Wales’ extensive mudflats, saltmarshes and coastal grazing marshes support large numbers of wildfowl and wading birds over winter and offer key refuelling stops for important spring and autumn passage birds. Watching these birds from afar is fascinating but getting too close can disturb them. It may lead to birds stopping using an area to feed or roost, use up vital energy stores by putting them to flight and cause delays to arrival at breeding grounds. If they cannot feed enough to complete their migration, they may not survive the winter.
Wintering from January to March
Wintering from November to End December
Watch out for signs of disturbance and try not to get too close. When birds take flight it can use energy reserve vital for their survival.
Keep a good distance from overwintering birds visiting our estuaries between October and March
Watch the tide – when the tide comes in, birds’ feeding grounds are reduced and they may be roosting further up the foreshore
Please keep those furry friends under effective control around shorebirds
Where is the best place to see shorebirds?? Through a pair of binoculars of course! You can see them in much more detail and you don’t need to get close at all.
Over 80,000 birds visit the Severn Estuary every winter! They are stopping on their way from places like Siberia and the Arctic
If you would like to receive updates from Wild Seas Wales, along with important information about events, then subscribe to our newsletter below. We will not send you an email very often, and you can unsubscribe at any time. We will also keep all your details safe and we will not share them with anyone else.