Sanderling Roadshow!
Isle of Wight Ranger, Charlotte, from Bird Aware Solent, has been taking her table of birdie goodies to a number of engagement events on the Island. As part of her material, Charlotte has been sharing information on the Sanderling Recovery Project in the form of posters, leaflets, and a life-sized Sanderling model! From Appley Day to the annual Recorders Conference, Charlotte and her Sanderling have been wowing people with the amazing birdlife the Island supports, and what we can all do to support them.
Thank you, Charlotte!
Signage Designs
We’re pleased to share that the designs have been finalised and the signs are on their way to the Isle of Wight! The signs (below), designed by Bird Aware Solent in collaboration with the project partnership, serve an essential role in the Bird Protection Area, to both educate people where not to go, but also to engage them with the brilliant - but fragile - wildlife at Ryde Sands. More to come soon once we have these signs out across the coast…
Surveys Start!
From September, our team of surveyors have been out on the coast, tracking the Sanderling population and other important birds that use the protection area. Importantly, surveyors are also on the lookout for how the birds get disturbed or set to flight. This can be the result of a number of things, from a dog running, a human walking or someone perhaps out fishing. Making sure the birds have space to rest when the tide is high is absolutely essential. It makes sure they can concentrate on low-tide feeding, allowing them to build up energy reserves for their return home to the Siberian Arctic and Greenland, without which ultimately, their survival is compromised. Bird Aware Solent Ranger Charlotte will be out on the coast watching the birds and chatting to beach users, to encourage better choices to support these populations - say hi if you see her!
91 Sanderling and 15 Ringed Plover, spotted by our surveyor Eileen.
First Partnership Project Meeting
September 8th 2025 saw the first Project Partnership meeting for the Sanderling Recovery Project. Partners included Hovertravlel, Ryde Marine, Ryde Town Council, Isle of Wight Council, Natural England, Bird Aware Solent and a team of committed volunteer surveyors. The partnership was facilitated by project leads, The Common Space. This first meeting introduced the project, briefed the group on interventions, demonstrated proposed signage designs, and the needs for the survey app.
Partnership meeting at Hovertravel’s HQ in Ryde, overlooking the Bird Protection Area.
Sanderling sign… sealed, delivered!
Last week, the Island Nature team headed over to Ryde from Sandown to meet partners working together on the Sanderling Recovery Project for the second get-together, and while there, to hand over a small but perfect Sanderling sign to Steve Attrill and the Hovertravel team. The sign is just one in the series being installed around the key Bird Protection area, and we’re delighted that this one will be in pride of place in the Hovertravel HQ for residents and visitors to read before they head off across the Solent.
From left to right… Bird Aware, Hovertravel, Island Nature, Natural England and the Sanderlings BPA!
The Buoys are Back in Town!
Have you noticed the line of bright yellow buoys which appeared this summer on Ryde Sands? They may look like floating minions but they have an important role to play in reminding people where the special Bird Protection Area begins. They are emergency equipment in some ways, to help save lives - of our migratory birds in this SSSI - before they’re lost to the Island for ever. Beyond the buoys towards the Hover and the Pier is where sanderlings get a chance to take a human-free breather while they’re here in winter. Amazingly, as soon as the thin yellow line was installed, people very kindly stayed to the right side! Now, with the new stickers in place too just in time for winter, there’s an extra reminder that this small bit of the beach is… No Entry - Wildlife Only!
Thanks to our partners, Ryde Town Council, for installing the stickers for us.
All Hands and Extra Hands on Deck!
The Sanderling Recovery Project partners have all been tag-teaming, to prepare for the winter bird season throughout August and September. And we have extra hands on deck now too: Bird Aware Solent’s newest team member, Louise Ellis and colleague, Eloise Mott.
Thanks to the Isle of Wight Council’s Social Media Officer Jess Brooke, there will be a specially filmed series of Sanderling movies and snippets to help raise awareness of these charismatic species and their extraordinary lives. Look out for stories from Ian Boyd, The Common Space and Eloise Mott, Bird Aware Solent across all our media!
Also on board is designer Michelle Lott from Mooksgoo who is designing the first of our species-focussed mini-books. Sanderling Stories is on its way to a Ryde location near you!
What’s it like to be a Sanderling?!
In this video produced by partners Isle of Wight Council, Ian Boyd, Director of @thecommonspaceiw explains what life is like for a sanderling on Ryde Sands, the challenges these remarkable birds face, and why giving them space to rest and feed is so important.
The Ryde Sanderling Recovery Project is bringing together organisations including the Isle of Wight Council, volunteers and local communities to help protect sanderlings and other threatened birds while ensuring people and wildlife can continue to share our coastline.
Look out for the excellent images and sanderling footage from the recorders!
Survey season under way for winter ‘26
What’s the best way to watch the sanderlings? From afar!
The Sanderling Recovery Project’s bird recorder volunteers are back on the tools or telescopes!
As soon as the first Sanderling and Ringed Plover started to appear this autumn, Caroline, Mark, Eileen, Tracey and Teresa, as well as the Bird Aware Solent team have started to record numbers of birds arriving from the North. On the Solent-side, Daneen and Lewis are tracking Hayling Island.
From Ryde to Seaview, the recorders are tracking any ringed birds so that we can keep global records for individual birds updated. They are also monitoring human disturbance and the patterns of fright and flight response of the flocks. With their help, we know how far the birds are having to travel before they can settle down to feed or roost again. You can make their job a lot easier just by staying clear of the Bird Protection Area. Look out for the Bird Aware team so you can take a look through their amazing scopes (as we did!) and they can fill you in on what it’s all about!
Annual Report 2025-2026
The Common Space have produced the first annual report for the Sanderling Recovery Project, covering 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026.
This report has been written for the people who made the year’s work possible: the volunteer recorders who watched the beach through every tide and season, and for the wider Ryde community who share the shore with the birds.
The project also reports formally to Natural England against the Ryde Sands Conservation and Enhancement Agreement. That fuller technical detail - expenditure, governance, full data tables and methodology notes - has been kept together in the Technical Annex at the back of the report, so the main story stays focused on what was done, what was found, and what it means for Ryde’s Sanderling, Ringed Plover and other winter birds.
Every photograph in this report was taken by a member of the recorder network or our team during the reporting year.
Take a scroll!
Small Birds. Epic Journeys. A Coastline Worth Sharing… Sanderling Stories Launches.
We are proud to present Sanderling Stories, an illustrated booklet and fact file for Ryde’s Sanderlings.
In this small, free publication, you can learn about the extraordinary journeys taken by Sanderling and other migratory birds each year, from the Arctic Circle to Ryde and beyond, understand why we need to share our coastline and how to do that… and read about the lives of Sanderling and Ringed Plovers whose individual stories we can tell.
Pick up your free copy from Ryde Library and Ryde Marina Office, from the Department on Cross Street and Monkton Arts on East Street. Look out for them with the Bird Aware Solent leaflets and posters in shops near you, or contact The Common Space on claire@thecommonspace.org.uk if you would like to stock some! You can read Sanderling Stories here too or download your own copy below!
Written by The Common Space and the Recorders and with photos from all the SRP team, the booklet has been designed and illustrated by Isle of Wight designer @mooksgoo.
