Open 24/7
The reserve lies between Portishead and Royal Portbury Dock.
Access points are from Wharf Lane in Sheepway just off Junction 19 of the M5 motorway and from Portishead marina.
This website is created for and maintained by Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve.
You can contact the Friends at info@fpwnr.org
3 weeks ago
The Story of Britain's Curlews - Winter
youtube.com
Narration and original music by David Gray, this short film looks at the plight of Britain's curlews as they fight to survive during the winter months.Produc...1 month ago
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Portbury Wharf’s Wildlife
Portbury Wharf’s wildlife is very varied because wildlife loves water and there is certainly a lot of that around here. This is a coastal reserve with a series of freshwater ponds and a network of water filled ditches (rhynes).
All of this water makes it an ideal home for birds, water voles, amphibians, dragonflies and so much more.
In the summer warblers nest in the reeds while swifts, swallows, and house martins wheel over the ponds and oystercatchers strut their stuff on the island. In the winter hundreds of migrating wading birds and ducks arrive here.
Because it is only just a few wing beats from the Severn Estuary it is a safe haven for wildfowl coming from the channel. Keep a look out as sometimes even rarities come to visit the reserve adding to Portbury Wharf’s wildlife.
Mammals
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Birds
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Orchids and other plants
Dragonflies and Damselflies
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Amphibians (coming soon)
Butterflies (coming soon)
Wildlife Posts
How to help our spring wildlife
It’s spring and lots of our wildlife is beginning to breed. At this important time we can all do two easy things to help the wildlife here; keep to the paths and keep our dogs on leads. These… Read More
Murmuring starlings or whispering dunlins?
It was twilight. The stars had faded away but it was not yet sunrise when hundreds of pairs of wings purred past my shoulder. What were they? Where had they come from and where were they going? I… Read More
Roe Deer Antlers
Roe deer antlers regrow each year Only the male roe deer have antlers. Each year, in late autumn they shed their antlers and grow new ones. It doesn’t take long, after casting off the old ones, before these… Read More
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Keeping water voles safe
Keeping water voles safe at Portbury Wharf is very important. So the warden and his Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve Volunteers have been busy repairing the hurdles alongside the rhynes. You may have noticed them along Water Vole Lane,… Read More
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Gordano Valley Lapwings
This morning at sunrise I watched 18 lapwing lift off from the North Pool. Once upon a time you would have seen flocks of a hundred strong. Sadly over the last 20 or so years, numbers have fallen… Read More
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January – What to look out for
Happy New Year! Although it is a shiny new start to the year, sadly we are in another lockdown . . . . . . but our winter birds are still flying free along our coast and on… Read More
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December – What to look out for
IT’S DECEMBER! December is the month of CHRISTMAS and that makes it hard to avoid references to mistletoe, robins, holly and ivy! Let’s learn more about these Christmas symbols which you might spot on a walk around the… Read More
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NOVEMBER – What to look out for
Welcome to November! The clocks have gone back, so dusk comes early in November. The first frosts have arrived and the trees are rapidly losing their leaves….but it’s a good time for wildlife spotting. Winter visitors are streaming… Read More
OCTOBER – What to look out for
Welcome to October! We are well into the autumn and this can be a lovely time of year with lots going on. Birds While the summer birds have gone south to find warmer climates, the winter birds are… Read More
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SEPTEMBER – What to look out for
September is here! By the meteorological calendar, the first day of autumn begins on 1 September and ends on 30 November. So autumn is officially here. The weather may be sunny and warm at times, but nature is… Read More
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AUGUST – What to look out for
Whilst for us August is the height of summer, for much of our wildlife it’s almost the beginning of autumn. The breeding season’s over, lots of plants are ripe with fruit and some bird species are even starting… Read More
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JULY – what to look out for
July is the start of high summer. The flowers and insects are at their best and busiest, but many of the birds will have finished nesting. In July and August many birds are winding down and moulting into… Read More
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JUNE – what to look out for
June is the month when the meadows and verges are full of flowers and the breeding season for the birds is in full swing. The emergence of butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies, which has been a bit slow in… Read More
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MAY – what to look out for
Listen out for cuckoos in May. Cuckoos fly all the way here from Africa and beyond to lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. Did you know it is only the male bird that calls “cuckoo”? A cuckoo… Read More
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March and April – what to look out for
While some winter birds are yet to fly back north to their nesting sites, spring fever is definitely on its way. March and April is such an exciting time of year with plenty of spring wildlife to look… Read More