Bridgwater Bay
Notification 1989 | | |
Natural England website |
Bridgwater Bay is on the Bristol Channel, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett and the end of the River Parrett Trail. It stretches from Minehead at the southwestern end of the bay to Brean Down in the north. The area consists of large areas of mudflats, saltmarsh, sandflats and shingle ridges, some of which are vegetated. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) covering an area of 3,574.1 hectares (35.741 km2; 13.800 sq mi)[1] since 1989,[2] and is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.[3] The risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.[4]
Several rivers, including the Parrett, Brue and Washford, drain into the bay. Man-made drainage ditches from the Somerset Levels, including the River Huntspill, also run into the bay. The mud flats provide a habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. These include some nationally rare plants, beetles and snails. It is particularly important for overwintering waders and wildfowl, with approximately 190 species recorded including Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), dunlin (Calidris alpina) and wigeon (Anas penelope). Fishing has taken place using shallow boats, known as flatners, and fixed wooden structures for hundreds of years. It was also the last site in England used for 'mudhorse fishing'. There are several small harbours along the coast.
The low-lying areas of the bay have been subject to flooding, including the
Geography
Bridgwater Bay forms a portion of the coastline of
Brean Down is a promontory marking the eastern end of the bay. Made of
At low
Man-made sea defenses include a sea wall at Burnham-on-Sea and a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) section south from Brean Down. There are also sand dune belts which are managed for their protective function and as a wildlife habitat.[23] There are some concerns that the proposed Severn Barrage could leave some sites high and dry, and others permanently under water.[24] The Steart Peninsula has flooded many times during the last millennium. The most severe recent floods occurred in 1981. By 1997, a combination of coastal erosion, sea level rise and wave action had made some of the defences distinctly fragile and at risk from failure. As a result, in 2002 The Environment Agency produced the Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study to examine options for the future.[25]
The foreshore at Watchet, which lies at the mouth of the Washford River, and on the edge of Exmoor National Park, is rocky, but has a small harbour. The cliffs between Watchet and Blue Anchor show a distinct pale, greenish blue colour, resulting from the coloured alabaster found there. The name "Watchet" or "Watchet Blue" was used in the 16th century to denote this colour.[26][27]
East Quantoxhead used to have a small harbour which brought in limestone for local limekilns and exported alabaster. It is thought that it was also used for smuggling.[28]
At
Fishing
The intertidal mud flats of the bay have a long history of use for fishing, with structures on Stert Flats being dated by
Ecology
At low tide extensive areas of mudflats (the Steart and the Berrow Flats) are exposed, providing important feeding and overwintering grounds for waders (shorebirds). Invertebrate fauna including six nationally rare species and eighteen nationally scarce species can be found in the ditches and ponds around the shores.[2] Consequently, Bridgwater Bay is a national nature reserve, and is managed by Natural England.[33] Some of the potential risks to wildlife are highlighted in the local Oil Spill Contingency Plan.[4]
Brean Down,
Flora
The nationally scarce bulbous foxtail (Alopecurus bulbosus), slender hare's-ear (Bupleurum tenuissimum) and sea barley (Hordeum marinum) are grazed by sheep on the marshes around the bay. Around Stert Island the nationally rare compact brome (Bromus madritensis) and nationally scarce Ray's knotgrass (Polygonum oxyspermum) can be found.[2][3]
The ditches are populated with aquatic and bankside plant species. These include the nationally restricted rootless duckweed (Wolffia arrhiza). Other uncommon species such as frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) and water fern (Azolla filiculoides) can also be found. The nationally restricted brackish water-crowfoot (Ranunculus baudotii) and sea clubrush (Scirpus maritimus) indicate the slightly brackish nature of the water.[2]
Brean Down is a site for the nationally rare
Fauna
Five
Over 190 species of birds have been identified near the bay, some of which use it as a feeding ground during their migrations. Waders and wildfowl often over-winter on the reserve.[3] The populations of Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) are internationally important. Significant populations of dunlin (Calidris alpina) and wigeon (Anas penelope) also frequent the bay.[39][40][2][3][41] In early winter the wigeon select Puccinellia maritima in preference to Agrostis stolonifera and Festuca rubra.[42][43] Avocets have become regular autumn and winter visitors to the area in recent years, favouring the lower reaches of the River Parrett,[44][39] and, for the first time in over 50 years, bred on the reserve in 2012.[3]
Rare
References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i "SSSI citation sheet" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. English Nature. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "Bridgwater Bay NNR". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Oil spill contingency plan". Sedgemoor Council. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ "Stogursey". Victoria County History. British History Online. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Severn Estuary rapid coastal zone assessment". Historic England. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
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- ^ "Severn Estuary Barrage". UK Environment Agency. 31 May 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
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- ^ "Coast: Bristol Channel". BBC. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
- ^ Alleyne, Richard; Martin, Nicole (25 June 2002). "Rescuers tell of desperate fight to save mud flats girl". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- ^ "'Sad, tragic' case of girl's drowning". BBC News. 24 October 2002. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- ^ "Earl of Wessex to unveil Lelaina plaque at BARB". This is Somerset. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- ^ "Spirit of Lelaina lives on". BBC News. 22 March 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
- ^ "Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve". Breathing Places. BBC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ "Bridgwater Bay". Tidal Lagoon Power. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "New dawn for UK nculear power". WNN. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ^ "Bridgwater Bay Natural Area Profile" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Matt Baker goes mad for mud, fish and relics in Bridgwater Bay". Open Country. BBC. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
- ^ "Stolford to Combwich Coastal Defence Strategy Study" (PDF). Environment Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
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- ^ "Article from Issue Number 12/1 February 2005". Open University Geological Society (London Branch). Archived from the original on 18 February 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
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- ^ a b c Green, Ian, Peter Green and Geraldine Crouch The Atlas Flora of Somerset
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- ^ "August 30th 2016". Levels Birder. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
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- ^ "Wet summer devastating Somerset's butterfly population, says Sir David Attenborough". Bridgwater Mercury. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2017.