Thorney Island is a peninsula in West Sussex that is home to several species of birds but also houses an RAF airfield and military barracks. The island is open to the public yet has large areas blocked off by the military. Layers of military history can be found all across the island from the RAF airfield built in the late 1930's to the modern security gates that filter tourists through the accessible areas of the island. Traces of the military's intervention sit uneasily with the natural environment and remain like scars on the island.