RSPB Pagham Harbour. Black Tailed Godwits, Curlew, Stonechats and a Juvenile Gannet. 25.10.21

I walked from the visitors centre, visiting the Ferry Pool Hide, then walked down the path to Church Norton; visiting the beach at Church Norton

Ferry Pool

Black Tailed Godwits flying over the Ferry Pool

Lapwings in flight over the Ferry Pool

Shovelers, males in breeding plumage

Lapwing in flight

Lapwings in flight

Female and Male Shoveler

Lapwings and a Shoveler

A Common Darter on a post next to the Ferry Hide

Walking down the path to Church Norton

Grey Heron

Lapwings and a Vurlew

Curlews in flight

Little Egret in flight

Shovelers near the mouth of Pagham Harbour

Cormorants near the mouth of Pagham Harbour

A Ring-Necked Pheasant

Tree roots

Rainbow

A Grey Plover near the mouth of Pagham, Harbour

A Redshank

Redshanks, a Grey Plover and a Curlew

Church Norton

Sheep grazing the enclosure of the remains of the Mott and bailey Norman Castle at Church Norton

Church Norton was one of a number of places where the Normans built castles immediately after they invaded.

There is evidence that some of their castles were pre-fabricated in Normandy and brought across the English Channel by boat.

Typically the castles incorporated a motte or mound with a ditch alongside it. The mound would have been reinforced by stakes.

Having thrown up an initial defensive enclosure relatively rapidly, the Normans often developed more substantial buildings inside the compound. It is almost certain that there was a stone tower built here - its remains were noted in 1662 by a Selsey churchwarden.

It is probable that the castle at Church Norton was abandoned in the 12th century, so its working life was a relatively short one. The Church Norton Mound is typical of these castles - it is very like the Castle remains in Priory Park, Chichester, a few miles north of here. Norman Castles in Sussex: Church Norton (westsussex.info)