Birdwatching Site: Gower Coast National Nature Reserve, Near Swansea, South Wales
There is a lovely beach in this nature reserve, but it is the tidal island of Worm's Head and the south-facing cliffs on the mainland that attract some very special plants, birds, and other wildlife.
During your visit to Gower Coast National Nature Reserve, you will see amazing scenery, interesting and rare flora, captivating underlying geology and if you are a birdwatcher, you will appreciate the chance to observe seabirds and other birds like Choughs and Dartford Warblers. For history and archaeology enthusiasts, the area has many archaeological remains. The Kittiwakes birds nest most abundantly at Gower Coast NNR, but many of their nesting sites are visible only from the sea.
The reserve is home to Razorbills (Alca torda), Common Guillemots, and a few pairs of Fulmars and Shags. They are known to raise their young ones here. The number and species of gulls that breed at Gower Coast NNR have decreased a lot, and now only a few Herring Gull and Black-backed Gull pairs can be seen there every year.
In the past, puffins occupied rabbit burrows on Worm's Head to raise their families as they do on Skomer, but as with other islands around Wales' coast, including Ramsey, their populations have been decimated by the arrival of rats from the mainland or shipwrecks nearby. In the past few years, Puffins have been spotted in the sea around Worm's Head, but there is still no sign that they are nesting there.
From July onwards, staying near the sea can lead to seeing other seabirds such as Storm Petrels and Manx Shearwaters as they migrate between their hunting grounds and nesting sites along the Welsh coast.
In the 1990s, choughs, which had been absent for over 100 years, recolonized the area. A very special bird found on the Gower Coast is the Dartford Warbler, which breeds in only a few spots on cliff tops due to extensive scrub and gorse habitats. The remnants of a few quarries close to Port Eynon Point are home to gorse and scrub which attract other visiting birds. During summertime, you can often see Stonechats, Whitethroats, and Rock Pipits in this area. In winter, the sea near the coast is always full of Black-throated Divers, Great Northern Divers, various auks, Common Scoters, Common Eiders, and Red-throated Divers.
Spring Squill, Tree Mallow, Sea Stork's-bill, and Rock and Golden Samphire are some of the maritime plants found in the reserve. Early Gentian, Small Restharrow, Goldilocks Aster, and Yellow Whitlow Grass are among the rare plants that appear at Gower Coast NNR. These plants are more common in the Mediterranean and are only seen here in rare scattered locations of the south coast of Britain. A number of endemic Rock Sea-lavender species grow in the NNR, as do lichens such as Scrambled-egg Lichen (Fulgensia fulgens), a threatened species in Britain. The lichen can also be found at Stackpole NNR in Pembrokeshire.
How To Reach:
Rhosili Car Park (Reserve’s Western End): Drive along the A4118 road towards Killay and Parkmill, then through Nicholaston and Knelston. Scurlage is located on the B4247. Continue towards Rhossili via Pilton Green and Middleton. Car parks are located on the left side of the street.
Eastern End: There is also an entry point to the reserve at Mewslade Bay, which is located on the B4247 road between Pilton Green and Rhosili.
Things To Be Kept In Mind:
The path from Rhosili (western) end of Gower Coast NNR begins hard and grit-covered and then becomes easier to walk on as you progress. When wet, the paths at Mewslade Bay (east) can be slippery due to compacted stone and mud. There is a small valley on the way down to the beach. Some areas of the reserve (Turba to Horse Cliff) have rocky, narrow, and challenging paths. Walking to and from Worm's Head Island during high tide requires you to get information about the tide times (from the old Coastguard Lookout 1km (2/3 mile) from the Rhosili Car Park). The currents can be swift and dangerous, so you should never try to race the tide.
