About the Bay
Chessel Bay is situated in Southampton City on the eastern bank of the river Itchen, south of Northam Bridge.
The Bay is the only remaining long stretch of undeveloped, natural shoreline in the lower Itchen river. A narrow strip of woodland, with oak, beech, brambles and hawthorn, runs along the edge of the Reserve which is bounded by a railway line to the north east. A parallel strip of shingle and salt-marsh contain iris, sea club rush, reeds and sea asters. The largest proportion of the site is composed of mudflats, which at low tide provide feeding grounds for wading birds and wildfowl. The distinctive sight and sound of oystercatchers is common throughout the year, as is the song of birds which inhabit the woodland.
The main entrance is through the end of Quayside Rd. Grid ref SU441 131.
About Local Nature Reserves
Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are for both wildlife and people. They are places with wildlife or geological features that are of special interest locally. They offer people opportunities to study or learn about nature, or simply enjoy it. Chessel Bay was designated Southampton City's first Local Nature Reserve in 1989; a statutory designation under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. It is one of over 1050 LNRs in England.
The Reserve is important nationally; the mudflats are part of the Lee-on-Solent to Itchen estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI. It is one of four SSSIs in Southampton City. Chessel Bay is also part of the Southampton Water and the Solent Marshes, whose area constitutes a SPA — a Special Protection Area protected under European legislation.
The responsibility for Chessel Bay lies with Southampton City Council and Natural England (see link below). Currently, the City Council and volunteers team up twice a year to help maintain and care for the site. See below: What you can do.
Wildlife
Wading birds such as curlew, oystercatcher, redshank and dunlin can often be seen on the mudflats when the tide is low. In the winter months brent geese and godwits can also be spotted. Egrets, more common in recent years, stalk the shallows, as does the occasional heron. A blue and orange flash of colour will probably signal a passing kingfisher. Along the shoreline common shore crabs scuttle through the seaweed. Fifteen species of butterflies have been observed at the Bay in recent years, these include the gatekeeper, painted lady, large skipper and holly blue.
Details of wildlife inhabiting Chessel Bay will be added to this website as available. The 'Natural History of Chessel Bay' has species lists for 1993, see link to PDF below.
Management
A number of management issues need to be considered by the Local Authority when caring for Local Nature Reserves (LNRs). In Chessel Bay, a particular problem is the large amount of litter brought in by the tides. This is unsightly and dangerous to wildlife. Considerable quantities of waste including plastic bottles and polystyrene, which disintegrates into thousands of tiny plastic bobbles and mingles with the structure of the Reserve. The City Council and volunteers team up twice a year to combat this problem by organising litter picks. Watch this website, and local notice-boards for further dates. The Southampton Urban Wildlife Centre often organises additional information and activities for children at the site on these days.
In the winter months, the mudflats are frequently dug up by bait diggers searching for ragworms. This activity impacts on the site disturbing the creatures of the mudland and wading birds whose visits to this precious urban resource are greatly reduced as a result.
Other management issues, such as erosion of the bank and maintenance of the wooden structures, also need to be highlighted and attended to as necessary.
What you can do
- come to the litter picks - every bag of rubbish collected makes a difference. A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped with the March 2008 Spring Clean. We collected an unprecedented amount of rubbish, litter and recyclables on a glorious sunny day. If you'd like to come and give us a hand, we'd be delighted. Our next litter pick at Chessel Bay will be on Saturday 11 October 2008. Look out for more publicity nearer the time.
Autumn Litter Pick: Saturday 11 October 2008 10am - 2pm
- if you visit Chessel Bay, keep to the footpath to reduce disturbance & erosion- note end of access
- please do not disturb birds by walking along or into the mudland
- help to warden the Nature Reserve by watching out for vandalism
- if your child goes to Bitterne Manor Primary School take them to the viewing platform opposite the school entrance & show them the swans, ducks and egrets in the Bay. Few urban schools have such a valuable resource opposite their school entrance
Friends of Chessel Bay
At present there is no formal 'Friends' group, but please watch this website, local news and notice boards.
Books & further reading
- Southampton Schools Conservation Corps(1987) Southampton Natural History Guide
- Southampton Corporation (1992) Nature Conservation Strategy for Southampton
- Southampton Wildlife Link (1993) A report on the Natural History of Chessel Bay Local Nature Reserve*
- Tubbs, Colin (1999) The Ecology, Conservation & History of the Solent
The above all out of print but copies can be seen in Southampton City local reference library.
* This report is now available as a PDF — with kind permission of Julian Cremona, then Chairman of Southampton Wildlife Link. Many thanks to Julian and Southampton Wildlife Link team for their hard work and expertise. The report includes species lists, illustrations and photographs. PDF size 3MB.
Southampton City Council are updating their Nature Conservation Strategy; the new Biodiversity Action Plan, or BAP, currently in draft form, is due to be published soon.
Links
The Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre Southampton City Council's urban wildlife education centre
Natural England (formerly English Nature)
Seashore Ecology Website Field Studies Council - Dale Fort Field Centre
Tide Tables Printed copies for the whole of 2008 are available from chandleries & by post from ABP.
Southampton Natural History Society
Southampton Sustainability Forum
Local website: local news Bitterne Park info
Chessel Bay LNR is a valuable space — a wilderness in a City.
Website updated May 2008. Contact website manager: renicole<at>googlemail<dot>com.
