Williamson's Weekly Nature Notes

This is an arm of the harbour near the Roman Palace, and twice a day or night the tide lifts these giant birds up into a herd where you can see them in all their magnificence.

At low tide they are usually preening in the centre stream where you can't see them quite so well as in my picture. The best way to view them is to park at either Dell Quay down channel, or at Apuldram church car park, and then walk up channel, that is to say, northwards.

The swans feed at high tide, often along the edges of the channel and many will be on the look-out for the occaisonal person throwing bread on the water for them, when they will quickly swim to you. Yet these are wild birds that have nested all over Sussex during the summer, on lakes, ponds, canals and gravel pits.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette December 17