- Bridgwater Bay
Bridgwater Bay is on the
Bristol Channel , nearBridgwater inSomerset ,England at the mouth of theRiver Parrett . Several of the man-made drainage ditches from theSomerset Levels , including the "Pawlett Hams", also drain into the bay.At low tide extensive areas of
mudflat s (theSteart and the Berrow Flats) are exposed, providing important feeding and over-wintering grounds forwader s (shorebirds). Consequently Bridgwater Bay is a National Nature Reserve, and is managed byNatural England . [cite web |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?nnr_name=&C=0&Habitat=0&natural_area=&local_team=0&spotlight_reserve=0&X=&NNR_ID=28 |title=Bridgwater Bay NNR |accessdate=2007-06-09 |format= |work=Natural England ]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 andRichard'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 fund raising campaign succeeded in purchasing a Swedish-built BBV6 rescue
hovercraft . The hovercraft is operated by BARB inBurnham-on-Sea .References
External links
* [http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/barb/index.html Burnham Rescue Hovercraft Web site]
* [http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/Documents/Ed-excellence/campaign/wdp.html Hovercraft campaign]
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