Wintry wildlife at Wales’ National Nature Reserves

Did you know that dotted along the length and breadth of the Wales Coast Path are several National Nature Reserves that boast some of the most incredible indigenous wildlife, flora and fauna that Wales has to offer?

Glorious in any season, even the colder, darker months of winter that we are currently experiencing, there is plenty to explore and enjoy as we await the arrival of spring.

Protect wildlife at these special places by following the Countryside Code and leaving no trace of your visit. Dog owners must heed local signs and use a short lead where asked.

1. Newport Wetlands, Newport

Tucked between the city of Newport and the Severn estuary, Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve is one of the best sites in the country for viewing bird life, with winter being the perfect season to visit due to large flocks that visit at this time of year.

The reserve is part of the Gwent Levels and is made up of a diverse range of low-lying habitats, including wet grassland, reedbeds, saltmarsh and saline lagoons.

There’s a seven-kilometre network of re-surfaced paths around the Uskmouth reedbeds that’s wheelchair accessible, alongside the visitor centre and café, viewing screens across the deepwater channels, a raised viewing platform and bird hide.

Look out for Merlin and Peregrine Falcons, Wigeon, Teal, Dunlin and Lapwing during the winter months. Dogs on a short lead are welcome on the 6km circular Green Lanes and Coast Walk which follow footpaths around the edge of the reserve.

2. Oxwich Bay, Swansea

Situated in the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, The Gower Peninsula, Oxwich National Nature Reserve consists of a sweeping golden beach, sand dunes, cliffs and salt and freshwater marshes. Its rich diversity of habitats makes it one of the most fascinating wildlife hubs in the South.

From wild orchids, rare dune gentians, butterflies, birds and bats, the reserve provides an all-year-round ecosystem to both migrating and indigenous species.

During the winter, keep an eye out for wildfowl, Great Bittern, Little Egret, Water Rail and Jack Snipe. Choose from a selection of coastal and woodland walking routes to suit your preference, with two circular walks that take you through the dunes, where wild ponies graze all year round.

3. Pant y Sais, Swansea

Another wetland habitat full of reed and sedge beds, Pant y Sais National Nature Reserve is a paradise for wetland plants, birds and insects.

Home to dragonflies and Britain’s largest spider, the Fen Raft Spider, one of the most rare and endangered insects in the UK, Pant y Sais is a great day out for fans of the creepy and the crawly. These sizeable creatures will be hibernating during the winter and so you won’t see them (which may be a relief for some!)

The reserve itself has a boardwalk that takes you into the wetlands, offering a short direct pathway into the reserves unique ecosystem and a peek at the Fen Raft’s habitat along the Tenant Canal. You can join the Wales Coast Path from the edge of the reserve and continue your walk along the Swansea coastline.

4. Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire

Based in South Pembrokeshire and a stone’s throw from Pembroke, the Stackpole Estate National Nature Reserve is abundant in coastal and woodland habitats, full of quiet valleys, wildlife rich lily ponds and sandy beaches.

Home to two of Pembrokeshire’s most famous bayscapes, Broadhaven and Barafundle, Stackpole is a stronghold for several species, including one of Britain’s largest populations of the rare Greater Horseshoe Bat.

The freshwater lakes of Bosherston are abundant with otters, water birds and dragonflies. During the winter months, they’re a great place to spot a wide range of wintering birds, including Coot, Gadwall, Goosander Tufted Duck, Golden eye, Teal and occasionally Bittern.

5. Dyfi Ynyslas, Ceredigion

Ynyslas is part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve, situated midway between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth in Mid Wales. The golden dunes of Ynyslas are at the southern side of the Dyfi Estuary and are the largest dunes in Ceredigion, home to a rich population of orchids, mosses, liverworts, fungi, insects and spiders; many of which are rare and some unknown elsewhere in Britain.

The estuary is abundant in internationally important mudflats, sandbanks and saltmarsh that provide feeding and roosting areas for wetland birds. During the winter, the Dyfi estuary is home to wintering wildfowl, while the beach welcomes waders, Sanderling and Golden Plover.

Hunting birds of prey such as Red Kites, Buzzards, and Peregrine Falcons can often be spotted searching for their next meal over the boggy landscape. You may also catch sight of the Greenland White-fronted goose, a migratory bird which is unique only to Ynyslas.

6. Morfa Dyffryn, Gwynedd

The shifting sand dunes of Morfa Dyffryn National Nature Reserve are one of our most dynamic coastal sites. Dynamic and ever shifting dune habitats with large areas of bare sand are becoming increasingly rare across the UK, making it one of the most threatened and important habitats in the country.

Wind constantly reshapes the towering dunes and low lying slacks that provide a blank canvass for a wide range of specialised and rare plant and insects species such as Marsh Orchids, mosses, Mining Bees and Solitary Wasps.

The sand flats and salt marsh at Aber Artro are important feeding spots for winter wildfowl. The beach is used by wading birds but, if you look offshore, you may spot wintering Grebes and Divers. Other birds that put in an appearance during the colder months include Choughs and Hen Harriers.

7. Morfa Harlech, Gwynedd

Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve is another impressive coastal landscape that’s home to rare sand dune and coastal marsh habitats.

Known as one of the richest natural treasures and home to a diverse range of plants and animals, all especially adapted to life and the seas edge, Morfa Harlech provides an opportunity to explore Wales’ most rare indigenous wildlife.

Birds such as the Skylark and Stonechat breed in the dunes, with Redshank and Lapwing using the saltmarsh. In winter wading birds such as Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Sanderling feed along the shoreline, while wildfowl make use of the extensive coastal flats and marsh of the Dwyryd estuary.

8. Newborough National Nature Reserve and Forest, Anglesey

The dunes, coastal marshes, sandy and rocky shores of Newborough National Nature Reserve and forest have been shaped over many thousands of years by the wind and Irish sea.

This extensive coastal landscape is regarded as one of the largest and finest dune systems in the UK and is home to a wide range of rare and endangered dune flora and fauna such as Marsh Orchids and Helleborines, rare mosses and liverworts, medicinal leeches and other rare insect species. Accessible by a network of footpaths with a selection of walking, running and cycle trails within the forest.

Tywyn Niwbwrch and Ynys Llanddwyn National Nature Reserve was declared the first coastal National Nature Reserve in Wales in 1955. The section of woodland around Llyn Parc Mawr is home to red squirrels with a discovery trail dedicated to it.

During the winter, migratory wildfowl such as Brent Geese, Shelduck and Wigeon are joined on the saltmarshes and estuaries of the Cefni and Traeth Melynog by Redshanks and Plovers. The pools behind the Cob embankment are visited by birds such as Pintail, Wigeon, Teal and Lapwing who come here to escape the harsher winters of the Arctic.