Welwick Saltmarsh YWT East Yorkshire

Site Location Details

Site Details

Welwick Saltmarsh is a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve, a place of big skies, clouds of birds, raptors skimming past and a spray of purple flowering saltmarsh plants, all set against the landscape of the wide open mouth of the humber estuary with views of the Humber Bridge in the distance. Welwick Saltmarsh is the most extensive area of saltmarsh on the north bank of the River Humber. It is advisable to view this nature reserve from the riverbank as accessing the saltmarsh itself can be dangerous and would cause disturbance to wildlife. From the floodbank you can enjoy spectacular views across the mouth of the Humber. Thousands of birds use the Humber estuary including large flocks of Golden Plover which appear bronze against the mudflats in the evening sun. Hundreds of large, Curlew feed on the edge of the saltmarsh while Grey Plover, Knot and Dunlin whir past and drop down to feed on the mudflats. Many of these flocks pass right overhead as they transfer to their inland roosting sites as the incoming tide pushes them for the river edge. Enjoy a winter's afternoon walk to experience the best views of raptors as they hunt along the Humber. Take in the big horizons from Spurn to the Humber Bridge as the sun goes down. Welwick Saltmarsh is also a fantastic location to view wintering raptors and owls. Short-eared Owl, Merlin, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier and Kestrel are all regularly seen. In spring scurvy grass creates hundreds of white tussocks across the marsh and mid-summer sees a real show of purple flowers from sea lavender and sea aster. The saltmarsh also supports sea purslane, sea arrowgrass and cord grass. On the land side of the saltmarsh a small area of relic dune containing two ponds supports common reed, bird's-foot trefoil, spiny restharrow and the curious non-native spring beauty. Management of the saltmarsh involves some cutting and the Trust is trialling grazing in some areas of the nature reserve.