The Fine Foundation Wild Chesil Centre sits at the southern end of the Fleet Lagoon, which is the largest and greatest example of a tidal lagoon in the UK. Bordering the seaward flank of the Fleet Lagoon lies the iconic Chesil Bank, extending 29 kilometres (18 miles) from Portland to West Bay.

Chesil Bank and Fleet Lagoon support an incredible diversity of wildlife within a marine or terrestrial environment. As a result, they have been granted several conservation designations, including Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Special Protection Area (SPA), as well as others.

From the ubiquitous oystercatcher to the parachuting skylark, there is plenty to spot around the area of Chesil Bank and Fleet Lagoon – Ferrybridge – which the Wild Chesil Centre overlooks.

One of the species which can only be seen during the winter months is the dark-bellied brent goose, which are about the same size as a mallard duck, having a black head and neck, grey-brown back, and a dark belly. The dark-bellied brent goose is a migratory bird, and breed in Arctic Russia before travelling south in family units to the wintering grounds, which in the UK’s case, is usually along the south and east coast. The dark-bellied brent geese are particularly drawn to the site due to the extensive availability of one of their major food sources – eelgrass – in the Fleet Lagoon.

Red-breasted mergansers can be found in the UK all year round, but the major concentration of the breeding population is in the north-west. Red-breasted mergansers, which can be seen foraging in the Fleet Lagoon during the winter, are members of the ‘sawbill’ family of diving ducks. They can be carefully distinguished from goosanders, as they have a thinner bill, which lacks the hook at the tip, have grey sides, reddish brown breast and the males have a crest of green feathers on their head.

A species becoming more of a common sight is the Mediterranean gull. The Mediterranean gull is similar in looks to the black-headed gull; however, they are slightly larger, lack the black tips to the end of their wing feathers, have a black head rather than a chocolate-brown head, and have a thicker, redder bill. This gull species has only recently colonised the UK, with the first pair breeding in in 1968, at a site in Hampshire. Since then the population has been growing steadily. The numbers of Mediterranean gulls seen around Ferrybridge fluctuates throughout the year, but over the last couple of weeks we have frequently counted upwards of 1,000 individuals.

From birds that can be found predominantly during the winter months, a species that can only be seen between May and mid-August is the little tern. These experts in aerial displays are the UK’s smallest breeding seabird, having a short tail, black head and eye stripe and a yellow bill. The little tern overwinters along the west coast of Africa and migrate over 3,000 miles back to Chesil Bank, which is one of their nesting sites. Last year, the little tern colony, which is monitored and managed by the RSPB, (with support from Dorset Wildlife Trust, Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve, Crown Estate, Natural England and Royal Manor of Portland Court Leet) had an extremely successful breeding season as 55 to 60 chicks fledged from between 40 to 49 pairs!

Moving on to birds which can be seen for most, if not all of the year, including some of the UK’s waders. Ringed plover are perhaps one of the easier waders to identify, particularly during the winter months, having a sandy-brown back, orange legs, orange bill with a black tip, and a striking black and white pattern on its head and around the front of its chest. A foraging method they like to use is standing and watching, scampering forward, pecking, then standing still again before repeating, which can be entertaining to watch.

 If you have binoculars or a telescope with you, it can be entertaining to watch them scampering around the mudflats in front of the bird viewing platform, tempting invertebrates and crustaceans to the surface by vibrating the sediment with their feet.

From a small wader to the UK’s largest wader, and of similar size to a female pheasant, the curlew is quite often spotted probing the mudflats with its long, downwards curved bill. With their mottled grey plumage, they are often well camouflaged against their background, so make sure to keep an ear out for their eerie, onomatopoeic call.

There are of course many other birds I haven’t mentioned that can also be seen from the Wild Chesil Centre, such as sanderling, knot, great northern divers, bar-tailed godwits and turnstone, all of which utilise the fantastic habitats within Chesil Bank and Fleet Lagoon and contribute to why this site is of high conservation value.

Find out how you can visit the Fine Foundation Wild Chesil Centre and view some of these incredible birds for yourself here.