Contact us at
info@fpwnr.org
Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve
Thank you to everyone who supported the first Portishead Salt Marshes Day!
It was a great success!
Nature Reserve
Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve This is a 150 acre nature reserve on the edge of the Severn Estuary between Portishead and Royal Portbury Dock. It was in 2008 that Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve was first conceived to offset… Read More
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What’s Happening
It’s October already . . . a time to watch out for the arrival of the winter birds. Wildfowl, waders and winter thrushes will soon be arriving. On this page (last updated 2 October): What to look for… Read More
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Wildlife Monitoring
Wildlife monitoring plays an important part in conservation. If you know what is around, and what isn’t, you can make the right choices in land management. So we are counting the wildlife here at Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve…. Read More
Learn MorePortbury Wharf Wetland
Wetlands are very important places and Portbury Wharf is no exception
Watch our slide show to see why:
For more facts about wetlands and World Wetlands Day visit www.worldwetlandsday.org
The lovely Boat Folk at Portishead Marina have put up some of our salt marsh information display boards around the marina. We are working together to spread the word about our great salt marshes and wildlife.
The ‘SPLASH’ has landed in Swan Lake.![]()
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This eye-catching artwork, designed and sculpted by Cod Steaks in Bristol was originally installed in one of the North Pools. Now it has been moved to a much more prominent position on Swan Lake just down from Robin Place.![]()
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It is moulded and cast in clear resin and designed to enhance the environment without disturbing the surrounding wildlife and nesting birds.![]()
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A special thanks to Mags (@mags_mega_pix) for letting us share her lovely photo of this cygnet crowned with the splash. Perfect timing Mags! Swans are royal birds owned by the Queen and this youngster certainly looks good wearing a crown!
September Wildlife - Post 3![]()
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Have you spotted either of the darter dragonflies yet? Well here is another one for you to watch out for this weekend . . .![]()
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It is the Migrant Hawker. You might see it whizzing past as it "hawks" for insects along the hedgerows. When it is not hawking it likes to rest on low vegetation.![]()
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The photos are of a male which is dark with blue spots and yellow flecks along the abdomen. It also has blue eyes! The brown-eyed female has a brown abdomen with yellow spots though can occasionally have blue spots too.
September wildlife - Post 2![]()
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The second dragonfly to look out for in the autumn is the Ruddy Darter. It is slightly smaller than the Common Darter with a 'waisted' abdomen. Males are bright red. Females are very similar to female Common Darters but have all black legs.
September Wildlife - Post 1 ![]()
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Although dragonflies are beginning to die off now their larvae, or nymphs, are still very much alive in the ponds and rhynes. ![]()
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However, there are three species that you can still look out for in September. The first is the Common Darter . . . ![]()
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You will often see them perched on the tip of a prominent twig or fencepost. From here they will dart out to catch flies before returning to the same perch – hence their name!![]()
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If you ever get close enough you might notice the cream or yellow stripe on their black legs! The females have a light yellow thorax and abdomen turning darker brown with age while the males turn a red colour as they mature. ![]()
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Still to come Ruddy Darter and Migrant Hawker . . .
By the meteorological calendar, the first day of autumn begins on 1 September and ends on 30 November. So autumn is officially here. ![]()
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While we still hope for some sunny and warm days, nature is already preparing for the hardships to come. Fruits and nuts are ripening, many animals are fattening up for hibernation or migration - some have gone already!
Thank you to everyone who came along to the very first Portishead Salt Marshes Day on Saturday.![]()
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There was such a lovely atmosphere and plenty of information to be shared about our amazing salt marches.😀
Today is Portishead Salt Marshes Day!![]()
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Come and say hello.![]()
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We will be by the path between the Marina and Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve between 11.00 am and 5.00 pm. The What3Word location is w3w.co/wonderfully.forwarded.balconies
A week to go before the first ever Portishead Salt Marshes Day!![]()
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We hope you can come and say hello next Saturday 14th between 11.00 am - 5.00 pm. ![]()
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We will have lots of fascinating information plus hands-on art and science. See www.portburywharfnaturereserve.co.uk/salt.../ for more . . .
We are counting down to the first ever Portishead Salt Marshes Day in just over 2 weeks (Saturday 14 August). ![]()
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We have been working hard behind the scenes creating graphics to tell the fascinating story of salt marshes. ![]()
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Portbury Wharf salt marsh is crucial to the success of the nature reserve as wildlife moves freely between the two habitats.![]()
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We hope to see you there.