Relax in Wonderland
Enjoy nature in beautiful surroundings.
Come and play
Coming to stay at Wonderland is like having your own private wildlife park. Nature is all around with only the noise of birds and animals.
Immersed in Nature….
Wonderland is surrounded by 190 acres of farmland with uninterrupted views of the South Downes with access to the ‘Downs Link’ a 10 minute walk away up the drive. It is a 40 minute walk from the South Downes Way which runs from Winchester to Eastbourne.
There are panoramic views of the Downes with Chanctonbury Ring to the right and Devils Dyke straight ahead.
The farmland is the home to sheep and cattle grazing during the summer, however in the winter, due to high water table and the tidal River Ardur, the surrounding fields flood to create wetlands which support a huge variety of bird and wildlife.
Here are some examples of the wildlife you can encounter in Wonderland….
Surrounding Wildlife
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Canadian Geese
During the winter when the surrounding fields turn to wetlands, sometimes over 500 Canadian Geese can be seen on the water.
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Egyptian Geese
These striking geese can also be seen between October and January on the wetlands surrounding Wonderland.
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Greylag Geese
Greylag Geese can be seen in the winter on the wetlands surrounding Wonderland.
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Nightingale
Nightingales can be heard in the Spring in the area around Wonderland. They prefer scrub habitats with blackthorn, and often nest near streams.
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Green Woodpecker
This large green bird with a long dagger like beak is likely to be probing into our lawn particularly looking for ants!
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Grey Heron
This large grey bird with a long dagger-like beak for grabbing and stabbing fish, is a frequent visitor to our lake.
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Swan
Swans are a common sight on the River Ardur and even our own lake! During the breeding season, they are very territorial but in winter families can join together to form larger flotillas of swans.
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Gadwall Duck
One of the smaller ducks visible in the surrounding area. Gadwall have a very attractive plumage. The adult males have a distinctive white speculum feather at the back alongside black tail feathers.
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Kingfisher
We are lucky enough to have a resident kingfisher, who can be spotted often sitting on the end of the pontoon rail watching for fish.
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Mallard Ducks
The most familiar duck to all of us. We have around 8 that live all year round on the lake. The male has a bright green head while the female is overall brown colour.
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Grey Wagtail
Grey Wagtails live near water - particularly amongst grazing livestock or wetland areas, so you will find that these birds are a common sight around Wonderland.
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Grey Cormorant
These large birds are frequent visitors to the Lake in Wonderland to enjoy a spot of breakfast, lunch or supper on the large number of fish that are stocked in the lake.
Bird Walk
This circular walk takes you on a 45 minute nature tour - starting at the point where the old railway line (Downslink path) crosses Sandy Lane, the walk drops down under a bridge and through fields overlooking Rye Farm and the levels where winter floods can bring a wealth of wildfowl if water levels are right. Shoveler, Gadwall & Pintail in winter, a very occasional Garganey migrating through in spring.
Rejoin the Downslink, keeping an eye out for birds moving through the scrub and trees bordering the path, arrive at Stretham Bridge and head north west along the left bank of the Adur to an overflow pit – best ever patch bird here in the 2014 survey, a splendid Grey Phalarope. Watch out for Green Sandpipers here too – Cetti’s Warbler new here in 2017. If you’re lucky there may be Little Grebes or Kingfishers by the river.
Back across the river, past New Inn Farm, hoping the Swallows will be nesting there, down past Frogshole Cottage, across the brooks to Rye Farm and back to the village.
