SS545978

The Burry Inlet is Special Protection Area.

Description and habitats

During the winter months, the inner part of the Burry Inlet supports a high density of estuarine birds. There is a large area of saltmarsh. The rest of the shore is stone and shingle. Sand and mud banks in mid-estuary offer feeding areas at low-tide.

Directions

Access to the Carmarthenshire shore is provided by the Celtic Trail Sustrans Cycle Route 4. The cycle track can be accessed at Bynea or Penclacwydd. At Bynea, park at the Millennium Coast Park Bynea Gateway car park which is signed from the roundabout at the west end of the Loughor bridge. The car park is pay-and-display. At Penclacwydd, vehicles can be parked at the National Wetlands Centre Wales (NWCW). Bus services between Swansea and Llanelli stop at Church Street, Loughor. Walk across the Loughor Bridge to the Bynea Gateway.

Facilities for visitors

There are toilets and a cafe at NWCW. WWT non-members pay an entrance fee. The cycle path is suitable for wheelchairs.

Tips for birding the site

A section of the site has a footpath directly behind the seawall. Good views can be had from this footpath or from the cycle track. With a telescope, it is possible to see birds on the south shore of the estuary and on the mud banks immediately downstream of the Loughor bridge. Thickets beside the cycle track attract small passerines.

Best seasons

Autumn to Spring

Regular birds

Brent Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Pintail, Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Gulls including Yellow-legged Gull and Mediterranean Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Turnstone, Curlew, Grey Plover, Linnet, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting.

Scarce and rare birds

Little Tern, Short-eared Owl.