Breeding hopes for bird of prey at Burry Inlet

A new nesting platform and perching post has been installed at WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre in the hopes of attracting Ospreys to the Bury Inlet following their absence for hundreds of years.

In recent years, only a few pairs of this spectacular bird of prey have been bred successfully in North Wales. Scientists from the Dyfi Osprey Project believe that the Burry Inlet is the next most likely area to be colonised in Wales.

After having the go ahead from National Resources Wales, staff and volunteers battled the elements and installed the platform and post on the Saltmarsh land, beyond the saline lagoons on the Millennium Wetlands at WWT Llanelli and are hopeful of its success in the near future.

Brian Briggs, Senior Reserve Warden at WWT Llanelli said,

“Ospreys migrate to and from Africa each year and often stop off in the estuary on route. WWT Llanelli is perfectly placed for nesting Ospreys so we are optimistic that they might colonise the area sometime in the next few years”.

Other breeding birds at WWT Llanelli include Little Grebe, Pochard, Reed Bunting, warblers including Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler and Cetti’s Warbler, and the only colony of Black-headed Gulls in South Wales. Spring is a great time to visit to catch the noisy courtships of Lapwing and Shelduck and to see the first of the new season’s ducklings hatch.

Reserve Warden Brian Briggs will be leading the first in a series of Walk with a Warden sessions on Friday 7 April at 11am for those interested in exploring the reserve.