Morven House is ideally situated for birdwatchers
wishing to walk to the Lodmoor or Radipole RSPB reserves or to watch
sea birds from the Preston Sea Wall. Attractive species such as Cetti's
Warbler, bearded tit, little egret, great crested grebe, oystercatcher
and stonechat are often seen. Many other types of warblers, ducks
, sea ducks, gulls and waders visit Weymouth Bay.
Gannets,fulmars,turnstones, and rock pipits are very common but please
look on our Events page for the updated details of seasonally dependant
visitors such as the guillemots and razorbills which usually line
Portland's breeding ledges in May and June.
It is approximately three miles to the Little Tern Colony at Ferrybridge
and under ten miles to the Portland Bird Observatory.
Other noteworthy nearby birdwatching spots include the Fleet, Grange
Heath , Creech Great Wood, Dancing Ledge and Thorncombe Woods. There
are hides at Hartland Moor, Abbotsbury, Studland, Brownsea, Arne,
and Upton.
Two former quarries on Portland are now butterfly sanctuaries and
burnet moths(see photo) and even wall lizards may be seen in Tout
and Perryfield Quarries. Lulworth Skippers and Chesil Beach's scaly
cricket are locally unique.
Please also see our events page for details of the beautiful springtime
bluebell displays at Winterbourne Came and Oakers Wood and for the
May/June blooming of sea thrift and sea campion at Ferrybridge.
Badbury Rings and Durlston are important sites for wild orchids throughout
June and July. Portland's clifftops and quarries support a huge variety
of coastal plants such as golden samphire, viper's bugloss, parasitic
broomrape and alexanders and between July and September rock-sea lavender
(main photograph) is especially beautiful on Portland.
