Special Protection Area.
History
Until late in the 16th century, the River Meon was navigable as far as
Titchfield, which at that time was a significant
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
. However silting started to restrict the passage of ships, and in order to maintain Titchfield's status as a port, the
Earl of Southampton
Earl of Southampton was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of England.
The first creation came in 1537 in favour of the courtier William FitzWilliam. He was childless and the title became extinct on his death in 1542.
The se ...
proposed that a
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
should be constructed. The
Titchfield Canal
The so called Titchfield Canal was used to drain marshland in the lower Meon valley and is a two-mile watercourse between the village of Titchfield, Hampshire, and the coast at Titchfield Haven adjacent to the modern nature reserve. Lying abo ...
opened in 1611 and was only the second canal existing in Britain at the time. Unfortunately the canal also suffered from silting and the sea trade moved to nearby
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. As part of the construction of the canal, the outfall of the River Meon to the sea was dammed, creating the wetlands that now form the nature reserve.
[Hampshire County Council (2006). ]
Activities at Titchfield Haven - River Study
''. Retrieved 19 March 2006.
Ecology
This was formerly a tidal estuary, but one way valves block salt water and it is now freshwater river and marshes, wet meadows bisected by ditches, and fen. It is important for wetland breeding birds, such as
bearded reedling
The bearded reedling (''Panurus biarmicus'') is a small, sexual dimorphism, sexually dimorphic reed bed, reed-bed passerine bird. It is frequently known as the bearded tit, due to some similarities to the long-tailed tit, or the bearded parrotbil ...
s,
sedge warblers and
reed warbler
The ''Acrocephalus'' warblers are small, insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Acrocephalus''. Formerly in the paraphyletic Old World warbler assemblage, they are now separated as the namesake of the marsh and tree warbler famil ...
s.
The site is managed to provide ideal conditions at different times of the year, with water levels lowered at the end of the waterfowl breeding season in order to expose food-rich mud to encourage migrating birds. Other areas of water are cleared in order to attract dragonflies and damselflies.
Frogbit and
flowering rush are also encouraged to grow because of this water management. Other flora include
slender bird's-foot-trefoil and
marsh mallow.
The site is a winter refuge for ducks, geese and wading birds and
avocet are known to use the location as a breeding ground in the summer months. The Walkway Pond is home to
dragonflies,
damselflies
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...
,
moorhen,
mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
and a variety of
warbler
Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous.
Sylvioid warblers
Th ...
s.
Water voles have been reintroduced to the reserve and the River Meon, as part of a project by
South Downs National Park,
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and
The Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enh ...
. The reserve has a number of
hides, Cottage Hide, Meon Shore Hide, Knights Bank Hide, Meadow Hide, Pumfrett Hide, Spurgin Hide, Suffern Hide and West Hide, from which it is possible to observe the local wildlife, which includes
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
and
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
as well as waterfowl.
Amenities
The site is open seven days a week, including Bank Holidays (excluding 25 and 26 December) 9.30am - 5pm during the summer and 9.30am - 4pm in the winter. Admission is by ticket, available from the Titchfield Haven Visitor Centre. Car parking is available close to the Reserve at the Hove To Car Park and also on the Sea Front - Chargeable from 10:00 to 18:00. The site has toilets (with wheelchair access), a tea room, a shop and an exhibition in the Visitor Centre.
In 2022, Hampshire County Council declared its intention to close and sell the visitor centre.
References
{{Local Nature Reserves in Hampshire
Local Nature Reserves in Hampshire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire
National nature reserves in England
Ramsar sites in England
Special Protection Areas in England