Traeth Lafan
topThe large expanses of mud at Traeth Lafan are full of food for a number of different species of bird, from shelduck who feed on the surface to curlew and dunlin who feed at the waters edge, probing deeply with their beaks.
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Last updated: 25 February 2011
Traeth Lafan is a nature reserve situated between Bangor and Llanfairfechan along the north Gwynedd coast.
In this clip Iolo Williams teams up with Ben Stammer from The North Wales Wildlife Trust to do a spot of bird watching. The mud flats here can attract up to 15,000 birds here in winter time.
The large expanses of mud are full of food for a number of different species of birds, from shelduck who feed on the surface mud as well as oystercatcher, curlew and dunlin who feed at the waters edge, probing deep into the sand with their long beaks.
The birds here wait for the tide to move out and feed accordingly in the area that best suits their style of feeding.
The reserve is large and covers and area of 9.5 kilometres including a mix of shoreline habitats, and approximately 2,500 hectares of intertidal sand and mud flats which are exposed at low tide.
This area has a number of designated titles including: Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation.
The sands here are also home to the largest known population of moulting great crested grebes in Britain, as well as large flocks of oyster catchers, red breasted mergansers and golden eye.
Gwynedd Council also manages two smaller terrestrial reserves nearby - Morfa Madryn and Morfa Aber.
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