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 as are 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.
Former quarries on Portland are now butterfly sanctuaries and burnet moths(see photo) and even wall lizards may be seen in Broadcroft, Tout and Perryfield Quarries. Lulworth Skippers and Chesil Beach's scaly cricket are locally unique.
In springtime there are beautiful bluebell displays at Winterbourne Came and Oakers Wood and the May to June blooming of sea thrift and sea campion at Ferrybridge changes the character of Chesil Beach.
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 is especially beautiful on Portland.
