Natural History

Humans have inhabited Alderney for approx. 6000 years. Alderney's local population developed its culture alongside that of the majority of Northern Europe, for much of this time. However, a divergence began to occur during the Middle Ages, with the rest of Europe moving away from the communal open field farming practices towards the feudal system and enclosures. However, Alderney's conditions, both social and environmental ensured the continuation of a strip agriculture and communal rough grazing system, well into the 20th century.

This meant that every acre of the island right up to the coastline was managed for agricultural practice. Woodland was a luxury, as most local fuels came from cattle dung and gorse. This meant that the few valleys on the island which would support the woodland's common to Guernsey, Jersey and Sark, were for horticulture and grazing.

This concentrated land usage has led to a unique island environment, which contains both small isolated habitats of woodland, scrub and wetland and larger nutrient poor grasslands and heathlands.

In addition to this, Alderney's position in the English Channel has lead to an extremely unusual tidal system. Whilst the tidal range of the island is small in comparison to the more southerly islands, only 7 metres, the tidal streams of the Race and the Swinge that circle the island, flow at an average speed of 6 knots during flood.. It is this flow coupled with the island's location on the edge of both the English Channel and the Bay of St Malo, which help to make Alderney so rich in marine life.

The island of Alderney, only 2000 acres in size, and its surrounding waters, are host to an extraordinary range and diversity of life.

Birds

275 species recorded as resident or migrant visitors to Alderney, these include Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill, Gannets, Dartford Warbler , Peregrine Falcon, , Kittiwake, Reed Bunting, Water Rail, Fantailed Warbler and many more. For a copy of the bird sightings list e-mail info@alderneywildlife.org

Bats are also present on the island. Pipistrelle is the only confirmed resident species, but work continues into investigations of a possible Grey Long-Eared colony on the island. Summer bat walks are an established new feature on the island for 2003 and are open to Trust members and visitors alike. Contact info@alderneywildlife.org for further details.

Mammals

Terrestrial mammals are rarer on Alderney, largely due to its isolation. However, those that are present on Alderney include the Leucristic or Blonde hedgehog, which is the only breeding population of its type in the world.

Marine mammals are perhaps more common, with sightings of Grey Seal, Common Dolphin, Stripped Dolphin and Basking Shark, in the waters around Alderney.

Invertebrates

No definitive list of the island's invertebrates has yet been completed. However, local entomologists and marine ecologists list Alderney as one of the most diverse habitats in the Channel Island's, with several thousand species present. The resident or visitor may see animals ranging through Ormers, to the Alderney bee and the Gatekeeper butterfly, now a common resident on the island.

Plants

There are around 1000 species of vascular plant on the island, these include a number of species listed in the British Red Data Book:

Mosses and Lichens make up an important part of Alderney's ecosystem and thrive throughout the island, with particular strong concentrations along the Alkali rich coastal grasslands of the eastern Coastline. There are several Red Data Book listed species on the island as well as the only remaining colony of Opegrapha sub-elevata in the British Isles.