Up to 2000 birds have been estimated to use the bay, but numbers are believed to be declining. In winter and on migration Dunlin flock to the mudflats in their thousands. This diminutive wader is common throughout the Bristol Channel. Curlew are resident, with whimbrel passing through on migration. Grey plover are frequently seen in winter and on migration.
Redshank are common throughout the year.
Raptors include peregrines in winter, taking up their traditional coastal feeding grounds at that time of year. Short-eared owls are often seen hunting during daylight in autumn and winter, often in small family groups. Twice I have twice seen little egrets feeding in the pools by the main cluster of hides, both times in late August. In summer reed warblers can be seen flitting through the large reedbeds where the old island now meets the mainland. Back to the top.