Waltham Brooks Nature Reserve

Grazing marsh with a large open water area important for birds.

•   Waltham Brooks map

Almost opposite our Amberley Wildbrooks nature reserve, just across the river, lies the grazing marsh of Waltham Brooks. In winters of very heavy rainfall almost the entire reserve becomes a giant lake. Fortunately the river banks of the Arun floodplain have been built up for flood defence creating a good elevated walk-way to view the reserve from. Wildfowl such as Teal, Shoveler, Wigeon and Pintail take advantage of the sanctuary and the feeding opportunities the flood waters offer. In summer the lake can almost dry out leaving muddy margins important for breed­ing waders such as Lapwing and Redshank and the occasional passage migrant such as Green and Wood Sandpiper.

Virtual Tour

Use the virtual tour below to explore the reserve by dragging around and clicking on where you'd like to walk.

Click 'view on google maps' to explore in more detail using the yellow figure to drag to different places on the reserve.