Search

Habitat

Saltmarsh and mudflats

Saltwater marshes and mudflats form as saltwater floods swiftly and silently up winding creeks to cover the marsh before retreating again. This process reveals glistening mud teeming with the…

Nature Reserve

Long Hole Cliff Overton, Gower, Swansea

Sea cliffs, limestone grassland, heath, and caves. Part of the South Gower Coast SSSI, which in turn is part of the European Natura 2000 site, the Limestone Sea Cliffs of South West Wales SAC. The…

Species

Great black-backed gull

This huge gull can be seen around most of the UK's coasts in summer, with some venturing inland in winter.

Species

Red-necked grebe

Red-necked grebes occasionally attempt to nest in the UK, but they're more often seen as winter visitors to sheltered coasts.

Species

Sea lettuce

Sea lettuce is unmistakeable - most often a bright green and always translucent, it is found on all UK coasts.

Species

Hermit crab

If you spot a crawling shell next time you're at the seaside, take a closer look… it might be a hermit crab!

Species

Cushion star

It's easy to see where this small starfish got its name, it really does look like a little star-shaped cushion. Keep an eye out under rocks next time you're rockpooling for this little…

Species

Herring gull

The herring gull is the typical 'seagull' of our seaside resorts, though our coastal populations have declined in recent decades.

Species

Purple sandpiper

This stocky wader is mostly a winter visitor to the UK, where it can be found on rocky, seaweed-covered coasts, often with groups of turnstones.

Habitat

Mud

From vast plains spreading across the seabed to intertidal flats exposed by the low tide, mud supports an incredible variety of wildlife.

Habitat

Rocky reefs

The nooks and crannies of rocky reefs are swimming with wildlife, from tiny fish to colourful anemones. When shoreline rocks are exposed by the low tide, the rockpools that form are a refuge for…