| Organisation / Company | Countryside Council for Wales |
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| Website | Click Here |
The estuary of Afon Dyfi is outstanding for the size, range and quality of its habitats, and for its botanical, entomological and ornithological interest. While a good deal of this interest is focussed on the extensive saltmarsh and dune system on south side of the estuary, the north side supports much that is worth exploring, from Pennal round to Tywyn. Focussing on the bird interest alone, woodland and scrub areas illustrate well the range of species found in Welsh oak woodland, with Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler (all summer visitors) and Nuthatch prominent. Wetter areas include species such as Grasshopper and Sedge Warblers (summer visitors) and Reed Bunting, together with small populations of Reed Warbler (summer visitor). The wet pastures adjacent to the estuary are regionally important for their numbers of breeding waders, particularly Lapwing, but also Redshank, Curlew and Snipe. Red-breasted Merganser and Shelduck breed around the estuary and large numbers of waders and wildfowl use it in winter and on passage, including nearly 5,000 over-wintering Wigeon. Limited roadside parking.
| Organisation / Company | Gwynedd Council |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
The tidal lagoon of the Broadwater and lower part of the Afon Dysynni provide coastal habitats of considerable interest including saltmarsh, a shingle spit, mudflats, reedbeds, ditches and the river itself. The saltmarsh is dominated by Sea Rush but has a number of uncommon species, such as Wild Celery, Lesser Centaury and Sharp Sea Rush. The shingle spit is only sparsely vegetated, but includes the uncommon Yellow Horned Poppy. Ditches, pools and shallows have a rich flora with small stands of Greater Reedmace and Glaucous Club-rush. Good stands of Common Reed occur on river islands and on the shore of the lagoon, where birds such as Coot and Sedge Warbler breed. The shingle spit has one of the few Welsh breeding colonies of Little Tern. The mudflats and saltings of the lagoon support good numbers of wintering duck, especially Mallard, Teal and Wigeon, with lesser numbers of Pintail, Red-breasted Merganser and Long-tailed Duck. Little Grebe occur regularly and waders such as Curlew and Oystercatcher are common year-round. There is a large gull roost, mainly of Herring, Common and Black-headed Gull.
| Organisation / Company | Gwynedd Council |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
Carreg y Defaid is best approached from Llanbedrog village along the beach, having explored the excellent rock pools below Mynydd Tir-y-cwmwd and admired the beach huts tucked up to the undercliff. Carreg y Defaid is a small offshore island with an associated headland, both formed from hard volcanic rocks punctuating the softer sedimentary cliffs. A fragment of poor coastal heathland occurs on the headland, visited by Linnet and Stonechat. Around the headland, there are low rocky cliffs with sparse lichens, including the bright orange Maritime Sunburst Lichen and the Black Tar Lichen. The boulders around the headland and further to the east have a relatively low covering of Bladder Wrack. Sea watching is perhaps best in winter for seabirds and roosting shorebirds. A flock of Golden Plover frequents adjacent flooded fields.
| Organisation / Company | Gwynedd Council |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
This is an area rich in wildlife and easily accessible from Criccieth. It extends eastwards to Morfa Bychan and has sand dune, wetland, and marine interest. Marine zonations can be seen in both sand flat communities (Black Rock Sands) and on rocky shorelines (Craig Ddu). Zonation is also a feature of the sand dunes towards Morfa Bychan. Adjacent to the shore, pioneer dunes develop on the strandline, supporting Sand Couch Grass and Prickly Saltwort. Inland of these, the dunes become stabilised, largely by Marram Grass. Further inland, fixed dunes support Burnet Rose, Sand Sedge and Restharrow. The scarce Narrow-leaved Eelgrass is found at extreme low water between Criccieth and Graig Ddu. Eelgrasses are important as habitat and food for a wide range of species. The rock pools and honeycomb reef here are fascinating to explore. Sea watching is good all year round particularly for Scoter and divers in winter. The wetland Llyn Ystumllyn can be reached by footpath from the beach. It supports extensive reed and rush vegetation and therefore birds such as Sedge and Reed Warblers (summer visitors) and Reed Bunting.
| Organisation / Company | Gwynedd Council |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
Foryd Bay is a Local Nature Reserve to the south-west of Caernarfon. It offers around 300 hectares of intertidal mud, sand, shingle and saltmarsh habitats to a very wide range of overwintering birds. The innermost section is heavily colonised by Sea Cord-grass, which provides good cover for wildfowl and waders. However, Mute Swan, Cattle Egret and Shelduck are generally conspicuous. Rafts of Wigeon are a special feature of winter, usually with Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser. Regular waders include Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwit (winter visitors), Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Redshank and Curlew (year round). The saltmarsh on the western side has good shows of flowering Sea Aster in late summer. There is a public hide on the eastern shoreline but arrangements need to be made to access the key.
| Organisation / Company | National Trust |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
Mynydd Mawr offers excellent opportunities to view wildlife from a prominent and readily accessible area. It is also supports extensive habitats of coastal heath and grassland, including seacliff slopes. The coastal heath shows fine colour in late summer from Bell Heather and Western Gorse. It is also a site for rarities, including Spotted Rock-rose and two lichens. Birds likely to be seen at close quarters include Chough, Peregrine, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit and Wheatear (summer visitor). The rocky shore offers good examples of tide-swept communities, tidal zonation and rock pools. Mynydd Mawr also provides a wonderful vantage point from which to view offshore seabird movements (best in winter), migrating birds and dolphins. Seabirds include Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin. Bottle-nosed Dolphin are regularly seen (best in summer) and sometimes Risso’s Dolphin. Harbour Porpoise are regular but difficult to see in the often choppy water.
| Organisation / Company | National Trust |
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This coastal site is of interest for its geology, coastal vegetation and sea watching. Excellent sea cliff exposures reveal details of processes during the cooling of this rock when it first formed from volcanic action. The coastal heath gives good colour in late summer. Songbirds include: Stonechat, Meadow Pipit and Skylark. Chough are perhaps the main on-shore interest; they nest on the sea cliffs and feed on the heath and grassland. Sea birds likely to be seen at close quarters include Fulmar. Three uncommon plant species occur on the sea cliffs: Golden Samphire, Ivy Broomrape and Sea Stork’s-bill. Offshore, Mynydd Penarfynydd offers opportunities to watch seabird movements, including Manx Shearwater and Gannet, and sea mammals (best in summer), including Common Dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin and, in calm water, Harbour Porpoise. Note that parking nearby is very limited and could be obstructive.
| Organisation / Company | National Trust |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
Porth Dinllaen itself is a very attractive and popular cove with good facilities for visitors. It is also the centre of interest for a stretch of coastline extending eastwards from Borth Wen. The coast of Trwyn Porth Dinllaen is rocky with crevice communities, including Rock Samphire and Rock Sea-spurrey, and also maritime grassland vegetation, containing Red Fescue, Thrift, and Spring Squill. The soft cliffs at Porth Dinllaen are rather unstable. They support mosaics of maritime grassland, sand dune and scrub plant communities, depending upon erosion rates. There is a Sand Martin colony in the cliffs. This area has very diverse intertidal habitats. Rock pools at Borth Wen are fascinating to explore. Clear examples of intertidal zonation are visible at Trywyn Porth Dinllaen. Beds of Eelgrass, a marine flowering plant, are present on the western side of Porth Dinllaen. Elsewhere in the bay, varied and abundant seaweed populations are associated with the reef, rocks and sand-covered shore. Seabird watching from Trwyn Porth Dinllaen is often rewarding (best in winter), as is seal watching from several points locally (best in summer).
| Organisation / Company | National Trust |
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This site is in fact a short section of coastal footpath, taking in an area of National Trust property at Porth Gwylan. As well as the beach at Traeth Penllech and the scenic attraction of the rocky coastline, its interest stems from the areas of coastal heath and from excellent sea watching - an ideal location for dawdling and scanning both sky and sea. The areas of heath give good colour in late summer and attract many insects. Birds likely to be seen include Chough, Fulmar and Rock Pipit. Offshore, they may include Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant and Guillemot. The cliffs frequently offer good sightings of Harbour Porpoise (in calm water), Common Dolphin, Bottle–nosed Dolphin, and, less frequently, Risso’s Dolphin (all best in summer).
| Organisation / Company | Gwynedd Council |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
The harbour at Pwllheli is a bird haunt well worth visiting. It is easy of access and the birds remain well within range of reasonable binoculars. The cob pool to the west of the harbour entrance and marina is particularly of interest. The mud flat is sheltered and can give excellent views of waders, such as Oystercatcher, Redshank, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Little Plover and Dunlin. The pool forms part of a Local Nature Reserve, which also includes wildflower meadows and reed beds. The reeds provide cover for the secretive Water Rail and attract Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting. A board walk gives good access to the wetter parts of the cob pool near the inflow from Afon Rhyd-hir. The river is frequented by Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail. Sea watching from Pwllheli can also be productive.
| Organisation / Company | North Wales Wildlife Trust |
|---|---|
| Website | Click Here |
The whole area accessed from the car park is of high environmental interest. It offers excellent bird watching and is a gateway to a very worthwhile walk along the coast that gives good views over the extensive inter-tidal flats of Traeth Lavan. It also links the Spinnies reserve nearby to other nature reserves in the direction of Llanfairfechan. Hides at the Spinnies itself provide excellent views over the Ogwen estuary, where Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye are regular winter visitors, and over a sheltered brackish lagoon, frequented by Teal, Greenshank, Little Egret and Kingfisher. Water Rail may also be seen. Over 185 species of bird have been recorded on or around the reserve. The varied woodland, wetland, coastal and agricultural habitats in the immediate area support a wide range of plants and animals, including around 45 species of breeding birds.
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