Newport Wetlands Reserve

This recently established reserve set up in the mid 1990s was established to mitigate for the loss of bird feeding grounds as the result of construction of a barrage to create the Cardiff Bay development 17km to the west. The reserve is extensive, about 4km by 1km along the coast between Goldcliff and Uskmouth. It includes areas of excavated lagoons at Goldcliff which are flooded by the sea at spring tides. Between these high tides areas of gradually drying mud provide feeding for estuarine birds. Although recently established the lagoons attracts vast flocks of birds, particularly at times of migration.

When the lagoons were made an underlying buried landscape of Romano-British drainage ditches was found in an assessment by Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust. The lagoons were carefully designed to minimise damage to this underlying Romano-British landscape. West of the lagoons extensive areas of wet meadow have been established between Goldcliff Pill and Nash. At the Uskmouth end of the Reserve are extensive reedbeds. Seaward of the reserve in the intertidal zone many archaeological discoveries of Mesolithic to Iron Age date have been found on the foreshore at Goldcliff and Uskmouth.
The foreshore parts of the reserve are not open to visitors because of the sensitivity of their bird populations, however, the saline lagoons and their birds can be seen from viewing areas at Goldcliff, and there are visitor displays near the power station at Uskmouth.

For other nature Reserves see Magor Marsh and Gwent Levels Wetland Reserve



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