Bridgwater Bay
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Bridgwater Bay is on the estuary of the River Severn, near Bridgwater in Somerset, England at the mouth of the River Parrett. Several of the man-made drainage ditches from the Somerset Levels also drain into the bay.
At low tide extensive areas of mudflats (the Steart and the Berrow Flats) are exposed, providing important feeding and over-wintering grounds for waders (shorebirds). Consequently Bridgwater Bay is a National Nature Reserve, and is managed by English Nature.
Avocets have become regular autumn and winter visitors to the area in recent years, favouring the lower reaches of the River Parrett.
Rare vagrant species spotted in the area include Wilson's Phalarope, Lesser Yellowlegs, White-rumped Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Montagu's Harrier (in spring), Ortolan Bunting and Richard's Pipit (in autumn).
The mud flats are, however, potentially dangerous, and it is not uncommon for the emergency services to mount rescue operations. Following the death of Lelaina Hall off Berrow in 2002, a local fundraising campaign succeeded in purchasing a Swedish built BBV6 rescue hovercraft. The hovercraft is operated by BARB in Burnham on Sea.
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Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)
SSSIs: Aller and Beer Woods | Aller Hill | Asham Wood | Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill | Babcary Meadows | Barle Valley | Barrington Hill Meadows | Berrow Dunes | Black Down and Sampford Commons | Brean Down | Bridgwater Bay | Briggins Moor | Catcott, Edington and Chilton Moors | Chancellor's Farm | Cheddar Complex | Cheddar Reservoir | Cheddar Wood | Cleeve Hill | Cogley Wood | Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill | Curry and Hay Moors | Deadman | Draycott Sleights | Dunster Park and Heathlands | East Polden Grasslands | Ebbor Gorge | Edford Woods and Meadows | Exmoor Coastal Heaths | Fivehead Woods and Meadow | Freshmoor | Friar's Oven | Ge-mare Farm Fields | Great Breach and Copley Woods | Grove Farm | Hardington Moor | Hestercombe House | Holme Moor & Clean Moor | King's Sedgemoor | Kingdown and Middledown | Kingweston Meadows | Lang's Farm | Langford Heathfield | Langmead and Weston Level | Long Lye | Long Lye Meadow | Longleat Woods | Millwater | Moorlinch | Nettlecombe Park | North Brewham Meadows | North Curry Meadow | North Exmoor | North Moor | Old Ironstone Works, Mells | Perch | Porlock Ridge and Saltmarsh | Postlebury Wood | Priddy Pools | Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood | Quantocks | Quants | Ringdown | River Barle | Rodney Stoke | Roebuck Meadows | Ruttersleigh | Severn Estuary | Shapwick Heath | Sharpham Moor Plot | South Exmoor | Southey and Gotleigh Moors | Southlake Moor | Sparkford Wood | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Stowell Meadow | Street Heath | Tealham and Tadham Moors | Thurlbear Wood and Quarrylands | Twinhills Woods and Meadows | Vallis Vale | Walton and Ivythorn Hills | West Moor | West Sedgemoor | Westhay Heath | Westhay Moor | Wet Moor | Whitevine Meadows | Windsor Hill Marsh | Wookey Hole | Woolhayes Farm
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