O.S. 50K Sheet 196. SU 60 SE.
SITE
An area of low lying coastal grazing marsh jutting
out into Langstone Harbour. The 300 acres (c 121 ha.) of Farlington is
one of the last fragments of a once common habitat around the harbour.
It is also one of the few large open spaces left within the Portsmouth
area.
The site is owned by Portsmouth City Council but has
been managed as a reserve by Hampshire Wildlife Trust, who have leased
the site for over thirty years. Part of the reserve was lost to the
A27 which now dominates the northern part of the site.
Its habitat and location both serve to make it a
good birding site and one that is well known to birders throughout
southern England.
HISTORY
Reclaimed from Langstone Harbour in the late 1700s
the site has been used for cattle grazing more or less ever since.
Parts of the site were used by the military during both World Wars,
with munitions disposal resulting in several of the smaller pits and
pools. The three round ponds in the Bushes area represent an
inadvertent act of habitat creation by the Luftwaffe when they missed
their intended target, the rocket battery that was in the area during
World War Two.
Farlington has a special place in the history of
birdwatching in Hampshire and beyond. In the 1950s many, now well
known, birdwatchers started out as part of the "Portsmouth Group"
largely based around Farlington. This group started systematic
counting of birds in the harbour and this has resulted in Langstone
Harbour now having an enviable data set.
HABITAT
Most of the site lies below mean high water level
and consists of seasonally cattle grazed coastal grassland. There are
some areas of ungrazed grassland, for instance the Point Field and the
North East Slip Field. One field on the eastern side of the reserve is
cut for hay in most years and prior to this is carpeted in Yellow
Rattle.
The stream which is the "main drain" of
the site, and much of the land to the north, enters Langstone Harbour
via a tidal flap in the western sea-wall. Outflow can only occur over
the low tide period and even then not on neap tides when the tide does
not fall far enough. the result of this is the Lake, one of
Hampshire's best known bird-watching sites and one which has played
host to a remarkable list of birds over the years. The southern side
of the stream is fringed by a reedbed which gives way to rough grass
from which the cattle are excluded. The reedbed is widest at the lake
and just south of the A27 behind the building.
To the north-west of the stream is a grazed field
containing much Hawthorn and Bramble, this area is known as The
Bushes. Other scrub occurs around the boundary of the Point Field and
in the north-east corner where the eastern sea-wall runs up to the
A27.
Finally there is the area north of the A27 which
consists of an area of ponds and fen vegetation particularly used by
schools, two small grazed fields and a further area of mainly Hawthorn
scrub known as the Old Copse.
BIRDS
With such good views over Langstone Harbour and
being so well placed to attract in birds at high tide, it is perhaps
not surprising that waders and other shore birds are the reserve's
speciality. The Lake at high tide in the autumn will usually hold
large frocks of the commoner waders with scarcer migrants and even the
odd rarity mixed in. Up to twenty species of waders may visit the lake
over the course of a single high tide in autumn. It is not only the
range of species that is notable, numbers may also be spectacular.
There may be a thousand Black-tailed Godwits, several hundred Grey
Plover and Redshank and over fifty Greenshank. In August the Grey
Plover are mostly still in summer plumage as are many of the
Black-tailed Godwits, a most impressive sight. Many of these waders
also roost at the scrape or move between the two sites, the side of
the stream may also be used on days when few people are about. Over
the years some of the rarer species seen have included Least
Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Long-billed
Dowitcher, Marsh Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs. Many of the scarcer
migrants such as Wood Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint are more or less
annual.
Pectoral Sandpiper. Photograph (taken from video) by Ian
Calderwood.
The Lake is also a good place to get views of
wildfowl in the winter, with the Pintail being especially easy to see
by Hampshire standards. On winter evenings thousands of gulls stop
here to drink and bathe prior to roosting in the harbour,
Mediterranean Gulls are regular and Ring-billed has occurred in
several winters. The fields are grazed by large numbers of Brent
Geese, up to 5,000, and Wigeon. On very high tides, especially in bad
weather, tens of thousands of waders may roost on the fields. The
rough grass areas are favourite hunting areas for Short-eared Owls
which are particularly in evidence on late afternoons in the autumn
and early part of the winter in most years.
On the grazed fields twenty or more
pairs of Lapwing breed, one of the highest densities in the county,
along with several pairs of Redshank.
The site also has a good record for passerine
migrants including many rarer species', these are mainly found in the
Bushes or the Point Field. The Point itself is the best place from
which to view the Harbour and islands. The wader roosts on the islands
often attract hunting Peregrine and Merlin, and Osprey quite often
fish in the channels, especially in the autumn.
Farlington has a long history of turning up good
birds which still continues, with Citrine Wagtail for instance.
Compared to many other sites in the county, it is an easy one to work,
the sea-wall offers a view across the reserve and the birds are
habituated to the passage of people. In addition, the number of
observers visiting means that fewer birds are missed than at most
other sites!
ACCESS
The reserve can be entered from the west, from the
roundabout at the junction of the Eastern Road and the A27; it coming
along the A27 the junction is the one signed to Southsea. The turn in
itself is small and situated between the west-bound slip road off the
A27 and the eastern road going south onto Portsea Island. There is
parking alongside the track from the roundabout, to the entrance to
the reserve proper. It is also possible to walk to the reserve along
the northern shore of the harbour from the car park near Bedhampton
Sewage Works. Although close to the road this part of the harbour is a
major low-tide feeding area for many species and the channel often has
Black-necked Grebe.
One third of the area of the reserve is open access,
the remainder being sanctuary areas, all of which is easily viewable
from the sea-wall. A map of the reserve with this information is
situated at each entrance.
The building in the north central part of the
reserve has some interpretation of the site, leaflets and a list of
recent sightings.
INFORMATION
The warden can be contacted via the Hampshire
Wildlife Trust office in Eastleigh. Groups wishing to visit the
reserve are asked to book with the warden who will also help with the
planning of the visit in relation to tide time, height, etc. There is
no charge for entry to the site but donations are gratefully received!
Bob Chapman
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