Morton Marsh Nature Reserve

Morton Marsh Nature Reserve

© Shaun Grant

Morton Marsh Nature Reserve

Please note we are currently carrying out a river restoration project. To find out more please click here.

Morton Marsh is a wonderful wetland site.

Location

Morton Common Road
Sandown
Isle of Wight

PO36 9PW
A static map of Morton Marsh Nature Reserve

Know before you go

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Entry fee

Donations welcome
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Parking information

Limited parking on residential roads (Morton Brook housing estate)
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Grazing animals

Our sites are grazed all year by livestock. Please follow the signage on site.
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Access

Level paths throughout the reserve. Site access via footpath SS42 via B49 or SS41 or SS38/38a. The permissive path along
the river to Morton Common road is open seasonally through the summer months.

The site has a viewing platform over the newly created ponds/scrapes with ramp access.

The site can be very wet and flooded over the winter months.

Dogs

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When to visit

Opening times

Open all year. During the winter months, the site can be very wet and flooded and is largely inaccessible.

Best time to visit

Visit during the summer and look out for kingfisher and listen for the explosive call of the Cetti’s warbler amongst the reeds whilst watching the sand martin hunt across the site.

About the reserve

Morton Marsh is a wonderful wetland site that sits next to Sandown Meadow Nature Reserve, creating an unbroken 8km stretch of land, from Bembridge Harbour to Newchurch, managed entirely for wildlife. 

The purchase of Morton Marsh marked an important step in the Trust's mission to create connected habitats on the Isle of Wight where wildlife can thrive. This is a fantastic example of work the Trust has done to improve a reserve for wildlife, with the addition of wetland scrapes and ditch restorations.

This wetland pasture site is home to large numbers and a variety of wetland birds, including lapwing, snipe and common sandpiper, which in turn attract visits from the impressive marsh harrier. A specially constructed sand martin bank provides a breeding habitat for these energetic summer migrants and the recent addition of a viewing platform helps visitors get good views of the wildlife without disturbance. A variety of farmland bird species also  thrive on the site, including Cetti’s, reed and sedge warblers, and stunning views of barn owl and short-eared owl can be seen soaring over the marshes.

 

Special features: 

  • In the winter, witness the sights and sounds of the ducks that migrate south from their summer breeding grounds. Watch the diminutive yet beautiful teal and listen to the soothing whistle of wigeon.
  • During the summer months look out for kingfisher and listen for the explosive call of the Cetti’s warbler amongst the reeds whilst watching the sand martin hunt across the site.
  • Southern marsh orchid, black sedge, marsh skullcap and the rare slender tufted sedge flourish  in the nutrient-rich soil, while water voles scurry amid the reeds. 

Contact us

Emma Hunt
Contact number: 07741 312892
Contact email: Emma.Hunt@hiwwt.org.uk