Martin Emmett, a member of Bognor Regis Camera Club lives near Pagham Harbour and during the Covid 19 pandemic when going out was restricted he decided to explore and photograph Pagham Harbour. Especially in 2021 he photographed the harbour through the seasons and presented his work through a month-by-month review of what the harbour has to offer photographically in terms of both landscape and wildlife. It is the first landfall for migrating birds and attracts a regular stream of visitors at different times.
Pagham Harbour has an internationally important nature reserve and is managed by the RSPB which has a visitor centre on its edge. Martin explained the geography including the recent realignment of the entrance to the harbour to provide a direct route between Pagham and Church Norton spits and the opportunity for walks around the harbour. One result of this work was the creation of a nesting site for little terms.
January provided intricate ice patterns, curlews, black tailed godwits, Brent geese and lapwings, red shanks, stonechat and sunsets reflected in the harbour waters. February offered dunlin, pintails and plovers with the spectacle of murmurations, barnacle geese, turnstones and ringed plover. These continue into March with the addition of great crested grebe performing their mating ritual. Blackthorn blossom greets April along with the emergence of butterflies, skylarks, linnets, cuckoos and cormorants. The hawthorn blossom illuminates May to be joined by cattle egrets, white throated warblers, coots and reed warblers. Coastal foliage such as sea kale offers photographic opportunity in June as the elusive humming bird hawk moth and roe deer join the party. Terns of a number of types appear in July. August is boring with little that is new. September sees the swallow, red shanks, shrike and black tailed godwit join in. Lizards, dragon flies and butterflies add to the mix in October. The Brent geese have arrived by November to stay until Spring and the odd seal can pay a visit. At the end of the year Martin illustrated kestrel, marsh harrier, kingfisher and spoonbills. In 2022 the glossy ibis was an interesting addition but not just in a single number. Six were seen at one time and the hope is that they will eventually breed here.
It was a delightful talk that will whet the appetite of members to revisit this site.