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Widewater Lagoon is a man-made feature, and lies south of the Brighton Road between Lancing and Shoreham. Hidden from view by houses along the road it is a landlocked brackish lagoon (approximately 1 km long but narrow) bordered on its south side by the sea defences and shingle beach. Water levels rise following high tides and heavy rainfall, but the varied levels produce a unique area for plant life and a resting place for a variety of birds including herons, swans and other wildfowl.

The sight of up to 100,000 starlings coming to roost before setting off on their winter migrations is a popular spectacle across Britain. Often the dark clouds of birds, known as a ‘murmuration’, make fantastical shapes as the flock wheel and dive through the air.
The most famous roost is Brighton Pier but the birds also roost in massive numbers in Snape, Suffolk and Gretna Green. Flocks of smaller starlings are also spotted by nature lovers near their homes.