Introduction
The Sandwich Bay coastline has been created by the northward drift of sand and shingle. This dynamic process along with the dry climate and the nearness of mainland Europe has created a variety of coastal habitats that are home to an incredibly rare assemblage of wildlife.
Habitats
Bounded to the north by large chalk cliffs, the bay stretches down to the Country Park and over the river Stour into Sandwich Bay. Managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust with hardy grazing animals the site is home to an awe inspiring list of rare species from algae found nowhere else on earth, rare plants such as lizard orchid to rare coastal invertebrate animals.
The mudflats and saltmarsh attract waterfowl and waders such as dunlin, sanderling, grey plover, shelduck and brent geese, although breeding shorebirds have declined due to visitor pressure.Â
Chalk cliffs and caves
Pegwell Bay has a range of caves and wave cut platforms that provide some unique conditions that are particularly important for a range of marine algal and lichen communities.
Dunes, dune slacks and coastal grassland
As part of the larger Sandwich Bay and Hacklinge Marshes this site contains the most important sand dune system and sandy coastal grassland in South East England. It has an outstanding range of plants and invertebrates that benefit from the warm and dry conditions.
Shingle beach
Home to a small number of specialised plants like sea holly.
Mudflats
Saltmarsh
Key species
Plants
Rare plants to be found on the site include lizard orchid and Deptford pink in the dunes and golden samphire on the saltmarsh.
Algal communities
Bands of rare algae are found on the soft rock, particularly in the splash zone.
Carthusian snail
A small rare snail only found in this corner of England. It inhabits dry, grassy areas and chalk grassland.
Rare moths
Along with other insects the reserve has some rare moths including, restharrow moth and bright wave moth.
Wintering wildfowl
The mudflats and saltmarsh provide winter refuge for brent geese, mallard, shoveler and shelduck.
Wintering waders
The rich invertebrate fauna found in the mudflats attracts a range of wading birds particularly during spring and autumn migration. These include turnstone, dunlin, curlew, oystercatcher, ringed plover and redshank. The site is also important for wintering grey plover and sanderling.
Breeding birds
These include oystercatcher and ringed plover. Sandwich tern which are named after the area and little tern unfortunately no longer breed here.
A range of warblers can be found in the scrub.
Sand lizard
After disappearing from Kent in the late 1960s, a reintroduction program brought the species back to the area.
Harbour seals
A colony of harbour seals frequents the Stour estuary.
Further info
Natural England’s Kent NNRs: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kents-national-nature-reserves/kents-national-nature-reserves
Kent Wildlife Trust:
https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/sandwich-and-pegwell-bay
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