Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Flocks of avocets gather on the Medway in autumn and winter. Watch them feeding on tiny aquatic life, sweeping their bills from side to side. | ) |
Flocks of brent geese come to feed on the estuary in winter. They can be seen in good numbers here from October and linger well into the spring to make sure their Arctic breeding grounds have thawed out. | ) |
Dunlins can be seen at Nor Marsh and Motney Hill at almost any time of year. They breed further north, including in the Arctic, but migrating birds pass through in spring and autumn and some also spend winter here. Watch for them probing their beaks into the mud as they feed. | ) |
Keep an eye out for the redshanks' towering display flights over the saltmarsh in spring. They are sometimes known as 'the sentinel of the marshes' for their noisy habit of drawing attention to predators. | ) |
During winter, flocks of wigeons are a daily sight. Wintering birds arrive from early September and numbers build up to a peak, usually in January. | ) |