Newport Wetlands reserve

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This reserve at the mouth of the river Usk was created in the late 1990s, and officially opened in 2000, to compensate for loss of extensive mudflats with the completion of the Cardiff Bay barrage. The tidal mud around the mouths of the rivers Ely and Taff had provided valuable feeding grounds for wading birds.

The reserve covers 4.38 sq km (438 hectares) and provides a variety of habitats including reedbeds, saltmarsh, saline lagoons and lowland wet grassland. In 2008 it was designated a National Nature Reserve, a mark of the reserve’s maturity and value as wildlife habitat.

Photo of bittern by Ben Andrew RSPB imagesA lone bittern – a rare and shy species of bird – was spotted at the reserve in 2001. It returned most winters. In 2020 bitterns established a breeding population at the reserve, with two nests in each of the following three years. This was the first time in more than 200 years that bitterns had bred in South Wales. Bitterns are now present here all year round. The photo of a bittern is shown here courtesy of Ben Andrew and rspb-images.com.

Other bird species seen at the reserve at various times of the year include bearded tit, lapwing, dunlin, little grebe, shoveler and little egret, a species which did not appear in significant numbers in Britain until 1988.

Hares, water voles and otters are also seen, and the ponds provide a habitat for great crested newts, a protected species.

The reserve is managed by Natural Resources Wales, Newport City Council and the RSPB. Entry is free. The 6km of paths also provide visitor access to East Usk lighthouse, built in 1893.

With thanks to Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com) for the bittern photo

Postcode: NP18 2BZ

Grid reference: ST334834    View Location Map

Newport Wetlands on RSPB website

Newport Wetlands on NRW website

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