Wildlife at Studland Bay

Studland Bay is a fascinating mosaic of habitats from heaths and downland to wetlands and the shoreline. Rare dune heath and little known woodlands complete the picture.

Studland Bay from the air
Godlingston Heath near Studland, Dorset

Lowland heaths in Purbeck 

The lowland heaths on the shores of Poole Harbour support rare birds, unique plant communities and all six native British reptiles.

Dune heath at Studland Bay

Studland's sand dunes 

Studland is the most important site on the South Coast for dune heath – a rare habitat where land and shoreline meet and unique natural communities thrive.

Little Sea in Studland

Wetlands by the coast 

Hidden among the dunes is a mosaic of habitats where water-loving plants and animals now thrive in places they colonised in just the last few hundred years

Bluebells in Langton West Wood, Purbeck

Woodlands of Purbeck 

Despite being better known for its heaths and coastline, Purbeck is dotted with ancient woodlands which support some of our rarest wildlife.

Cattle grazing in the Purbeck Hills

Diverse grasslands 

The thin soils of upland Purbeck support an amazing variety of wildflowers, insects and birds, thanks to traditional grazing going back centuries.

The shores of Poole Harbour

Wildlife of the harbour shore 

Rich sediments carried downstream by rivers are the foundations of a complex ecosystem along the mudflats of the harbour shore.

A sand lizard at Studland
Studland Bay   Dorset

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