, Raven, B
ullfinch.
November–March: Siskin, Lesser R
edpoll.
6 LYDLINCH COMMON
OS Explorer 1 29
OS grid ref: ST 7
35135
Habitat
Lydlinch Common is perhaps the best example of the seasonally w aterlogged,
scrubby commons, which are characteristic of the Blackmore Vale and comprise
such important habitats as neutral and fen meadow grassland, thick scrub and
woodland. The site is designated partly for its exceptional butterfly fauna,
which includes such notable species as Brown Hairstreak and Marsh Fritillary.
Species
The scrubby commons and woodlands of the Blackmore Vale are home to a
wide variety of woodland and scrub species. This used to be a reliable site for
Willow Tit, but sadly this rapidly declining species has not been reported here
since 2000.
Otherwise, Lydlinch Common supports a good variety of breeding birds
typical of thick scrub and woodland including Common Buzzard, Green and
Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Nuthatch,
Treecreeper, Jay and Bullfinch.

28 West and North D
orset
Lydlinch Common
0 250 yards
A357
to Sturminster Newton
lay-by
Lydlinch
030
A3
boundary to Lydlinch Common

to Sherborne
Timing
Early mornings and evenings from mid-April to early June are best.
Access
Lydlinch Common is best approached from the junction of the A357 and
A3030, 0.6 miles west of Lydlinch, by taking the A3030, signposted to
Sherborne, south-west and after 0.1 miles parking in the obvious lay-by by the
white gate on the left of the road. This is the main access point to Lydlinch
Common. Although privately owned, there is a pedestrian right of access to
this site. From the white gate follow the track through the scrub south-east to
a T-junction just before a metal farm gate. There are footpaths to the left and
right, which form part of a network providing access to much of the area.
Please note there is only parking for 2–3 cars in the lay-by by the white gate.
There is another small lay-by on the right of the A357 travelling west just
before the junction with the A3030.
Facilities: none.
CALENDAR
All year: Common Buzzard, Green and April–July: Garden Warbler, Lesser
Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Whitethroat and other warbler s pecies.
Treecreeper, Jay.

PORTLAND AND W
EYMOUTH
11
7
10
7 The Fleet and Chesil Beach 10 Radipole Lake NR

8 The Isle of Portland 11 Lodmoor N R
9 Portland Harbour, The Nothe and
Weymouth Bay
Habitat
Dominated by the limestone massif of the Isle of Portland, this comparatively
short section of Dorset coast between Abbotsbury and Preston supports the
richest diversity of coastal and wetland habitats in the region.These include the
high cliffs of Portland, the unique shingle bank and shallow lagoon of Chesil
Beach and Fleet, the sheltered waters of Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay,
and the wetlands and reedbeds of Radipole Lake and Lodmoor N Rs.
Species
This concentration of ornithologically important sites provides varied and
exciting birdwatching throughout the year.Wildfowl, divers, grebes, waders and
gulls can be seen in winter. Migrants including seabirds, waders, gulls, terns and
landbirds feature at times of passage, and breeding seabirds, terns and reedbed
specialities are present in spring and summer. The potential for finding and
seeing unusual and rare birds is greater in this area than anywhere else in the
region.
02 Portland and Weymouth WTWB DHIofW.indd 29 19/05/2021 11:39

30 Portland and Weymouth
7 THE FLEET AND CHESIL B

EACH
84732
Habitat
Chesil Beach dominates the coastal scenery to the west of Portland, extending
for 18 miles from Chesil Cove to West Bay and for 8 miles between Ferrybridge
and Abbotsbury. It encloses the Fleet, a shallow estuarine lagoon. To seaward,
Chesil Beach is exposed to the full force of the prevailing south-westerly gales
and lacks any vegetation, but on the sheltered inland side, mats of short turf and
characteristic shingle flora cloak the more stable areas. A line of Suaeda marks
the transition of the beach into the muddy shores of the Fleet.
The Fleet itself varies in width from half a mile at Butterstreet Cove to less
than 100 yards by the Bridging Camp. The tidal flow that enters through the
narrow channel (Small Mouth) at Ferrybridge penetrates little further than the
middle reaches of the lagoon, beyond which seepage through the Chesil Beach
and freshwater flowing in from several small streams combine to produce a
brackish environment in the West Fleet. Although most of the Fleet is normally
very shallow, with extensive mudflats exposed between Ferrybridge and the
East Fleet at low tide, water levels vary considerably. These may be quite high
during periods of persistent easterly winds, which cause a b uild-up of water,
particularly in the West Fleet. The aquatic flora and fauna are very rich and
include extensive beds of eelgrasses and tasselweed.
At the head of the Fleet lies Abbotsbury Swannery, which was established by
Benedictine monks in the 1040s. The swannery grounds mainly comprise
extensive reedbeds merging into damp woodland. A recently flooded meadow
at this site has proved to be a major attraction for birds. Otherwise, the landward
shore of the Fleet is fringed mostly by farmland. The Fleet is one of the oldest
wildlife sanctuaries in Britain. At present the entire Fleet and neighbouring
Chesil Beach are maintained as the Chesil Bank and the Fleet Nature Reserve
by the Ilchester E state.
Species
The Fleet provides shelter and feeding for an abundance of wintering and
migrant waterfowl. The large flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese, which typi-
cally reach peak counts of between 1,500–3,000 birds, regularly attract a few
Pale-bellied Brent Geese along with occasional Black Brants (the latter having
been regular returnees since 2006). Eurasian Wigeon and Coots normally reach
peak counts in the low thousands, while in recent years the population of Mute
Swans has exceeded the 1,000+ mark. Peak counts of Canada Geese, Common
Teal, Mallards, Pintails, Shovelers, Pochards, Tufted Ducks and R ed-breasted
Mergansers usually reach treble figures, with smaller numbers of Little and
Great Crested Grebes, Cormorants, Shelducks, Gadwalls and Common
Goldeneyes also present. Many wildfowl including Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall,
Common Teal, Pintail and Shoveler favour the West Fleet, with the greatest
concentrations often at Abbotsbury, which is also the main site for Pochard and
Tufted Duck. Common Goldeneyes are more evenly distributed along the
Fleet, while D ark-bellied Brent Geese, Shelducks and R
ed-breasted Mergansers
are mainly found in the Ferrybridge/East Fleet area. A few Scaup regularly

Portland and Weymouth 31
winter with the Pochard/Tufted Duck flock at Abbotsbury, with numbers

increasing during periods of severe winter cold. Such conditions may bring the
likes of Bewick’s and Whooper Swans, grey geese (most likely White-fronted),
Smew and Goosander to the Fleet. In fact, some of these wildfowl may occur
during milder conditions with near-annual reports of Goosanders and several
sightings of Whooper Swans, including some long-staying individuals, in recent
years. Although only a few birds are normally involved, the Fleet is one of the
more reliable sites in the region for L ong-tailed Ducks, which show a prefer-
ence for the Abbotsbury and Ferrybridge/East Fleet areas, but other seaduck
such as Common Eider and Common and Velvet Scoters are reported on rare
occasions. Divers, mostly Great Northern, and the rarer winter grebes regularly
wander from Portland Harbour to the Ferrybridge/East Fleet area, while
recently Black-necked Grebes have occurred fairly frequently at Abbotsbury.
The Fleet, particularly the Abbotsbury area, is a favoured site for occasional
storm-driven Little Auks and Grey Phalaropes, which may remain for several
days. In fact, there were five Grey Phalaropes at Abbotsbury at one point in
November 2018.The offshore waters of Lyme Bay between Abbotsbury Beach
and West Bexington are always worth checking for divers (mainly R ed-throated),
Great Crested and the rarer winter grebes, seaduck and the common auks. In
early 2008 a female Surf Scoter wandered along this stretch of coast for several
weeks. With such large numbers of waterfowl frequenting the Fleet in winter
and at times of passage, it is no surprise that rarer species/subspecies are occa-
sionally found. In recent years there have been reports of Tundra Bean,
Pink-footed and Greenland White-fronted Geese, American Wigeon,
Green-winged and Blue-winged Teals, Red-crested Pochard, Ring-necked and
Ferruginous Ducks and Lesser Scaup. In addition, single Blue-winged Teals
have appeared in spring and autumn and a Bufflehead was present for several
weeks in March 2010.
A wide selection of waders including Oystercatcher, Ringed and Grey
Plovers, Dunlin, Curlew, Common Redshank and Turnstone winter on the
Fleet, favouring the Langton Herring (Herbury Gore/Rodden Hive) and
Ferrybridge/East Fleet areas. In addition, a few Bar-
tailed Godwits and
Greenshanks are present in most winters. Common Snipe, sometimes in good
numbers, are mainly found at Abbotsbury where one or two Jack Snipe are
reported on a near-annual basis. Knots and Ruffs occasionally appear in winter,
while there are winter sightings of such uncommon and rare species as Avocet,
Kentish Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher and Grey P halarope.
The large numbers of gulls which inhabit the Fleet in winter and early
spring are well worth checking through for the more unusual species. In recent
years there has been a phenomenal increase in the numbers of Mediterranean
Gulls present in the Ferrybridge and East Fleet area, with up to 2,000 being
present nearby in Weymouth Bay in 2018. Little Gulls occur in most winters,
mainly in Chesil Cove. Sadly, the status of Iceland and Glaucous Gulls has
recently declined from an occasional to a rare visitor. A w ell-watched Ivory
Gull was present in Chesil Cove in January 1980 and a Forster’s Tern frequented
the Fleet during the 1995 winter.There are also reports of Laughing and Ring-
billed Gulls – the latter mainly in early spring rather than winter.
Like so many other coastal sites in southern England, Little Egrets are now a
familiar sight along the Fleet throughout the year. Similarly, Cattle Egrets are
present for most of the year, and Great Egrets are seen in all months. With such

concentrations of wintering birds, it is not surprising that Merlins and Peregrine

Falcons often patrol the Fleet in search of prey, while Hen Harriers and Short-
eared Owls are occasionally seen, the latter overwintering in some years.
Smaller birds of interest which can be expected in winter include a few
Kingfishers, Rock Pipits and European Stonechats. In addition, wintering
Black Redstarts, Common Chiffchaffs and Firecrests occur in most years – the
former species most often at the Bridging Camp while the latter two species
favour Abbotsbury.
The first migrants appear during March with the arrival of Sandwich Terns,
Northern Wheatears and Common Chiffchaffs. The main passage period,
however, is April and May when waders are a conspicuous group, favouring the
same areas as they do during the winter. Parties of Whimbrels and Bar-tailed
Godwits are a familiar sight, the latter species often feeding at Ferrybridge
where small flocks of Sanderlings regularly consort with Ringed Plovers and
Dunlins. Careful scrutiny of these wader flocks may reveal something more
unusual such as Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, both occasional visitors to
the Fleet in spring. The undoubted wader speciality of Ferrybridge is the
Kentish Plover. This site is the most reliable in the region, and perhaps the UK,
for this species, which appeared in five springs and six autumns during 2000–
2007. Away from Ferrybridge, a variety of other migrant waders can be
expected along the Fleet, and in particular at Abbotsbury, with annual sightings
of Little Ringed Plovers, Common Sandpipers and Greenshanks and occasional
reports of Avocets, Knots, Ruffs, Green Sandpipers and Spotted Redshanks. In
addition, such uncommon and rare species as Black-winged Stilt, Collared
Pratincole, American Golden Plover, Temminck’s Stint, Spotted, S harp-tailed
and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and R ed-necked Phalarope
have all occurred in spring.
By mid-April the Sandwich Terns have been joined by Little and Common
Terns, both of which remain to breed locally, while passage Little Gulls and
Black Terns occasionally wander to the Fleet. Many of the wintering waterfowl
remain well into the spring when migrant Garganey may also put in an
appearance, most often at Abbotsbury where the species has been annual in
recent years. Spoonbills sometimes occur, favouring the Langton Herring and
Abbotsbury areas, and there are also recent records of Cattle and Great Egrets,
and Purple Heron. Ospreys are reported most years, mainly at Abbotsbury,
while Marsh Harriers are occasional visitors, again mainly at Abbotsbury.
The usual common migrant landbirds including Yellow Wagtails, Whinchats
and Northern Wheatears, can be found at Ferrybridge and along the landward
margins of the Fleet. Scarcer species such as Black Redstart, Ring Ouzel,
Firecrest and Pied Flycatcher occasionally occur and there have been several
reports of the exotic Hoopoe.There are also spring sightings of such uncommon
and rare birds as Alpine Swift, Wryneck, R ed-rumped Swallow, Marsh Warbler,
Golden Oriole, Woodchat Shrike and Serin, while Dorset’s second Thrush
Nightingale was trapped at Abbotsbury in May 1996.
The up-channel coastal and seabird passage through Lyme Bay can be
observed from the vantage Chesil Beach at Chesil Cove, Ferrybridge and
Abbotsbury Beach.These movements involve the same variety of birds that pass
offshore at nearby Portland Bill, including Common Scoters and other seaduck,
divers, Manx Shearwaters, various waders, skuas, Little Gulls and terns including
Black Terns. Many birds tend to follow the shore, moving east along Chesil

Beach and then south towards Portland Bill. A significant proportion of the
waders, skuas and terns, however, overfly Chesil Beach at Ferrybridge and pass
eastwards through Portland Harbour. Flocks of passage waders often stop and
linger to feed at Ferrybridge before continuing their journey, while skuas,
including spectacular parties of Pomarines, sometimes loaf for a few hours in
Chesil Cove waiting to attack passing seabirds. Chesil Cove has also hosted
spring Long-tailed Skuas in two recent years. Occasionally, Black or Roseate
Terns may be located among the gulls and terns feeding along the exposed
Chesil shore. Later in the spring and summer, large movements of Manx
Shearwaters are sometimes observed off Chesil Beach in Lyme Bay, while there
are occasional sightings of European S torm-petrels, particularly in Chesil Cove.
Dorset’s first and only King Eider was found during a seawatch in March 2005.
Chesil Beach is sanctuary to the only colony of Little Terns in Dorset, and
thanks to considerable efforts to protect the nests in recent years, breeding
success has reached almost 40 pairs. Common Terns, which once bred in good
numbers on Chesil Beach, now only attempt to nest on the artificial islets
constructed in the Fleet at Abbotsbury, where 80 manage to breed. A pair of
Mediterranean Gulls nested at Abbotsbury in 2020 – the furthest west they
have nested on the south coast. The bulk of Dorset’s breeding Ringed Plovers
are also found along Chesil Beach, while a few pairs of Shelducks nest along the
shores of the F leet.
The famous Swannery at Abbotsbury has probably been in existence for
about 900 years with the breeding population of Mute Swans ranging from
94–120 pairs during 2013–2019. Although Gadwalls and Tufted Ducks have
nested in recent years, they are not regular breeding species. The extensive
reedbeds support good numbers of nesting Sedge and Reed Warblers and Reed
Buntings, and Cetti’s Warbler is now a w ell-established resident. Sadly, the small
heronry near Abbotsbury was deserted in 2006.
The landward habitats fringing the Fleet support birds typical of open
country, while Common Buzzards and sometimes Ravens can be seen flying
over the nearby hillsides throughout the year. A few n on-breeding waterfowl,
waders and gulls remain on the Fleet throughout the summer. There are also
midsummer reports of such uncommon and rare species as Purple Heron,
Spoonbill, Laughing Gull, Caspian Tern and Common Rosefinch, while
Britain’s second ever White-tailed Lapwing was seen at Abbotsbury in July
1979.
The trickle of migrant waders, which is evident from late June, rapidly builds
up to a full-scale passage by m
id-July. Abbotsbury, Langton Herring and the
Ferrybridge/East Fleet area are all rewarding sites to search for waders in
autumn. Late-summer vagrant passerines are possible too, such as a Paddyfield
Warbler, which was ringed at Cuttcleaves Cove, Chickerell, in July 2011.
In addition to the commoner species that winter on the Fleet, more obvious
migrants such as Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, B ar-tailed
Godwit, Whimbrel, Common and Green Sandpipers and Greenshank can be
expected, sometimes in good numbers for Dorset. A few Little Ringed Plovers,
Ruffs, Black-tailed Godwits and Wood Sandpipers appear in most years, but
Spotted Redshanks are occasional visitors.There is always the chance of finding
more unusual species such as Avocet, Kentish Plover (at Ferrybridge),
Temminck’s Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper and R ed-necked Phalarope. Rarities
such as Sociable Lapwing, Semipalmated, White- rumped, Baird’s and

uff-breasted Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitcher and Terek Sandpiper have

B
also been reported from the Fleet in autumn.
Small numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns, together with a few Little
Terns, occur during the autumn and mix with the Black-headed and other
gulls inhabiting the Fleet. These flocks of gulls and terns should be checked
through for the less common species including Little Gulls, and Black and
Arctic Terns. Little Gulls and Black Terns are likely to be seen anywhere along
the Fleet, especially after severe gales. Such conditions, particularly late in the
season, often bring Grey Phalaropes and Little Auks to the shelter of the Fleet
and Sabine’s Gulls may seek brief respite at Ferrybridge, while skuas may
overfly Chesil beach to harry gulls and terns over the lagoon. A Royal Tern was
present for one day in June 2018 and was seen at both Ferrybridge and
Weymouth.
Chesil Cove is a favoured site for passage and storm- blown seabirds,
particularly Little Gulls, with rarer species such as Sooty and Balearic
Shearwaters, European and Leach’s Storm-petrels, Grey Phalarope (annual),
Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas, Sabine’s Gull and Little Auk all seen in recent
years. Both Caspian and White-winged Black Terns have been reported in
autumn.
Passage Garganey occasionally appear at Langton Herring and Abbotsbury
in autumn with many species of winter wildfowl returning by late August and
early September. As in spring and summer, Spoonbills are likely visitors. Ospreys
occur in most autumns with birds sometimes spending several days, if not
weeks, on the Fleet, while Marsh Harriers are reported annually.
Migrant landbirds are a prominent feature in the autumn, notably along the
landward fringes of the Fleet including Abbotsbury. Yellow Wagtail, Common
Redstart, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, the commoner warblers and Spotted
Flycatcher can be expected, while scarcer species such as Black Redstart,
Firecrest and Pied Flycatcher are occasionally seen. Among the rarer migrants,
a few Aquatic Warblers have been trapped in the reedbeds at Abbotsbury in
recent autumns and there have been sightings of such species as Wryneck,
Richard’s, Tawny and Red-throated Pipits, Bluethroat, Icterine, Melodious and
Yellow-browed Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-backed and Woodchat
Shrikes, Rose-coloured Starling, Serin and Ortolan Bunting. The potential of
the area for landbird rarities was shown by the discoveries of a R
ed-eyed Vireo
in a small wood by Littlesea Holiday Park in October 1995, and a Penduline Tit
in the reedbed at Abbotsbury in October 2003. Several Dusky Warblers have
appeared in autumn and one wintered at Abbotsbury over 2018/19, and a
Hume’s Warbler wintered at Wyke Regis over 2 011/12.
Timing
This is not too important for winter waterfowl, but wildfowl at Abbotsbury
often huddle in tight flocks on the furthest edge of the Fleet during strong
winds, particularly easterlies. Hard weather increases the number and diversity
of wildfowl.
To see waders on the East Fleet the tide must be partially out, but avoid
extreme low water when the birds may be too distant to observe satisfactorily.
At Ferrybridge, one to two hours before and after high water are the best times
to visit, since waders are forced to feed near the car park. At Langton Herring,
tidal conditions are difficult to predict, but there should be some mud exposed

at most times; only after prolonged easterly winds will so much water back up
the Fleet that all the mud is covered here.
Spring seawatching from Chesil Beach is best early in the morning, between
mid-April and mid-May, during light onshore (SW to SE) winds. Mist or
drizzle may be helpful, but seabird passage will occur in clear weather. Lack of
shelter makes seawatching difficult in strong onshore winds. Check Chesil
Cove for storm-driven seabirds during/after severe gales in autumn and winter.
The landward shore of the Fleet between Ferrybridge and Rodden Hive is
well used by walkers throughout the year. Ferrybridge is also subject to
disturbance from bait diggers at low tide and bathers in summer.
Access
The Fleet and Chesil Beach are best approached from the A354 between Wyke
Regis (Weymouth) and Portland, and along various minor roads west and
south from the B3156 and B3157 between Wyke Regis (Weymouth) and
Abbotsbury – see below.There is also a footpath (South West Coast Path) along
the landward shore of the Fleet between Small Mouth (Ferrybridge) and
Rodden Hive near Langton Herring.
Please note there is no access to:

1. The entire Chesil Beach between Ferrybridge and the tank traps at
Abbotsbury Beach from 1 May to 31 August. This is to prevent
disturbance to breeding birds.
2. The inside (Fleet shore) of Chesil Beach between Langton Herring
and the tank traps at Abbotsbury Beach throughout the year. Visitors
between 1 September and 30 April must keep to the seaward shore
below the crest of the beach to avoid disturbing the wildfowl.
3. The landward shore of the Fleet to the west of Rodden Hive near
Langton Herring, except at Abbotsbury Swannery – see below.
Chesil Cove: From the double roundabout at Victoria Square in Chesil

(Portland), take West Bay Terrace, signposted to Chiswell. After 0.2 miles turn
right onto a minor road (Brandy Row, Chiswell), signposted to The Gallery,
Chesil Cove and West Weares, and immediately turn left into a small car park
(free). From here, walk up Brandy Row to the promenade overlooking Chesil
Cove. For West Weares, turn left, and walk south-east along the promenade. If
the car park is full, drive back along West Bay Terrace towards the roundabout
and try the Lord Clyde car park (free), which is situated on the left of the road
next to the Bluefish Cafe and Restaurant.
Facilities: car park (free).
Ferrybridge and Chesil Beach: From the roundabout next to Chesil

Holiday Park at the south end of Wyke Regis, follow the A354 south-east
towards Portland and after 0.4 miles turn right into the Chesil Beach car
park (pay). There is general access to the area including Chesil Beach. The
south-west shore of Portland Harbour can be reached by carefully crossing
the A 354.
The Chesil Beach Centre is located next to the car park and opens daily 11
am to 6 pm from April to September and 11 am to 4 pm from October to
March. Further information on the Chesil Bank and the Fleet Nature Reserve

can be obtained from the Warden, Chesil Beach Centre, Portland Beach Road,
Portland, Dorset, DT4 9XE, tel: 01305 760579.
Facilities: car park (pay) with toilets and cafe at the Chesil Beach Centre.
The Bridging Camp and Littlesea: From Foord’s Corner roundabout at

the junction of the A354 and the B3156 in Wyke Regis, take the B3156
(Portland Road) n orth-west for 0.2 miles to the T-junction by the church.Turn
left along Wyke Road and after a very short distance, where Wyke Road bends
sharply to the right and becomes Lanehouse Rocks Road, turn left along
Camp Road. Follow Camp Road south-west for 0.6 miles and park on the
roadside beyond the entrance for the Wyke Regis Training Area (Bridging
Camp). For Littlesea, Tidmoor and East Fleet walk back up the road to just
beyond the entrance to Wyke Regis Training Area and take the South West
Coast Path to the left, signposted to Littlesea and Abbotsbury. Follow the foot-
path around the perimeter of Wyke Regis Training Area and then along the
shore of the Fleet north-west towards Littlesea Holiday Camp. For Pirates Cove
and Ferrybridge take the South West Coast Path to the right, south-east along
the shore of the F
leet.
Facilities: none.
East Fleet, Butterstreet Cove, Moonfleet and Herbury: From the B3157
roundabout at the western outskirts of Chickerell, take the minor road (Fleet
Road) south-west for 0.4 miles to East Fleet and follow the road round to the
right and continue n orth-west for 0.3 miles to East Fleet Church on the right
where parking (very limited) is permitted subject to making a contribution.
From here walk carefully back along the road to East Fleet, turn right and take
the footpath, signposted to The Coast Path and Old Church, south-west along
Butter Street, passing a line of cottages on the right. Go through the gate at the
end and follow the footpath first right across the stream and then left, sign-
posted to The Coast Path. On reaching Butterstreet Cove take the South West
Coast Path along the shoreline either west towards Moonfleet and Herbury or
south towards Chickerell Hive Point, Tidmoor and Littlesea Holiday C amp.
Alternatively, continue n orth-west and west along Fleet Road to a point 1.8
miles from the B3157 roundabout and a short distance before the Moonfleet
Manor Hotel to a small parking area on the left (do not obstruct the gates). Go
through the gate and follow the footpath, signposted to The Coast Path, south
through a field and through another gate to reach a small wood by the Fleet
shore. From here follow the South West Coast Path either n orth-west towards
Herbury and Langton Herring or south-east towards Butterstreet Cove and
East Fleet.
Facilities: none.
Langton Herring: From the B3157 at Langton Cross, which is 2.5 miles
south-east from the Kings Arms pub in Portesham and 1.5 miles n orth-west
from the roundabout on the western outskirts of Chickerell, take the minor
road, signposted to Langton Herring, west for 0.5 miles and park carefully on
the right side of the road by the red telephone box. Alternatively, if you intend

buying drink and/or food from the Elm Tree Inn, turn left opposite the red
telephone box, take the road (Shop Lane) into the village and after a short
distance turn right into the pub car park. A circular walk provides access to the
Fleet shore including Rodden Hive. Access to Herbury Gore peninsula is not
permitted, but a track allows you to continue towards Abbotsbury without
trespassing. From the Elm Tree Inn take Shop Lane south passing Church Hill
on the right and follow the road straight on and then round to the right. On
reaching Fleet Way Cottage turn left and follow the footpath south along the
track through the five-bar gate. Continue south on the footpath along the track
through the fields and down the hill, passing a wood on the right and some
barns on the left until reaching an obvious signpost. Turn right, leave the track
and follow the South West Coast Path, signposted to Abbotsbury, west along the
edge of the field overlooking Herbury Gore to Langton Hive Point. Cross
Coastguard Road through the gates either side and continue on the South West
Coastal Path, signposted to Abbotsbury, north along the edge of the field over-
looking the Fleet to a seat, which provides views over Rodden Hive. From here
follow the South West Coastal Path inland a short distance and then turn left
through the gate, signposted to Abbotsbury, and continue north along the edge
of the field bordering the hedge and stream on the left, crossing a stile in the
process. On reaching the next stile and signpost, turn right and follow the foot-
path, signposted to Langton Herring, south-east up a steep slope through a field
to Coastguard Road. Cross the stile and turn left and follow Coastguard Road
towards Langton Herring. At the T-
junction on the outskirts of Langton
Herring turn right and follow the road into the village, taking the first turning
on the right along Church Hill and passing the church on the left to Shop
Lane. Turn left and take Shop Lane north to either the Elm Tree Inn car park
on the left or the parking area by the red telephone box.
Facilities: car park at Elm Tree Inn for customers only.
Abbotsbury Swannery: From the sharp bend on the B3157 in Abbotsbury,

take the minor road, signposted to The Swannery, south for 0.4 miles to the car
park.
Abbotsbury Swannery is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm from late March to
late October. Please note: the dates vary a little from year to year, e.g. 21 March
to 1 November, so best refer to the Abbotsbury Swannery webpage or telephone
01305 871858 for the latest opening arrangements. Guided tours are available
but must be booked in advance by telephone (see above). Further information
can be obtained from Abbotsbury Swannery, New Barn Road, Abbotsbury,
near Weymouth, Dorset DT3 4JG, tel: as above, email: info@abbotsbury-tourism.
co.uk
Facilities: car park with toilets and c afe.
Abbotsbury Beach: From the B3157 0.5 miles west of the sharp bend in
Abbotsbury village (at the turning to the Swannery), take the minor road on
the left, signposted to The Chesil and S ub-tropical Gardens, south-west for 0.7
miles to Abbotsbury Beach Car Park (pay). From the car park take the footpath
south-east along the landward edge of the shingle beach. At the point where
the South West Coast Path heads inland towards Abbotsbury Swannery, keep to
the right and continue walking south-east along the landward side of the

B3
Portesham
157
Abbotsbury
Sub-tropical
Gardens
Abbotsbury Swannery Ne
w Rodden
Beach Ba
rn
Ro
ad
B3
tank traps
15
7
We Langton
s tF Langton Herring Cross
lee
t
Rodden Hive Elm Tree
0 0.5 mile
Coastguard
cottages
Herbury
Gore
Moonfleet
Hotel Chickerell Herbury Gore
East Fleet
3
A35
A35
B31
Butterstreet
4
57
Cove
Chickerell Hive ury Rd
Weymouth Bay
Abbotsb
Ch East Fleet
es
il B Weymouth
ea
ch Tidmoor
B31
57
54
A3
d
Roa
p
C am
Bridging Camp
Wyke
The Narrows
Regis
Portland
Harbour
0 0.5 mile
Ferrybridge
Osprey Quay
A3
54
Chiswell
Fortuneswell
Chesil Cove
Brandy Row
shingle beach beside the reedbed on the left until reaching the fence at the line
of tank traps. The Fleet and Abbotsbury Swannery can be viewed from here.
Remember that access along Chesil beach beyond this point is only permitted
along the seaward side from 1 September to 30 April. From Abbotsbury Beach
car park there is a boardwalk up Chesil Beach to a viewing platform overlook-
ing Lyme B ay.
Facilities: car park (pay) with toilets, viewing platform on beach.

CALENDAR
All year: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, April–July: up-channel coastal and seabird
Shelduck, Cormorant, Cattle Egret, Little passage; Garganey, Osprey, Little Ringed
Egret, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, and Kentish Plovers, Sanderling, B ar-tailed
Peregrine Falcon, Oystercatcher, Ringed Godwit, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper,
Plover, Common Redshank, Mediterranean Greenshank, Little, Sandwich and Common
Gull, Raven, Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Bunting. Terns, Sedge and Reed Warblers, common
migrant landbirds.
November–March: Shag, Dark-bellied and
Pale-bellied Brent Geese, Black Brant, August–October: storm-blown seabirds;
Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Little Ringed and
Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Kentish Plovers, Knot, Sanderling, Little
Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Common Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, B
lack-tailed
Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, and Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel,
Red-throated and Great Northern Divers, Common and Green Sandpipers,
Little, Great Crested, Red-necked, Slavonian Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gulls,
and Black-necked Grebes, Merlin, Grey Little, Black, Sandwich and Common Terns,
Plover, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Bar-tailed common migrant landbirds.
Godwit, Curlew, Greenshank, Turnstone,
Kingfisher, Rock Pipit, European Stonechat.
8 THE ISLE OF P
ORTLAND
77686
Habitat
The Isle of Portland is a long triangular limestone massif that juts out some
5 miles into the English Channel from a point about midway along the Dorset
coast. Joined tenuously to the mainland by Chesil Beach, the island rises sharply
to a peak of 425 feet at its northern end before gently sloping and tapering
away to the southernmost point at the Bill, which is only a few feet above sea
level. Much of the island is flanked by cliffs, although in many places these have
become partially cloaked with a combination of natural landslips and quarry
waste known as weares. Defence installations, housing developments and active
or abandoned quarry workings cover large parts of Portland; only in the south-
ern half does a mainly agricultural landscape of ancient field systems and
common land survive. Vegetation is limited by strong winds and salt spray, but
in the relative shelter of the east side, Verne Common and East Weare are
covered by areas of dense scrub. A few hardy clumps of sycamores grow in all
the settlements. A strong tide race occurs where the currents meet off the B ill.
Although traditionally Portland Bill and its immediate environs has been the
best-watched area for birds, several other sites on the island provide interesting
and productive birdwatching. The Bill area is predominantly open farmland,
the main patches of cover being at Culverwell and around the Bird Observatory
and adjacent Hut Fields. Apart from the working lighthouse at the Bill itself,
there are two disused lighthouses, one of which, the Old Lower Light, has
housed the Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre (PBO) since 1961.
Another good area for birds is Verne Common, which lies between Portland

Prison and the Naval Dockyard at the north end of the island. It consists of
steep sloping ground largely overgrown with dense bramble, blackthorn and
elderberry scrub. There is some rough pasture and a small Naval Cemetery
surrounded by sycamore trees. The remaining sites of interest offer a variety of
habitats including sycamore woods, disused quarry workings covered with areas
of dense scrub, residential gardens and open farmland.
The island’s flora boasts several local specialities, while butterflies and moths,
including many migrant species, are also well represented. Passing cetaceans are
regularly spotted offshore.
Species
Portland is one of the best-known birdwatching sites in Britain. The island’s
prominent position makes it ideal for attracting a wide range of migrant land-
birds and observing the offshore movements of seabirds.This was recognised by
the Rev. F.L. Blathwayt as long ago as 1918. The island’s full potential as a site
to study bird migration, however, was not established until the start of system-
atic coverage in the autumn of 1951. This was undertaken by an enthusiastic
group of observers based at Portland Bill. These studies eventually led to the
formation of the Portland Bird Observatory in 1955, since when Portland, and
in particular the Bill area, has become a ‘Mecca’ for birdwatchers who visit in
search of scarce and rare migrants. Spring Hoopoes and autumn Melodious
Warblers and Ortolan Buntings are more likely to be seen here than anywhere
else in mainland Britain, while the island’s list of rarities is truly impressive and
includes Britain’s first Calandra Lark (1961), Desert Warbler (1970), Savannah
Sparrow (1982) and Lesser Short- toed Lark (1992), plus England’s first
American Yellow Warbler (2017).
Spring migration commences in early March with the arrival of Northern
Wheatears and Common Chiffchaffs on land and the start of offshore coastal
and seabird passage. The numbers and diversity of migrant landbirds gradually
increase during the second half of the month when significant falls of Northern
Wheatears and Common Chiffchaffs may occur, along with a scattering of
other early migrants. These often include such scarce migrants as Black
Redstarts, Ring Ouzels and Firecrests, which continue to appear in small
numbers through to early May. The first two species favour the limestone
quarries, such as Tout Quarry, and landslips, which dominate much of Portland’s
landscape. The greatest volume of passage takes place in April and May when
large falls of landbirds are likely, usually involving several hundred Phylloscopus
warblers. Other migrants that can be seen during this period include Turtle
Doves, Tree Pipits, Yellow Wagtails, Common Redstarts, Whinchats, Northern
Wheatears, the commoner warblers, and Spotted and Pied Flycatchers among
others. Lesser Redpolls are occasionally recorded, but Common Redpolls are
rare. Exceptional though was an Arctic Redpoll in November 2020 – the
island’s first.Tree Sparrows are mostly recorded in autumn, and just occasionally
in spring. However, in 2018 a pair raised two broods of six and five young.This
was the first breeding record for Portland and the first breeding record in
Dorset since 2 011.
Certain species, such as Turtle Dove, Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher,
may continue to arrive well into June. A few Wood Warblers are seen each
spring, favouring areas of sycamores, but Nightingales are declining and the
species is now barely an annual visitor. It is the sub-rarities that cause most

interest. Hoopoes,Wrynecks and Serins occur regularly with several individuals

reported most springs, but the last species is notoriously a ‘flyover job’. A trio of
‘southern exotics’, namely European Bee-eater, Golden Oriole and Woodchat
Shrike are virtually annual in occurrence with most reports during May and
June. There are also several spring reports of Short-toed Larks, Richard’s and
Tawny Pipits, Bluethroats, Icterine and Melodious Warblers, Red- breasted
Flycatchers, R ed-backed Shrikes and Ortolan Buntings. Visual passage mainly
concerns Meadow Pipits from mid-March to early April, followed by hirundines
and some finch movements in April and May, and finally the arrival of Common
Swifts from late April onwards. There is a regular but small passage of Merlins
(mostly in March and April) and Hobbies (mostly in May), while a few S hort-
eared Owls also regularly pass through. Among the larger raptors Marsh and
Hen Harriers and Osprey are seen annually, the last species sometimes in good
numbers, and there are occasional sightings of Honey-buzzards, Black Kites and
Montagu’s Harriers. A Northern Harrier in April 2014 was the first for Dorset.
There is always a good chance that something rare will turn up during this
period, typically species overshooting from southern and eastern Europe.These
have included sightings of Red-footed Falcon, Scops Owl, Alpine Swift, Great
Spotted Cuckoo, Red-rumped Swallow, Citrine Wagtail, Thrush Nightingale,
Black-eared Wheatear, Rock Thrush, Zitting Cisticola, Blyth’s Reed, Eastern
Olivaceous, Western and Eastern Subalpine, Spectacled, Sardinian and Eastern
Bonelli’s Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaff, Collared Flycatcher, R ose-coloured
Starling, Common Rosefinch and B lack-headed Bunting.There have also been
representatives from Siberia and Scandinavia in the form of Olive-backed and
Red-throated Pipits and Pine, Rustic and Little Buntings. Despite the lack of
water on Portland, there are records of Little Bittern, Night Heron, Cattle and
Little Egrets, White Stork, Common Crane and Spoonbill in spring.
By early April, coastal and seabird passage is well underway and gradually
intensifies during the month to reach a peak during the first fortnight of May.
These up-channel movements typically involve seaduck, divers, Fulmars, Manx
Shearwaters, Gannets, waders, skuas, gulls including Kittiwakes, terns and the
common auks. It should be noted that the genuine passage of Fulmars,
Kittiwakes and the common auks is confused by the presence of local breeding
birds. The main attraction of seawatching from the Bill is undoubtedly the
passage of Pomarine Skuas. This normally takes place during the comparatively
short period between late April and mid-May. Numbers can vary from spring
to spring but in recent years typically 40–100 birds have been recorded but
only 47 and 35 in 2018 and 2019. Pomarine Skuas sometimes pass in flocks of
up to 10 or more individuals. Arctic Skua, however, is the most likely member
of this group to be seen, while Great Skua also occurs in good numbers and
there have been several reports of the elegant Long-tailed Skua. Terns are very
much a feature of these offshore movements with Sandwich Terns peaking in
April and Common/Arctic Terns peaking in May. A few Little Gulls and Little
and Black Terns, together with very occasional Roseate Terns, also pass offshore.
Passing gulls are always worth checking, particularly during the early spring
when Iceland and Glaucous Gulls are most likely to be seen. Common Scoters
are the main seaduck species passing up-channel, often in large flocks, which
may also include a few Velvet Scoters. Movements of other wildfowl include
small to modest numbers of Dark- bellied Brent Geese along with small
numbers of Common Eiders and Red- breasted Mergansers, and very

occasionally Long-tailed Ducks. The most conspicuous of the waders involved

in the up-channel movements are Bar-tailed Godwits and Whimbrels, while
parties of smaller waders such as Sanderlings and Dunlins occur from time to
time. Single Stone-curlews have appeared in several recent springs and autumns.
Unsettled weather and unseasonal gales in late May and June may bring
European Storm-petrels close inshore, sometimes in good numbers, although
in recent years relatively few have been seen. However, an exceptional 1,000
passed on 19 May 2006! Cory’s Shearwaters have also been reported on a
number of occasions, although Great Shearwaters are much rarer. With so
much sea passage, there is always a chance that something more unusual will
appear, such as the White-billed Diver in March 1997. The wintering Purple
Sandpipers are often present into May, usually inhabiting the rocks by the Bill
and along the East Cliffs where waders such as Oystercatchers and migrant
Common Sandpipers can be found. Ploughed fields occasionally attract migrant
Dotterels and there is a spring record of a Collared Pratincole.
Portland’s high vertical West Cliffs support breeding seabirds. Auks
predominate, Common Guillemots being most numerous (500+ birds in 2018)
with smaller numbers of Razorbills (about 100 birds in 2018). A few Puffins are
seen near the auk colony (max. eight birds in 2019) but breeding has not been
confirmed for several years. The once thriving population of Kittiwakes has
continued to decline and no young have been seen in recent years. On a more
positive note, the Shag is now a regular breeder with six occupied nests in 2018.
Small numbers of Fulmars also breed along the West Cliffs as well as at Grove
Cliff on the north-east side of the island, while Herring Gulls nest in suitable
areas around the island including rooftops. Offshore movements of seabirds that
do not breed locally still feature during the summer. Gannets are regularly
present offshore, while good numbers of Manx Shearwaters occur during June
and July when summering and passage Balearic Shearwaters usually first appear.
July 2020 saw a putative Yelkouan Shearwater join them, which would be only
the second British record if accepted. Strong winds and gales may also produce
occasional skuas and European Storm-petrels.
Tape-
luring at night has
confirmed the presence of the latter species in the English Channel during the
summer.
Both Peregrine Falcons and Ravens are well-established breeding residents
on Portland. The cliffs also support breeding Stock Doves, Rock Pipits and
Jackdaws, while abandoned quarries such as the ‘Obs Quarry’ provide nesting
Pomarine Skuas

sites for Little Owls. Areas of scrub support a small breeding population of
European Stonechats.
Although inward migration has largely ceased by early June, the midsummer
period can still produce the odd overshooting rarity. There have been several
sightings of Greenish Warblers and Common Rosefinches along with records
of Night Heron, Black Kite, European Bee-
eater,
Red- rumped Swallow,
Thrush Nightingale, Black-eared Wheatear, Blyth’s Reed, Eastern Olivaceous,
Sykes’s and Subalpine Warblers, Rose-coloured Starling and Black-
headed
Bunting. One of Portland’s best rarities, an Egyptian Nightjar, was seen in June
1984.
July sees the first signs of autumn passage with the overhead movements of
Common Swifts and Sand Martins and a trickle of migrant landbirds. Visual
passage continues through August into September when huge movements of
Swallows and House Martins often occur late in the month. Although initial
attention is focused on departing summer visitors, from m id-September the
emphasis gradually changes to the overhead movements of winter visitors such
as Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, thrushes and various finches including Bramblings,
Siskins and Lesser Redpolls, which continue through October into November.
During the early part of the autumn, one can expect to find the same variety
of migrant landbirds as in spring, but usually in larger numbers. Of the scarcer
birds that regularly pass through, Pied Flycatchers mainly appear in August and
September, but Black Redstarts, Ring Ouzels and Firecrests are generally seen
later in the season. Locally dispersing Dartford Warblers have increasingly
become a feature of the late autumn in recent years. Although Portland is
renowned for the frequency with which certain landbird subrarities occur,
some species have declined markedly in recent years. One of these subrarity
specialities is the Melodious Warbler. In past autumns, the numbers of individuals
reported reached double figures, but more recently the species has become
scarcer with absences in several years. Melodious Warblers normally appear
from late July to mid-September. The closely related Icterine Warbler has
shown a marked decline recently and can no longer be considered a near-
annual visitor and indeed none were seen anywhere in Dorset from 2017–
2019. Tawny Pipit is another of Portland’s subrarity specialities, which has
declined dramatically in recent years. Once an annual visitor with numbers
reaching double figures in 1983, there have been sightings of Tawny Pipits in
only one of the years from 2013–2019. In contrast, Richard’s Pipits appear in
alternate autumns. September is the best month for Tawny Pipits with Richard’s
Pipits normally seen later during October and November. Ortolan Buntings
remain almost annual visitors from m id-August onwards, favouring stubble
fields at the Bill and along Barleycrates Lane. Wrynecks and Yellow-browed
Warblers occur every autumn, sometimes in good numbers, while Barred and
Pallas’s Warblers, R ed-breasted Flycatchers and Serins are near-annual visitors.
Wrynecks and Barred Warblers tend to appear earlier in the autumn whereas
Pallas’s and Yellow-browed Warblers and R ed-breasted Flycatchers are more in
evidence later in the autumn. The last three species show a preference for
gardens and small sycamore copses in the centre and north of the island;
Sweethill Gardens in Southwell and the environs of Easton are particularly
good areas.
There is usually a small passage of Lapland Buntings in October and
November with the odd bird occasionally overwintering, while a few Snow

Buntings are seen most autumns. Bluethroats, Red- backed and Woodchat
Shrikes, Rose-coloured Starlings and Common Rosefinches are also good bets
for the autumn, but these species do not appear every year. Unlike the spring,
most of the landbird rarities reported in autumn originate from Scandinavia/
Siberia and the east, ranging from pipits (Blyth’s, O live-backed, Pechora and
Red-throated) to warblers (Pallas’s Grasshopper, Aquatic, Blyth’s Reed, Eastern
Olivaceous, Booted, Greenish,Arctic, Hume’s, Radde’s and Dusky) and buntings
(Rustic, Little and Yellow-breasted). More southerly ‘goodies’ have included the
likes of R
ed-footed Falcon, Pallid and Alpine Swifts, S hort-toed Lark, R ed-
rumped Swallow, Red- flanked Bluetail, Pied and Desert Wheatears, and
Western Orphean, Eastern Subalpine, Sardinian and Western Bonelli’s Warblers.
American landbirds have been few and far between, but Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Cliff Swallow, Grey- cheeked Thrush, R ed-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula,
Northern Waterthrush and Bobolink have been recorded.With Portland’s track
record, almost anything is likely to appear. There have been several ‘Isabelline’
Shrikes, with two recent records confirmed as Daurian S hrike.
Migrant raptors are very much in evidence with small numbers of Merlins,
Hobbies and S hort-eared Owls passing through each autumn. Hobby passage
typically lasts from August to early October and peaks in September. Merlins
may appear as early as August but most passage takes place from September to
November and peaks in October. Short-eared Owls are mainly seen from
September to November with the peak in October, but the species may remain
to overwinter in some years. October and November are the best times for
occasional migrant Long-eared Owls. A R ough-legged Buzzard in October
2018 was the first Dorset record since 2005. H oney-buzzards, Marsh Harriers
and Ospreys occur annually, while Hen Harriers are occasionally seen. There
are also reports of Black and Red Kites and Montagu’s Harriers. Now that the
Little Egret is well established in southern England, birds regularly pass by or
over Portland heading for the wetlands of the Fleet and Weymouth area. Glossy
Ibis has also been reported as numbers in southern England have increased. As
in spring, Dotterels are occasional visitors, favouring ploughed fields and areas
of bare ground, as are Stone-curlews.There are also autumn reports of such rare
waders as Baird’s, Pectoral, B uff-breasted and Upland Sandpipers.
Generally, coastal and seabird passage in autumn is less reliable than during
the spring. Nevertheless, given the right conditions seawatching can be
rewarding. Commoner birds to be seen include Common Scoters, Fulmars,
Manx Shearwaters (mainly July and August), Gannets, Great and Arctic Skuas,
Kittiwakes, Sandwich and Common/Arctic Terns and the commoner auks.
Early autumn (July and August) is the peak time for Balearic Shearwaters,
which regularly occur in modest numbers, sometimes lingering offshore for
prolonged periods, and for Cory’s Shearwaters, which have been reported on
several occasions. Sooty Shearwaters pass offshore throughout the autumn,
usually in small numbers, but periods of strong winds and unsettled weather
can result in occasional good years. Although only four were seen in 2015, there
were 43 in 2017 with 20 on one day in m id-October. Indeed, the occurrence
of many seabirds is dependent on autumn gales, which often produce Pomarine
Skuas and influxes of Little Gulls as well as rarer storm-driven species such as
European and Leach’s Storm- petrels, Grey Phalarope, Long-tailed Skua,
Sabine’s Gull and Little Auk. Single Caspian Gulls (all first-winter birds) have
been seen in most years since 2014.

Another random document with
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wife, M. Pichon and his American wife, Mr. and Mrs. Madison, and
some other persons whose names were not mentioned. When
dinner was announced, the President offered his hand to Mrs.
Madison and took her to table, placing her on his right. Mme. Yrujo
took her seat on his left.
“Mrs. Merry was placed by Mr. Madison below the Spanish
minister, who sat next to Mrs. Madison. With respect to me,” continued
the British minister in his account of the affair,[267] “I was proceeding
to place myself, though without invitation, next to the wife of the
Spanish minister, when a member of the House of Representatives
passed quickly by me and took the seat, without Mr. Jefferson’s using
any means to prevent it, or taking any care that I might be otherwise
placed....
“I will beg leave to intrude a moment longer on your Lordship’s
time,” continued Merry’s report, “by adding to this narrative that
among the persons (none of those who were of this country were the
principal officers of the government except Mr. Madison) whom the
President selected for a dinner which was understood to be given to
me, was M. Pichon the French chargé d’affaires. I use the word
selected, because it could not be considered as a diplomatic dinner,
since he omitted to invite to it the Danish chargé d’affaires, who, with
the Spanish minister, form the whole body.”
Merry’s report was brief; but Yrujo, who also made an official
report to his Government, after mentioning the neglect shown to
Merry before dinner, added a remark that explained the situation
more exactly:[268]—
“I observed immediately the impression that such a proceeding of
the President must have on Mr. and Mrs. Merry; and their resentment
could not but be increased at seeing the manifest, and in my opinion
studied, preference given by the President throughout to me and my
wife over him and Mrs. Merry.”
There the matter might have rested, had not Madison carried the
new “canons” beyond the point of endurance. December 6, four days
after the dinner at the White House, the British minister was to dine
with the Secretary of State. Pichon and Yrujo were again present,
and all the Cabinet with their wives. Yrujo’s report described the
scene that followed.
“I should observe,” said he, “that until then my wife and I had
enjoyed in the houses of Cabinet ministers the precedence of which
we had been deprived in the President’s house; but on this day the
Secretary of State too altered his custom, without informing us
beforehand of his resolution, and took to table the wife of the
Secretary of the Treasury. This unexpected conduct produced at first
some confusion, during which the wife of the British minister was left
without any one giving her his hand, until her husband advanced, with
visible indignation, and himself took her to table.”
Even Pichon, though pleased to see the British minister humbled,
felt his diplomatic pride a little scandalized at this proceeding. He
admitted that it was an innovation, and added,—
“There is no doubt that Mr. Madison in this instance wished to
establish in his house the same formality as at the President’s, in
order to make Mr. Merry feel more keenly the scandal he had made;
but this incident increased it.”
The scandal which Merry had made consisted in saying that he
believed his treatment at the White House was a premeditated insult
against his country. Madison’s course took away any remaining
doubt on the subject in his mind. Merry became bitter. He wrote
home informally:[269]—
“On this occasion, also, the pas and the preference in every
respect was taken by, and given to, the wives of the Secretaries of the
Departments (a set of beings as little without the manners as without
the appearance of gentlewomen), the foreign ministers and their wives
being left to take care of themselves. In short the latter are now placed
here in a situation so degrading to the countries they represent, and
so personally disagreeable to themselves, as to have become almost
intolerable. The case yesterday was so marked and so irritating that I
determined to hand Mrs. Merry myself to the table, and to place
ourselves wherever we might conveniently find seats.”
Merry then received an official explanation that Jefferson

invariably gave precedence to the wives of his Cabinet ministers,
and that he made no exceptions in favor of foreigners in his rule of
pêle-mêle.[270] Merry notified Lord Hawkesbury to that effect. He did
not fail to point out the signs which indicated to him that these
proceedings were but part of a general plan intended to press on the
British government. In truth, the whole issue lay in the question
whether that intent influenced Jefferson’s behavior.
A sort of civil war ensued in the little society of Washington, in
which the women took prominent part, and Mrs. Merry gave back
with interest the insults she considered herself to have received. The
first serious evil was an alliance between Merry and Yrujo, the two
men whom Jefferson had most interest in keeping apart. Pichon
wrote home a lively account of the hostilities that followed.[271]
“M. Yrujo, who is vanity itself, blew the flame more vigorously than
ever.... He concerted reprisals with Mr. Merry, and it was agreed that
whenever they should entertain the secretaries and their wives, they
should take none of them to table, but should give their hands to their
own wives. This resolution was carried out at a dinner given some
days afterward by M. Yrujo. Mr. and Mrs. Merry were next invited by
the Secretary of the Navy. Mrs. Merry refused; yet this minister, a very
well-bred man (homme fort poli), had so arranged things as to give
her his hand. Apparently what had taken place at Mr. Madison’s was
thought harsh (dur), and it was wished to bring Mr. and Mrs. Merry
back to a reconciliation. The Cabinet took up the question, as reported
in the newspaper of which I sent you an extract, and it was resolved
that hereafter the President should give his hand to the lady who
might happen to be nearest him, and that there should be no
precedence. Mr. Merry was invited to a tea by the Secretary of War
and by the Secretary of the Treasury. To avoid all discussion he wholly
refused the first, and after accepting the second he did not come.
Finally, New Year’s Day gave another occasion for scandal. On this
day, as on the Fourth of July, it is the custom to call upon the
President; and even the ladies go there. This year neither Mme. Yrujo
nor Mrs. Merry went, and the Marquis took care to answer every one
who inquired after his wife’s health, that she was perfectly well. Since
then Washington society is turned upside down; all the women are to
the last degree exasperated against Mrs. Merry; the Federal
newspapers have taken up the matter, and increased the irritation by
sarcasms on the Administration and by making a burlesque of the
facts which the Government has not thought proper to correct. The
arrival of M. Bonaparte with his wife in the midst of all this explosion
has furnished Mr. Merry with new griefs. The President asked M. and
Mme. Bonaparte to dinner, and gave his hand to Madame. There was,
however, this difference between the two cases,—the President had
invited on this day, besides myself and Mme. Pichon, only the two
Messrs. Smith and their wives, who are of Mme. Bonaparte’s family.
But when Mr. Merry heard of it, he remarked that Mme. Bonaparte had
on this occasion taken precedence of the wife of the Secretary of the
Navy.... I am aware,” continued the delighted Pichon, “that with tact on
the part of Mr. Jefferson he might have avoided all these scandals.”
The British minister wrote to Lord Hawkesbury a brief account of
his reception, closing with the remark:[272]—
“Under these circumstances, my Lord, I have thought it advisable
to avoid all occasions where I and my wife might be exposed to a
repetition of the same want of distinction toward us until I shall have
received authority from you to acquiesce in it, by a signification of his
Majesty’s pleasure to that effect.”
Accordingly, when the President invited the two ministers to dine
at the White House without their wives, they replied that they could
not accept the invitation until after receiving instructions from their
Governments. Jefferson regarded this concerted answer as an
insult.[273] He too lost his temper so far as to indulge in sharp
comments, and thought the matter important enough to call for
explanation. In a private letter to Monroe, dated Jan. 8, 1804, he
wrote:[274]—
“Mr. Merry is with us, and we believe him to be personally as
desirable a character as could have been sent us; but he is unluckily
associated with one of an opposite character in every point. She has
already disturbed our harmony extremely. He began by claiming the
first visit from the national ministers. He corrected himself in this; but a
pretension to take precedence at dinner, etc., over all others is
persevered in. We have told him that the principle of society as well as
of government with us is the equality of the individuals composing it;
that no man here would come to a dinner where he was to be marked
with inferiority to any other; that we might as well attempt to force our
principle of equality at St. James’s as he his principle of precedence
here. I had been in the habit when I invited female company (having
no lady in my family) to ask one of the ladies of the four Secretaries to
come and take care of my company, and as she was to do the honors
of the table I handed her to dinner myself. That Mr. Merry might not
construe this as giving them a precedence over Mrs. Merry I have
discontinued it, and here as in private houses the pêle-mêle practice
is adhered to. They have got Yrujo to take a zealous part in the claim
of precedence. It has excited generally emotions of great contempt
and indignation (in which the members of the Legislature participate
sensibly) that the agents of foreign nations should assume to dictate
to us what shall be the laws of our society. The consequence will be
that Mr. and Mrs. Merry will put themselves into Coventry, and that he
will lose the best half of his usefulness to his nation,—that derived
from a perfectly familiar and private intercourse with the Secretaries
and myself. The latter, be assured, is a virago, and in the short course
of a few weeks has established a degree of dislike among all classes
which one would have thought impossible in so short a time.... With
respect to Merry, he appears so reasonable and good a man that I
should be sorry to lose him as long as there remains a possibility of
reclaiming him to the exercise of his own dispositions. If his wife
perseveres she must eat her soup at home, and we shall endeavor to
draw him into society as if she did not exist.”
Of all American hospitality none was so justly famous as that of
Virginia. In this State there was probably not a white man, or even a
negro slave, but would have resented the charge that he was
capable of asking a stranger, a foreigner, a woman, under his roof,
with the knowledge that he was about to inflict what the guest would
feel as a humiliation. Still less would he have selected his guest’s
only enemy, and urged him to be present for the purpose of
witnessing the slight. Reasons of state sometimes gave occasion for
such practices, but under the most favorable conditions the tactics
were unsafe. Napoleon in the height of his power insulted queens,
browbeat ambassadors, trampled on his ministers, and made his
wife and servants tremble; but although these manners could at his
slightest hint be imitated by a million soldiers, until Europe, from
Cadiz to Moscow, cowered under his multiplied brutality, the insults
and outrages recoiled upon him in the end. Jefferson could not afford
to adopt Napoleonic habits. His soldiers were three thousand in
number, and his own training had not been that of a successful
general; he had seven frigates, and was eager to lay them up in a
single dry-dock. Peace was his passion.
To complicate this civil war in the little society of Washington,
Jerome Bonaparte appeared there, and brought with him his young
wife, Elizabeth Patterson, of Baltimore. Jerome married this beautiful
girl against the remonstrances of Pichon; but after the marriage took
place, not only Pichon, but also Yrujo and Jefferson, showed proper
attention to the First Consul’s brother, who had selected for his wife
a niece of the Secretary of the Navy, and of so influential a senator
as General Smith. Yet nothing irritated Napoleon more than Jerome’s
marriage. In some respects it was even more objectionable to him
than that of Lucien, which gave rise to a family feud. Pichon
suspected what would be the First Consul’s feelings, and wrote letter
after letter to clear himself of blame. In doing so he could not but
excite Napoleon’s anger against American society, and especially
against the family of his new sister-in-law.
“It appears, Citizen Minister,” wrote Pichon to Talleyrand,[275] “that
General Smith, who in spite of the contrary assurances he has given
me, has always had this alliance much at heart, has thrown his eyes
on the mission to Paris as a means of appeasing (ramener) the First
Consul. He has long since aimed at the diplomatic career, for which
he is little qualified; this motive and the near return of Mr. Livingston
have decided his taste. For some time there has been much question
of this nomination among the friends of General Smith. There is also
question of promoting, on the part of the First Consul, for minister to
this country, a selection which should be connected with the other. It is
thought that the appointment of M. Jerome Bonaparte would be an
honorable mode of leaving the First Consul’s brother time to have his
fault forgotten, and of preparing his return to favor.”
Such readiness among Jefferson’s advisers to court the favors of
the young First Consul was sure not to escape the eyes of the
embittered Federalists. Pichon’s account, although sharp in allusions
to General Smith’s “vanity,” was mild compared with the scorn of the
New Englanders. Apparently the new matrimonial alliance was taken
seriously by prominent Republican leaders. One of the
Massachusetts senators mentioned in his diary[276] a “curious
conversation between S. Smith, Breckenridge, Armstrong, and
Baldwin, about ‘Smith’s nephew, the First Consul’s brother.’ Smith
swells upon it to very extraordinary dimensions.” Pichon openly
spoke of the whole family connection, including both Robert and
Samuel Smith, and even Wilson Cary Nicholas, as possessed with
“an inconceivable infatuation” for the match; “it was really the young
man who was seduced.” Nothing that Pichon could say affected
them. Senator J. Q. Adams remarked: “the Smiths are so elated with
their supposed elevation by this adventure, that one step more would
fit them for the discipline of Dr. Willis,”—the famous English expert in
mental diseases.[277]
The President and his friends might not know enough of
Napoleon’s character to foresee the irritation which such reports
would create in his mind, but they were aware of the contrast
between their treatment of Jerome Bonaparte and their slights to
Anthony Merry. Had they felt any doubt upon the subject, the free
comments of the British minister and his wife would have opened
their eyes. In truth, no doubt existed. Washington society was in a
manner ordered to proscribe the Merrys and Yrujo, and pay court to
Jerome and the Smiths.
Had this been all, the matter would have ended in a personal
quarrel between the two envoys and the two Virginians, with which
the public would have had no concern. Jefferson’s “canons of
etiquette” would in such a case have had no further importance than
as an anecdote of his social habits. The seriousness of Jefferson’s
experiments in etiquette consisted in the belief that they were part of
a political system which involved a sudden change of policy toward
two great Powers. The “canons” were but the social expression of an
altered feeling which found its political expression in acts marked by
equal disregard of usage. The Spanish minister had already reason
to know what he might expect; for six weeks before Merry’s dinners
John Randolph proclaimed in the House that West Florida belonged
to the United States, and within the week that preceded Merry’s
reception, he brought in the Bill which authorized the President to
annex Mobile. After such a proceeding, no diplomatist would have
doubted what meaning to put upon the new code of Republican
society. Merry’s arrival, at the instant of this aggression upon Spain,
was the signal for taking toward England a higher tone.
Merry could not fail to see what lay before him. From the
President, notwithstanding heelless slippers and “canons of
etiquette,” the British minister heard none but friendly words. After
the formal ceremony of delivering the letter of credence was over,—
“He desired me to sit down,” wrote Merry,[278] “when we
conversed for some time on general affairs. The sentiments which he
expressed respecting those of Europe appeared very properly to be
by no means favorable to the spirit of ambition and aggrandizement of
the present ruler in France, or to the personal character in any respect
of the First Consul, and still less so to his conduct toward all nations.”
From this subject the President passed to Spanish affairs and to
the Spanish protest against the Louisiana cession, founded on
Bonaparte’s pledge never to alienate that province.
“This circumstance,” continued Merry, “as well as the resistance
altogether which Spain had unexpectedly brought forward in words,
Mr. Jefferson considered as highly ridiculous, and as showing a very
pitiful conduct on her part, since she did not appear to have taken any
measures to support it either by preparation of defence on the spot, or
by sending there a force to endeavor to prevent the occupation of the
country by the troops of the United States. He concluded by saying
that possession of it would, at all events, be taken.”
If Merry did not contrive, after his dinner at the White House, to
impart this conversation to his colleagues Yrujo and Pichon, he must
have been a man remarkably free from malice. Meanwhile he had
his own affairs to manage, and Madison was not so forbearing as the
President. Merry’s first despatch announced to his Government that
Madison had already raised his tone. Without delay the matter of
impressments was brought into prominence. The “pretended”
blockade of Martinique and Guadeloupe was also strongly
characterized.
“It is proper for me to notice,” said Merry in his report of these
remonstrances,[279] “that Mr. Madison gave great weight to them by
renewing them on every occasion of my seeing him, and by his
expressing that they were matters upon which this Government could
not possibly be silent until a proper remedy for the evil should be
applied by his Majesty’s government. His observations were, however,
made with great temper, and accompanied with the strongest
assurances of the disposition of this Government to conciliate, and to
concur in whatever means could be devised which should not be
absolutely derogatory to their independence and interests, to establish
principles and rules which should be satisfactory to both parties....
But, my Lord, while it is my duty to do justice to Mr. Madison’s
temperate and conciliatory language, I must not omit to observe that it
indicated strongly a design on the part of this Government to avail
themselves of the present conjuncture by persisting steadily in their
demands of redress of their pretended grievances, in the hope of
obtaining a greater respect to their flag, and of establishing a more
convenient system of neutral navigation than the interests of the
British empire have hitherto allowed his Majesty to concur in.”
The British government was aware that its so-called right of
impressment and its doctrine of blockade rested on force, and could
not be maintained against superior force; but this consciousness
rendered England only the more sensitive in regard to dangers that
threatened her supremacy. Knowing that the United States would be
justified in declaring war at any moment, Great Britain looked
uneasily for the first symptoms of retaliation. When Madison took so
earnest a tone, Merry might reasonably expect that his words would
be followed by acts.
These shocks were not all that the new British minister was
obliged to meet at the threshold of his residence in Washington. At
the moment when he was, as he thought, socially maltreated, and
when he was told by Madison that America meant to insist on her
neutral rights, he learned that the Government did not intend to ratify
Rufus King’s boundary convention. The Senate held that the
stipulations of its fifth article respecting the Mississippi might
embarrass the new territory west of the river. King knew of the
Louisiana cession when he signed the treaty; but the Senate had its
own views on the subject, and under the lead of General Smith[280]
preferred to follow them, as it had done in regard to the second
article of the treaty with France, Sept. 30, 1800, and as it was about
to do in regard to Pinckney’s claims convention, Aug. 11, 1802, with
Spain. Merry was surprised to find that Madison, instead of
explaining the grounds of the Senate’s hesitation, or entering into
discussion of the precise geographical difficulty, contented himself
with a bald statement of the fact. The British minister thought that
this was not the most courteous way of dealing with a treaty
negotiated after a full acquaintance with all the circumstances, and
he wrote to his Government to be on its guard:[281]—
“Notwithstanding Mr. Madison’s assurances to the contrary, I have
some reason to suspect that ideas of encroachment on his Majesty’s
just rights are entertained by some persons who have a voice in
deciding upon the question of the ratification of this convention, not to
say that I have much occasion to observe, from circumstances in
general, that there exists here a strong impression of the
consequence which this country is supposed to have acquired by the
recent additions to the territory of the United States, as well as by the
actual situation of affairs in Europe.”
In view of the Mobile Act, introduced into Congress by Randolph
on behalf of the government a week before this letter was written,
Merry’s suspicions could hardly be called unreasonable. A like
stretch of authority applied to the northwest territory would have
produced startling results.
Merry’s suspicions that some assault was to be made upon
England were strengthened when Madison, December 5, in
pursuance of a call from the Senate, sent a list of impressments
reported to the Department during the last year. According to this
paper the whole number of impressments was forty-six,—three of
which were made by France and her allies; while of the forty-three
made by Great Britain twenty-seven of the seamen were not
American citizens. Of the entire number, twelve were stated to have
had American papers; and of the twelve, nearly half were impressed
on land within British jurisdiction. The grievance, serious as it was,
had not as yet reached proportions greater than before the Peace of
Amiens. Merry drew the inference that Jefferson’s administration
meant to adopt stronger measures than had hitherto been thought
necessary. He soon began to see the scope which the new policy
was to take.
Dec. 22, 1803, Madison opened in a formal conference the
diplomatic scheme which was the outcome of these preliminary
movements.[282] Beginning with a repetition of complaints in regard
to impressments, and dwelling upon the great irritation created by
such arbitrary acts, the secretary next remonstrated against the
extent given to the law of blockade by British cruisers in the West
Indies, and at length announced that the frequent repetition of these
grievances had rendered it necessary for the United States to take
immediate steps to find a remedy for them. Instructions would
therefore be shortly sent to Monroe at London to negotiate a new
convention on these subjects. The American government would wish
that its flag should give complete protection to whatever persons
might be under it, excepting only military enemies of the belligerent.
Further, it would propose that the right of visiting ships at sea should
be restrained; that the right of blockade should be more strictly
defined, and American ships be allowed, in consideration of the
distance, to clear for blockaded ports on the chance of the blockade
being removed before they arrived; and finally that the direct trade
between the West Indies and Europe should be thrown open to
American commerce without requiring it to pass through a port of the
United States.
In return Madison offered to the British government the
unconditional surrender of deserters by sea and land, together with
certain precautions against the smuggling of articles contraband of
war.
Although Madison pressed the necessity of an immediate
understanding on these points, he did so in his usual temperate and
conciliatory manner; while Merry frankly avowed that he could give
no hopes of such propositions being listened to. He did this the more
decisively because Congress seemed about to take the matter of
impressments into its own hands, and was already debating a Bill for
the protection of seamen by measures which tended to hostilities.
Madison disavowed responsibility for the legislation, although he
defended it in principle.[283] Merry contented himself for the time by
saying that if the United States government sought their remedy in
municipal law, the matter would immediately cease to be a subject of
negotiation.
Thus, in one short month, the two governments were brought to
what the British minister supposed to be the verge of rupture. That
any government should take so well-considered a position without
meaning to support it by acts, was not probable. Acts of some kind,
more or less hostile in their nature, were certainly intended by the
United States government in case Great Britain should persist in
contempt for neutral rights; the sudden change of tone at
Washington left no doubt on this point. Edward Thornton, who had
not yet been transferred to another post, wrote in consternation to
the Foreign Office, fearing that blame might be attached to his own
conduct while in charge of the legation:[284]—
“When I compare the complexion of Mr. Merry’s correspondence
with that of my own, particularly during the course of the last summer,
before the intelligence of the Louisiana purchase reached this country,
I can scarcely credit the testimony of my own senses in examining the
turn which affairs have taken, and the manifest ill-will discovered
toward us by the Government at the present moment.... I believe that
the simple truth of the case is, after all, the circumstance ... that a real
change has taken place in the views of this Government, which may
be dated from the first arrival of the intelligence relative to the
Louisiana purchase, and which has since derived additional force and
acrimony from the opinion that Great Britain cannot resist, under her
present pressure, the new claims of the United States, and now, from
the necessity they are under of recurring to the influence of France in
order to support their demands against Spain.... The cession of
Louisiana, notwithstanding that the circumstances under which it was
made ought to convince the vainest of men that he was not the sole
agent in the transaction, has elevated the President beyond
imagination in his own opinion; and I have no doubt that he thinks of
securing himself at the next election by having to boast of
concessions and advantages derived from us, similar to those he has
gained from France,—that is, great in appearance, and at a
comparatively insignificant expense.”
From such premises, the conclusion, so far as concerned
England, was inevitable; and Thornton agreed with Merry in affirming
it without reserve:—
“Everything, as it relates to this government, now depends on our
firmness. If we yield an iota without a real and perfect equivalent (not
such imaginary equivalents as Mr. Madison mentions to Mr. Merry),
we are lost.”
CHAPTER XVII.
Whatever objects the President and the Secretary of State may
have expected to gain by their change of tone in the winter of 1803–
1804 toward Spain and England, they must have been strangely free
from human passions if they were unconscious of making at least
two personal enemies upon whose ill-will they might count. If they
were unaware of giving their victims cause for bitterness,—or if, as
seemed more probable, they were indifferent to it,—the frequent
chances of retaliation which the two ministers enjoyed soon showed
that in diplomacy revenge was not only sweet but easy. Even the
vehement Spanish hatred felt by Yrujo for Madison fell short of the
patient Anglo-Saxon antipathy rooted in the minds of the British
minister and his wife. When Yrujo, in March, 1804, burst into the
State Department with the Mobile Act in his hand and denounced
Madison to his face as party to an “infamous libel,” he succeeded in
greatly annoying the secretary without violating Jefferson’s “canons
of etiquette.” Under the code of republican manners which the
President and his secretary had introduced, they could not fairly
object to anything which Yrujo might choose to say or do. Absolute
equality and “the rule of pêle-mêle” reached their natural conclusion
between such hosts and guests in freedom of language and
vehemence of passion. What might have been Merry’s feelings or
conduct had he met with more cordiality and courtesy was uncertain;
but the mortifications of his first month at Washington embittered his
temper, and left distinct marks of acrimony in the diplomacy of
America and England, until war wiped out the memory of reciprocal
annoyances. The Spaniard’s enmity was already a peril to Madison’s
ambition, and one which became more threatening every day; but
the Englishman’s steady resentment was perhaps more
mischievous, if less noisy. The first effect of Jefferson’s tactics was to
ally the British minister with Yrujo; the second bound him to Senator
Pickering and Representative Griswold; the third united his fortunes
with those of Aaron Burr. Merry entered the path of secret
conspiracy; he became the confidant of all the intriguers in
Washington, and gave to their intrigues the support of his official
influence.
The Federalists worked mischievously to widen the breach
between the British minister and the President. They encouraged
Merry’s resentment. Late in January, nearly two months after the first
pêle-mêle, Madison officially informed Merry for the first time that the
President meant to recognize no precedence between foreign
ministers, but that all, even including secretaries of legation in
charge, were to be treated with perfect equality, or what Madison
termed “a complete pell-mell,” and would be received, even at their
first audience, with no more ceremony than was practised toward
any other individual. Merry replied that this notice should have been
given to him on his arrival, and that he could not acquiesce in it
without instructions. He then wrote to his Government,[285]—
“I have now but too much reason to fear, what I did not at first
suspect, that the marked inattention toward me of the present
Administration of this country has been a part of their unfriendly
disposition toward his Majesty and toward the nation which I have the
honor to represent.”
At the same moment, in January and February, 1804, Pickering
and Griswold were plotting their New England confederacy. Merry
was taken by them into the secret, and gave them aid. The Senate,
February 9, voted to strike out the fifth article of Rufus King’s
boundary convention, and to approve the other articles, which
provided for fixing the disputed boundary-line of Maine, New
Hampshire, and Vermont. Merry wrote to his Government that the
object of cancelling the fifth article was to deprive Great Britain of her
treaty-right to navigate the Mississippi:[286]—
“It is hardly necessary for me to point out to your Lordship that the
other articles of the convention are of great importance to the Eastern
States of America, which are much interested in the immediate
settlement of the eastern boundary. I am led to believe from the
language of some of the members of this State [Massachusetts] that
their anxiety on this head is so great that the rejection of those articles
by his Majesty would, as having been occasioned by the exclusion on
the part of this government of the fifth article, prove to be a great
exciting cause to them to go forward rapidly in the steps which they
have already commenced toward a separation from the Southern part
of the Union. The members of the Senate have availed themselves of
the opportunity of their being collected here to hold private meetings
on this subject, and I learn from them that their plans and calculations
respecting the event have been long seriously resolved. They think
that whenever it shall take place it will happen suddenly, yet with
quietness and the universal concurrence of the people. Although it
does not appear to be their opinion that any external secret agency
would accelerate the moment, they naturally look forward to Great
Britain for support and assistance whenever the occasion shall arrive.”
As the summer of 1804 came on, Merry’s despatches grew more
sombre. He reported that at Norfolk twelve British ships were
detained at one time in consequence of the desertion of their
seamen, several of whom had entered the United States service on
the frigates which were under orders for Tripoli. Six British seamen
having deserted at Charleston and re-enlisted in the same way,
Merry remonstrated. He was told that the seamen, having voluntarily
enlisted in the United States service, could not be restored, because
the British government never restored American seamen who had
voluntarily enlisted. Merry could only reply that the British
government did not knowingly enlist deserters. On the other hand,
Madison remonstrated in “high language,” “accompanied even with
some degree of menace,” against the conduct of Captain Bradley of
the frigate “Cambrian,” one of the British squadron cruising off Sandy
Hook, for taking a British seaman out of a British vessel within
American jurisdiction. Merry added that in contrast to this strictness
toward England the authorities had allowed the officers of the French
frigate “La Poursuivante,” at Baltimore, to send armed parties on
shore at night for the purpose of seizing French seamen, one of
whom they had actually taken by force from a Spanish vessel lying
at the wharf.
“From this government having brought into such serious
discussion objects which would certainly have passed unnoticed had
they occurred in relation to the King’s enemies, his Majesty’s ministers
may be led to suspect that such a resolution has been dictated by
some hostile design,” wrote Merry, with increasing solemnity; “but it is
proper for me to observe that ... I cannot persuade myself that they
will dare to provoke hostilities with his Majesty, at least before Mr.
Jefferson’s re-election to the Presidency shall have taken place.”[287]
Merry made a representation to Madison on impressments; but
his arguments did not satisfy the secretary. “This specimen of Merry
shows him to be a mere diplomatic pettifogger,” wrote Madison
privately to the President.[288]
Merry’s temper was in this stage of ever-increasing irritability,
when an event occurred which gave him, as it seemed, a chance to
gratify his resentments. After the adjournment of Congress in March
the British minister heard nothing from Pickering and Griswold. Early
in June he wrote home that the democrats were carrying all the
elections:[289]—
“In addition to this triumph of the reigning party, there have lately
appeared in the prints of this country, which are generally made the
instruments of the measures of all parties, publications of the
discovery that has been made of secret meetings held at this place by
some of the Federal members during the last sitting of Congress for
the purpose of consulting upon the important point of the separation of
the Eastern from the Southern States, which publications seem to
have imposed a complete silence upon the Federal adherents.”
A few weeks afterward, July 11, occurred the duel between Burr
and Hamilton. Merry had no relations with Hamilton, and felt no
peculiar interest in his fate; but he had become intimate with Burr at
Washington, and watched his career with the curiosity which was the
natural result of their common hatred of Jefferson. July 21 Burr fled
from New York, and a few days afterward reached Philadelphia,
where Merry was passing the summer. While there, Burr sent one of
his friends—an Englishman named Williamson—to the British
minister with a startling message, which Merry immediately
transmitted to his Government:[290]—
“I have just received an offer from Mr. Burr, the actual Vice-
President of the United States (which situation he is about to resign),
to lend his assistance to his Majesty’s government in any manner in
which they may think fit to employ him, particularly in endeavoring to
effect a separation of the western part of the United States from that
which lies between the Atlantic and the mountains, in its whole extent.
His proposition on this and other subjects will be fully detailed to your
Lordship by Colonel Williamson, who has been the bearer of them to
me, and who will embark for England in a few days. It is therefore only
necessary for me to add that if after what is generally known of the
profligacy of Mr. Burr’s character, his Majesty’s minister should think
proper to listen to his offer, his present situation in this country, where
he is now cast off as much by the democratic as by the Federal party,
and where he still preserves connections with some people of
influence, added to his great ambition and spirit of revenge against the
present Administration, may possibly induce him to exert the talents
and activity which he possesses with fidelity to his employers.”
Meanwhile a change of ministry occurred in England. Pitt
returned to power, representing a state of feeling toward America
very different from that which prevailed under the mild rule of
Addington. Subordinates were quick to feel such changes in the
temper of their superiors. Every British officer knew that henceforth
he had behind him an energetic government, which required
vigorous action in maintaining what it claimed as British rights. Merry
felt the new impulse like the rest; but Pitt’s return acted most
seriously on the naval service. After the renewal of the war in May,
1803, a small British squadron cruised off Sandy Hook, keeping a
sharp look-out for French frigates in New York Harbor, and searching
every merchant-vessel for enemy’s property. During the summer of
1804 this annoyance became steadily greater, until the port of New
York was almost blockaded, and every vessel that sailed out or in
was liable not only to be stopped and searched, but to lose some
part of its crew by impressment. The British ministry did indeed
instantly recall Captain Bradley of the “Cambrian” for violating
American jurisdiction, and gave strict orders for the lenient exercise
of belligerent rights; but all the more it showed the intention of
insisting upon the submission of America to such rules as England
should prescribe. The President, already in trouble with Spain,
began to feel the double peril; but Congress pressed him forward,
and even while busy with the trial of Judge Chase it found time for
two measures which greatly disturbed the British envoy.
The first of these measures was an “Act for the more effectual
preservation of peace in the ports and harbors of the United States.”
Under this law any United States marshal, on the warrant of any
United States judge, was bound to board any British or other foreign
ship-of-war lying in American waters, and seize every person
charged with having violated the peace. If the marshal should be
resisted, or if surrender was not made, he must call in the military
power, and compel surrender by force of arms. If death should
ensue, he should be held blameless; but the resisting party should
be punished as for felonious homicide. Further, the President was
authorized to interdict at will the ports of the United States to all or
any armed vessels of a foreign nation; and to arrest and indict any
foreign officer who should come within the jurisdiction after
committing on the high seas “any trespass or tort, or any spoliation,
on board any vessel of the United States, or any unlawful
interruption or vexation of trading-vessels actually coming to or going
from the United States.”
Such laws were commonly understood in diplomacy as removing
the subject in question from the field of negotiation, preliminary to
reprisals and war. The Act was passed with little debate in the last
hours of the session, in the midst of the confusion which followed the
acquittal of Judge Chase. Merry immediately called on the Secretary
of State, and asked him for some assurance that might serve to quiet
the apprehensions which his Government would feel on reading the
Act.[291] Madison could give none, except that the President would
probably not exercise for the present his discretionary powers. As for
the words, “any trespass or tort,” Madison frankly avowed “he could
not but confess they were meant to imply the impressment of any
individual whatsoever from on board an American vessel, the
exercise of which pretended right on the part of his Majesty’s officers
was a matter, he said, which the sense of the people at large would
never allow the government of this country to acquiesce in.”
To this announcement Merry replied in substance that the right
was one which would certainly never be abandoned by his
Government; and there the matter rested at the close of Jefferson’s
first term. Madison assured the British minister that the authority
granted to the President by Congress over foreign ships of war in
American waters would not at present be enforced. He went even a
step further toward conciliation. The Legislature of Virginia was
induced quietly to modify the Act which had hitherto offered so much
encouragement to the desertion of British seamen.[292]
The second threatening measure was a Resolution of the
Senate, March 2, 1805, calling upon the Secretary of State for such
Acts of the British Parliament as imposed heavier duties on the
exportation of merchandise to the United States than on similar
goods exported to the nations of Europe. Such an export duty upon
merchandise for the United States and the West Indies had in fact
been imposed by Parliament some two years before; and this
Resolution foreshadowed some commercial retaliation by Congress.
While sending to his Government these warnings to expect from
Jefferson’s second administration a degree of hostility more active
than from the first, Merry suggested means of giving the United
States occupation that should induce them to leave England alone. A
new element of conspiracy disclosed itself to the British minister.
Under the Louisiana treaty of cession, the United States
government had promised that “the inhabitants of the ceded territory
shall be incorporated in the Union of the United States, and admitted
as soon as possible, according to the principles of the Federal
Constitution, to the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and
immunities of citizens of the United States.” This pledge had been
broken. The usual display of casuistry had been made to prove that
the infraction of treaty was no infraction at all; but the more
outspoken Republicans avowed, as has been already shown, that
the people of Louisiana could not be trusted, or in the commoner
phrase that they were unfit for self-government, and must be treated
as a conquered race until they learned to consider themselves
American citizens.
The people of New Orleans finding themselves in a position of
dependence, which, owing chiefly to their hatred of Governor
Claiborne, seemed more irritating than their old Spanish servitude,
sent three representatives to Washington to urge upon Congress the
duty of executing the treaty. Messieurs Sauvé, Derbigny, and
Destréhan accordingly appeared at Washington, and in December,
1804, presented a remonstrance so strong that Government was

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00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 2 19/05/2021 11:39

WEST AND NORTH ­DORSET 15

PORTLAND AND W ­ EYMOUTH 29

PURBECK AND POOLE B ­ ASIN 67

EAST DORSET AND THE HAMPSHIRE ­AVON 131

00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 3 19/05/2021 11:39

34 Moors Valley Country Park and ­Forest 154

THE CHALK D ­ OWNS 162

THE TEST AND ITCHEN ­VALLEYS 176

THE NEW FOREST AND NEARBY ­COAST 205

SOUTH-­EAST ­HAMPSHIRE 245

NORTH-­EAST ­HAMPSHIRE 299

00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 4 19/05/2021 11:39

74 Dogmersfield Lake and Tundry ­Pond 306

THE ISLE OF ­WIGHT 323

List of organisations with abbreviations used in ­text 362

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00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 6 19/05/2021 11:39

SUB-­REGIONS OF DORSET, HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF ­WIGHT

A West and North Dorset F The Test and Itchen V­ alleys

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00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 10 19/05/2021 11:39

Criteria for Site ­Inclusion

00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 11 19/05/2021 11:39

00 Prelims WTWB DHIofW.indd 12 19/05/2021 11:39

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1 Lyme Regis to Charmouth 5 Kingcombe Meadows Reserve ­and

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 15 19/05/2021 11:39

In north Dorset, the Blackmore Vale presents a l­ow-­lying landscape of gently

1 LYME REGIS TO ­CHARMOUTH

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 16 19/05/2021 11:39

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 17 19/05/2021 11:39

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 18 19/05/2021 11:39

2 LAMBERT’S CASTLE (NT)

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 19 19/05/2021 11:39

3 WEST BEXINGTON (DWT) TO BURTON CLIFF (NT)

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 20 19/05/2021 11:39

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 21 19/05/2021 11:39

small numbers of common migrant landbirds, including Yellow Wagtails,

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 22 19/05/2021 11:39

0 0.5 mile West

01 West and North Dorset WTWB DHIofW.indd 23 19/05/2021 11:39

WEST AND NORTH DORSET 15

PORTLAND AND W EYMOUTH 29

PURBECK AND POOLE B ASIN 67

EAST DORSET AND THE HAMPSHIRE AVON 131

34 Moors Valley Country Park and Forest 154

THE CHALK D OWNS 162

THE TEST AND ITCHEN VALLEYS 176

THE NEW FOREST AND NEARBY COAST 205

SOUTH-EAST HAMPSHIRE 245

NORTH-EAST HAMPSHIRE 299

74 Dogmersfield Lake and Tundry Pond 306

THE ISLE OF WIGHT 323

List of organisations with abbreviations used in text 362

SUB-REGIONS OF DORSET, HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT

A West and North Dorset F The Test and Itchen V alleys

Criteria for Site Inclusion

1 Lyme Regis to Charmouth 5 Kingcombe Meadows Reserve and

In north Dorset, the Blackmore Vale presents a low-lying landscape of gently

1 LYME REGIS TO CHARMOUTH

November–March: Dark-bellied Brent August–October: s torm-blown seabirds,

5 KINGCOMBE MEADOWS RESERVE (DWT) AND THE

7 The Fleet and Chesil Beach 10 Radipole Lake NR

uff-breasted Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitcher and Terek Sandpiper have

Please note there is no access to:

occasionally Long-tailed Ducks. The most conspicuous of the waders involved