Inlet and Estuary - Gower - page 197

countsweremadeofthewholeinlet,andafter1984theweeklycountswerereplacedbycountsonatleast
eight days per month. In total 56 species of birds have been recorded in this way. Such an intensity of
observation isprobablyunequalled anywhere else inBritain andcertainly wasamajor factor contributing
to the recognition of the area's national and international importance.
Thedistributionofbirdsintheinletandestuaryvariesaccordingtotheseasonandthestateofthetide,
but there are some constants that make it easier for the bird-watcher to locate various species. Ducks and
waders in particular have different requirements for their roosts. Waders need exposed ground, the smal-
ler species preferring short grass, sand or shingle while the larger species, especially curlew and redshank
Tringa totanus (Fig. 111), are able to roost in fairly long vegetation. Ducks usually roost on the water in
a belt near the edge of the marsh. On high spring tides, however, virtually all birds move to Whiteford.
The majority of birds feed on the marsh from Whiteford to Salthouse Point, although oystercatchers, knot
andpintailfeedonthesandbanksinthecentreoftheestuary.Aseparategroupofoystercatchersandturn-
stones Arenaria interpres feed on the mussel scars to the north of Whiteford Point.
Despite the wealth of bird life the south side of the inlet is not a popular place for bird-watching.
Whiteford Point is the area most visited by bird-watchers, although it is a long walk out to the hide at the
end of the spit and good views of the birds are only possible at certain states of the tide. There are few
large concentrations of birds conveniently near roads north or south of the inlet where they can easily be
seen. In this respect the National Wetlands Centre at Penclacwydd on the north side, run by the Wildfowl
and Wetlands Trust, is fulfilling a demand and is very popular, especially with family groups.
Wildfowling, a traditional coastal activity formerly pursued for food, is now continued as a sport.
Until the early 1950s foreshore and marsh shooting was more or less unregulated, but with the passing
of the Protection of Birds Act in 1954 some of the wildfowlers shooting in the inlet worked to create or-
ganised clubs to obtain definite legal rights to shoot in certain areas and to exercise some control over
the activities of their members. Two Wildfowlers' Associations were eventually established, covering the
north side and the south side respectively. Both administer their shooting responsibly and have a good
conservation record. Today the activity is governed by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which al-
lows the shooting of ducks and geese on the foreshore between 1 September and 20 February inclusive.
In the inlet and estuary it is mainly wigeon Anas penelope that are targeted, together with some teal A.
crecca and mallard A. platyrhynchos . The total estimated annual 'bag' is around 200 birds, an insignific-
ant figure in conservation terms considering the number of birds that overwinter in the area. The West
Glamorgan Wildfowlers' Association leases shooting on some 2,000 hectares of Llanrhidian Marsh from
the National Trust and the area is wardened by members of the clubs in conjunction with the National
Trust and the Countryside Council for Wales. In 1964 the Association voluntarily gave up shooting rights
over parts of the marsh adjacent to Whiteford National Nature Reserve. This gesture by the wildfowlers
meantsacrificingthemostimportant'flightline'usedbywigeon,andasaresultnumbershaveincreased.