What is the difference between an estuary and a salt marsh

These include common species such as wheatear, redstart, willow warbler and gold crest, as well as more unusual species, which may have been blown off their normal migration route. In winter you can see large numbers of waders and wildfowl feeding and roosting around the nature reserve, both on the gravel pools and the intertidal areas.

The Ribble Estuary is the most important site in the UK for wintering wildfowl. It supports more than , ducks, geese, swans and waders, and is internationally important for 16 species of wintering birds.

Many are attracted by the smelt and eel that make the most of muddy areas. Arrivals begin from September: wigeon from eastern Russia; whooper swans and pink-footed geese from Iceland; and Bewick's swans from Siberia. Black-tailed godwit have bred on Newton Marsh, on The Fylde, since Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been involved with management of saltmarshes at Lytham where great white egret are seen regularly in spring. The habitat provides a nursery for fish to mature and improve their chances of reaching breeding age.

Eel and smelt are present, which attracts a large variety of birds. The estuary includes Lancashire Wildlife Trust's Barnaby's Sands and Burrows Marshes - the last extensive areas of ungrazed saltmarsh on this coast. See if you can spot the rare rock-sea lavender at Barnaby's Sand. Spurn National Nature Reserve - Renowned by birdwatchers for its autumn migration spectacle, Spurn National Nature Reserve can be a wonderfully wild place over the winter months.

The peninsula is cut off from the mainland at high tide so it is important to check the tide time carefully if you are planning to walk or cycle the 3. On the estuary site of Spurn you will see knot feeding on the Humber mudflats along with other waders and on the seaward side. Look out too for harbour porpoise and grey seal as they take refuge close to the coast. Kilnsea Wetlands Nature Reserve is a relatively new reserve, crafted from land formerly used for farming and opened to the public in The reserve was created to compensate for habitat being lost at the adjacent Brecon Lagoons Nature Reserve as a result of the coastal processes affecting the Holderness, and is a stone's throw from Spurn National Nature Reserve.

Providing a refuge for migrating and wintering waders the best time to visit is just before hide tide on a winters' day; the waders will arrive overhead from the Humber mudflats and drop down on to the reserve to roost. Welwick Saltmarsh , a Site of Special Scientific Interest SSSI , is the most extensive area of saltmarsh on the north bank of the River Humber, East Yorkshire; its creeks penetrate over half of the marsh allowing water to flow in and out with the tides. Winter is a superb time to watch wintering raptors and owls, such as short-eared owl, merlin and marsh harrier to name but a few.

Hundreds of large, curved-billed curlew feed on the edge of the saltmarsh whilst grey plover, knot and dunlin feed on the host of creatures living on the mudflats. A tidal floodgate has been installed at the southern end of the reserve, inundating part of the site each high tide. The land here had been saltmarsh for centuries until a stone and earth bank was constructed in the 18th century. Now, the returning saltwater is beginning a process of saltmarsh re-creation with sea-loving plants like marsh samphire, sea purslane, sea aster and common cordgrass flourishing once more.

Local birdwatchers report that the higher water levels have resulted in an increased number of birds on the reserve. Why not visit and see what you can spot? Dawlish Inner Warren is a long spit of sand which curves like a huge question mark across the mouth of the river Exe. The curving sand dunes covered in marram grass form a small bay, which is one of the last places on the Exe estuary to be covered by each incoming tide.

Thousands of wading birds gather here to feed on the invertebrates in the mud, moving gradually closer to the bird hide before the rising waters drive them off. Farlington Marshes is a coastal grazing marsh and lagoon with both freshwater and brackish pools and a broad stream, which provides feeding and roosting sites for waders and waterfowl. Although not far from Portsmouth, you can escape the hustle and bustle of urban life walking along the sea wall footpath, enjoying stunning views of the reserve and across Langstone Harbour.

In the winter it's well worth wrapping up to watch thousands of dark-bellied brent geese in the marshes at high tide. At The Deep, impressive numbers of teal, wigeon, pintail and shoveler gather. This is also a great reserve for watching birds of prey; peregrines visit all year round, and short-eared owls can be spotted in winter.

Lower Test - Just a stone's throw from the busy Southampton Water and docks, this patchwork of floodplain meadows, marshes and reedbeds host a great range of wildlife. From the bird hide in winter, large flocks of wigeon, teal and mallard can be seen gathering on the marshes. You may also spot wading snipe and green sandpiper.

Salt marshes serve as critical habitat for a host of important animals species including fishes, shellfish, and birds. Due to the critical nature of these systems, the Cape Cod National Seashore has undertaken an ambitious program of estuarine monitoring and salt marsh restoration. You can learn much more about these by visiting the links below:. Explore This Park. Cape Cod National Seashore Massachusetts. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts.

They are marshy because their ground is composed of peat. Peat is made of decomposing plant matter that is often several feet thick. Peat is waterlogged, root-filled, and very spongy. Because salt marshes are waterlogged and contain lots of decomposing plant material, oxygen levels in the peat are extremely low—a condition called hypoxia.

Hypoxia promotes the growth of bacteria which produce the rotten-egg smell that is attributed to marshes and mud flats. Salt marshes are covered with salt-tolerant plants, or halophytes, like salt hay, black rush, and smooth cordgrass.

However, these plants do not grow together in the same area. Marshes are divided into distinct zones, the high marsh and the low marsh. The difference in elevation between these two areas is usually only a few centimeters, but for the plants that inhabit each of these zones, a few centimeters makes a world of difference. The low marsh floods daily at high tide. The high marsh usually floods about twice a month during very high tides associated with new and full moons.

The more often an area is flooded, the more saline it has. Plants living in salt marshes have different tolerances to salt. Those with higher tolerances are found in the low marsh, and those with lower tolerances to salt are found in the high marsh zones. Plants from one marsh zone are never found in the other.

It is tall, sturdy, broad-leaved, and one of the main components of peat. As one moves toward the high marsh, salt hay Spartina patens , a very fine-leaved grass about feet tall, and spike grass Distichlis spicata dominate the area.

The highest parts of the marsh are characterized by black rush Juncus gerardii , which grows in dense swaths. Surrounding the high marsh are the upland habitats. Uplands are rarely, if ever, flooded with saltwater. A unique mix of marine and terrestrial species lives in mangal ecosystems.